I am so excited to be working with Claire and Lauren from the Inspired Treehouse to answer YOUR questions about children’s development and milestones. I recently asked my Facebook friends if they had one question for a group of Pediatric Occupational and Physical Therapists. The response was awesome and we received a number of great questions. A good friend of mine addressed an issue that I know causes most new moms stress: TUMMY TIME!
[bctt tweet=”Is tummy time for my #baby really THAT important? The #Pediatric experts answer!”]
Ugh – I have yet to meet a baby who LOVED being flipped onto his stomach for the mandatory daily sessions of belly flopping. Considering how most babies end up in tears, and sometimes even mom does too – is tummy time REALLY THAT important for our babies?
I asked Claire to talk about Tummy Time and share some tips and tricks with us!
Claire: “Because families are always on the go, these days babies spend a lot of their time in carriers, car seats, and strollers. Add to this the increased awareness of the “Back to Sleep” campaign that promotes sleeping babies on their backs to decrease the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), and the result? Babies are spending too much time on their backs and not enough time on their tummies! Read on to find out why positioning your baby on his tummy for play throughout the day (Tummy Time) is so important for healthy child development and learn how to make it fun for your little one!”
Claire & Lauren share additional expert advice on how you can help your baby love tummy time!
Click HERE for a comprehensive list of tummy time gadgets, toys and inspiration!
How did tummy time go in your house? Share your experience in the comments!
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Check out our other articles in the series “Expert Advice.” We have articles from OT/ PT, a sleep counselor and a nutritionist – all wonderful professionals specializing in helping pediatric patients.
Thank you for this post. I have identical twin nieces and one loves tummy time but the other one hates it.
My daughter love to be on her tummy! Wasn’t an issue at all.
With my oldest, I would plan tummy times and make sure that he did it for the recommended amount of time and number of times per day. By the third one, I’d think, “Oh crap, she hasn’t had tummy time in a day or two; I better put her on the floor and roll her over! Boys, don’t step on your sister!”
We had a toy that played music and lit up when the baby would hit it and it could be used when they were on their backs or their bellies. All three of my kids LOVED it.
There are so many ways to do tummy time- it doesn’t just have to be on a blanket on the floor. I’ve found that when you are able to be on the floor with baby it goes much better. They like seeing your face and interacting. Other things that have helped our family is putting music on during this time, getting siblings involved either playing or reading a book to the baby, and putting baby on the couch and sitting on the floor infront (be sure baby is safe!). Even laying baby on your tummy when you lie down can be tummy time (I’ve found dads like to do this one). As kids get a little older you can lean them over your leg while you sit down giving them a new angle to explore while working their neck muscles. We also try to put baby in a carrier or wrap instead of in the car seat when out at the store, going for a walk etc to help keep pressure off of the head.
When working with parents who are concerned about baby crying during tummy time I always remind them that there is a process that is built upon. So if you want your child to walk, they have to learn how to hold their weight, before that they have to learn how to sit and before that they must learn how to hold their neck up etc. They are new muscles for a baby so it can be uncomfortable and frustrating at times for them but the more they do it the less of an issue it will become.
Such great advice! Thanks for sharing Christina!
I learned that tummy time is great but when the baby cries, to try something else. Usually we are down on the floor with them so they have someone to interact with, too.
Oh yeah – getting down on their level helps so much!
My Mum died a couple of years ago and in putting together a little montage of photos I notice that in all our baby/toddler photos my twin sat with her and I either was standing or sitting on someone else’s lap. All families have patterns that unconsciously evolve.
Research has shown that the baby’s who don’t like being on their front tend to spend more time on their back or in arms….why? coz when they cry they are either rolled over or picked up. They learn a behaviour and stick with it.
The key is to grade the activity and tummy time doesn’t have to mean dumping a child on a hard floor or volume us duvet. Also having doubled up on many a physio session playful distraction always helps with uncomfortable
My little one doesn’t mind tummy time but I certainly don’t think she enjoys it because she will fuss after awhile.
I am guilty of not doing tummy time with all of my children…we have never had any issues with neck strength either!