As parents, we all know that baby’s tummy time is a “must do” in order to develop their gross motor abilities and muscle strength. With the decree of the “Safe to Sleep” campaign (formerly “Back to Sleep”) recommending that parents place their babies on their backs to sleep to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), our infants have spent less and less time on their tummies. Because this practice has led to a muscle development imbalance, some of our pediatricians have even instructed us to start junior’s tummy time as early “right after birth,” or at least by the time your child reaches his 1-month birthday.

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If you’re like me, you’ve read loads of newbie parenting books and childcare articles that detail the benefits of tummy time, including the strengthening of the neck, back, and trunk muscles; development of visual ability and perspective; and prevention of flathead syndrome and torticollis. Another compelling reason to practice tummy time regularly is that it is a necessary stepping stone that helps your child achieve other developmental milestones down the road. According to the occupational therapist Julia Harper, M.S., decreased tummy time is associated with delays  in motor development. If your baby spends all of his time on his back, it will likely take longer to develop the neck and back muscles needed to learn how to tripod or crawl.

The problem does not lie with us not knowing that we should be practicing tummy time with our tykes. The problem centers a common complaint we all share as parents: our babies don’t like tummy time. In fact, most moms and dads I talk to associate tummy time with unfettered crying and fussing.

Tips for Baby’s Tummy Time:

In the spirit of crowdsourcing and sharing, I’d like to pass on some of the “pearls of wisdom” I have gained to you, my fellow parenting compadres:

• Start tummy time with baby lying on top of your chest. Not only is your warm and soft chest a welcome substitute for the cold, hard floor, but baby is motivated to stay in tummy time because he’ll be looking up at his favorite persons’ faces: mom or dad. This is great for bonding — think kangaroo care and tummy time in one.
• As your baby strengthens his neck and back muscles, graduate him to tummy time over your knees. Sit on a chair or sofa with your feet planted firmly on the ground, knees together. Place him on his stomach over your thighs, with his arms off of one side of your legs, and his legs off to the other side. Remember to give support where needed and look to make sure that he is lying comfortably over your legs. Many babies like this modified tummy time because your legs and the flexible posture lets their little bodies mold into position with less discomfort.
• For floor tummy time, consider rolling up a light receiving blanket and placing the roll underneath baby’s armpits. This prop helps your child develop his muscles with more comfort, control, and support.
• Lastly, external props are great motivators for babies to look up and exercise. If you find the right carrot, it may even become (gasp) enjoyable for your baby. We all know that every baby is different, so find the right carrot for your kid. If he’s visual, try waving a tassle of colorful ribbon. If he’s more auditory, use a rattle or some other benign noisemaker. But if you’re baby is like mine, try having tummy time in front of a mirror so that she can have fun looking at herself and her movements.

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Do you have your own bag of tricks on making tummy time a fun experience for your children? Please share the wealth with the community so that every mom and dad can discover the secret sauce for their baby’s tummy time.

Sources:

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Information Resource Center (2013).Safe to Sleep Public Education Campaign. Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Retrieved April 17, 2013, from http://www.nichd.nih.gov/SIDS/Pages/sids.aspx.

Fries, Wendy C. (2012). Tummy Time for Your Newborn. WebMD. Retrieved April 17, 2013, from http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/tummy-time.

Dana, Lisa, Ph.D. (2011). Top 5 Reasons for Tummy Time. BabyCenter. Retrieved April 17, 2013, from http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/08252011top-5-reasons-for-tummy-time/.

Harper, Julia, M.S. Lack of Tummy Time Shown to Have an Effect on Motor Milestone Development. Early Intervention Support. Retrieved April 17, 2013, from http://www.earlyinterventionsupport.com/parentingtips/habits/tummytime.aspx.

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Yvette Hwee

CEO & Founder at Playful Bee

I'm the momma of Gemma, a curious 3-year old, and Foxin, a rambling 1-year old, so I'm deep in the trenches every day, just like you. I'm deeply passionate about early childhood education and policy. On any given day, you'll find me 1) running a mile a minute chasing after my tots, 2) busy at work with Playful Bee, 3) cuddling with my dogs, 4) chowing down on a delicious meal with my hubby, and 5) enjoying a bit of zen during a hot stone massage. As young parents, our days may be long and years short, but ahhhh...life can be good if we let it.

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Latest posts by Yvette Hwee (see all)

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