In the parenting world, Tummy-Time is a phrase that you will hear often. It’s a typical water-cooler topic in parent groups where they talk about how much time their little one gets, and you will see it often in parenting and baby magazines. Veteran parents are fully versed on what it is and are always recommending it. However, for new parents, the true concept may still be a bit elusive. Is it just playtime or does it have a deeper developmental significance? This blog will help you understand the What, Why, and How so you can get started as soon as possible with your child.
It’s Exercise for Babies!
Just like it sounds, Tummy Time is the act of placing your baby on their tummy for a few minutes at a time. It’s suggested that you start this early and is hugely important for the development of muscles in their:
- Neck
- Shoulders
- Arms
- Stomach
- Back
Tummy Time also teaches them to lift their heads, a motor skill that they will of course need while crawling to see where they are going. This time is really the stepping stone to gathering the strength to sit up and then learning to crawl, so the sooner they master it, the earlier they will learn their mobility. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends starting your child on Tummy Time as early as their first day home from the hospital!
In newborns and young babies, Tummy Time also helps mitigate the formation of flat spots on your baby’s head. Right after being born, a baby’s skull is still solidifying, and spending too much time on their back can cause the skull plates to move in a way that creates this flat spot. You can also help improve their vision by placing colorful objects around them, which will give them something to focus on. At first, a newborn’s vision is nearsighted and they can only focus 8-12 inches away. Beyond 12 inches is blurry for them but soon by month 3, they will be able to see across the room.
Another essential benefit of playing on their belly is that it will help develop their fine motor skills by reaching for the things you have placed around them. Motor skills are any actions that use their muscles, and researchers have found that children who experience Tummy Time definitely develop their fine motor skills faster than those who don’t. Reaching for the objects near them will encourage rolling over and crawling as well. And all this muscle movement will help them reach their milestones on time or even earlier!
Keep This In Mind Before You Start:
- Make sure that your child is awake and always supervised.
- Lay them down a blanket on carpet or use a padded mat on hard floors. You don’t want your child dropping their head and hurting itself, especially when their muscles aren’t very strong in the beginning.
- Make sure nothing is obstructing their breathing space, like a blanket.
- While you don’t want them to be hungry during this time, don’t place them on their tummy right after being fed as this may cause them to spit up or digestion discomfort from acid reflux.
It’s Tummy Time!
We have covered the What and the Why, so lets get started and we can cover the When and How. As we mentioned earlier, it’s best to start your child on Tummy Time as early as their first day at home. Place them gently down on a soft blanket or padded mat, and observe their initial reactions. Hopefully they wont mind being on their belly and will enjoy the new position. For newborns, it is recommended that they get 2-3 minutes at a time, 3-4 times a day. Continue this for 2-3 weeks and then start to work up to intervals of 5 minutes by the end of the month.
Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see much movement from them at first. It will likely take them a month to begin lifting their head, but once they realize they can, they will start to see what else they can move. By month 2, you should see them lifting their head often and moving their arms, as well as being less fussy during Tummy Time. It could also be a great time to play the Nuryl curriculum and get two things accomplished at once!
By month 3, they should be able to lift their head to a 45-degree angle and keep it steady. They will also start lifting their body using their forearms, like a mini baby pushup. At this point, you can get them up to 15-20 minutes of Tummy Time 4-5 times a day. You may even think about incorporating an activity mat to give them extra toys and sounds to explore and move to.
By Month 4, they will start actively reaching for the colorful items you have spread around them, and they can be more self-sufficient during this time without you having to entertain them constantly. By months 5 and 6, they will be Tummy Time experts and should be transitioning from their belly to their back looking for other stimulation. At this point, they should be getting in about 30 minutes or more on their belly, and you might find that they love this time to explore.
Once your child starts crawling (around 7-9 months), they will be getting all the benefits of Tummy Time from this new mobility. That’s not to say that you need to stop Tummy Time as they can still hone their motor skills and it continues to be helpful to help them reach their milestones on time or even earlier. And hey… maybe they really enjoy this time on their belly. No need to take that away from them!
What If They Aren’t Enjoying It?
Don’t concern yourself too much if they don’t seem to be having the best time or are crying during it. At first, they aren’t used to it at all and like to be lying on their back where they can see things. A newborn has no real control of their head yet but the more they lay on their belly, they will soon develop the strength to lift their head and look around. And that opens up a whole new world as they can discover things on their own. But even if they are crying at first, you can lay your head next to theirs as they certainly love looking at your face and hearing your voice!
As they get older and still don’t enjoy Tummy Time as much as you wish, try to gain their attention and keep them busy with toys and noises so they don’t get bored as easily. As we talked about earlier, these toys will give them a lot to look at and promote movement as they try to reach them. And they certainly should have a change in attitude as they become more mobile and start to sit up and crawl. Of course, this is all helping to promote muscle strengthening and positive motor function development, which is really the main goals of Tummy Time. View that as a win!
Get Started Early!
The concept of Tummy Time is simple and knowing that it is essential to their mobility should give you all the drive you need to get your child started as soon as possible. Just like Nuryl, Tummy Time can be a wonderful bonding experience for you both. Armed with this new knowledge, you can help them master it in no time, and give them a great head start to their freedom of exploration!
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