As a result, today's babies have fewer chances to practice using their arms, back, neck, and head to lift themselves up. Read on to learn more about the benefits of tummy time, with tips for starting the important practice. Leaving your baby on her belly for a few minutes while she's awake helps her work all the muscles in her upper body, promoting trunk stability and head control.
Tummy time also encourages your little one to practice reaching and pivoting, skills that are often precursors to crawling. And research shows that a lack of tummy time can delay your baby from meeting physical development milestones like lifting her head, rolling over, sitting up, and more. Regularly spending time on his stomach also helps your baby avoid developing a flat spot on the back of his head , which became more common after the AAP's aforementioned "Back to Sleep" campaign to help prevent sudden infant death syndrome SIDS.
In severe cases, head flattening, or plagiocephaly, can distort facial features. Tummy time is also helpful for babies with the condition torticollis , which causes the head to tilt unnaturally because the neck muscle is stiff and tight.
Finally, according to research published in Pediatrics in May , tummy time is associated with improved cardiovascular health and body mass index BMI. Begin at 2 weeks old with short sessions of 30 seconds to one minute.
Try placing your newborn belly-down on your chest or across your lap so he gets accustomed to the position. To make it part of your routine, put your baby on his tummy after each daytime diaper change. Just don't do it right after a feeding, when pressure on his stomach may cause him to spit up. Seeing your face can be incentive enough for baby to try lifting her head from your body, but McKenna warns that sometimes the plan backfires. A sleep-deprived new parent read: all of us!
Or, if you manage to stay awake, baby might not have incentive to lift her head off of your warm body and she could drift off to sleep. See how it goes and how baby responds to tummy time. You may need to play around with positioning. This AAP-recommended position has baby on a blanket, laying on her side, with a rolled-up towel behind her back and a rolled-up washcloth under her head for support if needed. Be sure to roll her to the alternating side every 10 to 15 minutes.
Pulling out one or two tummy time toys and placing them just out of reach, so baby has to extend himself to grab them can do the trick. Or enlist his favorite toy—you! What if baby still hates tummy time? A little here and there all add up. McKenna points out. Experts: Michael McKenna, M. Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such.
You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances. Free E-newsletter Subscribe to Housecall Our general interest e-newsletter keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics.
Sign up now. What's the importance of tummy time for a baby? Answer From Jay L. With Jay L. SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths: Updated recommendations for a safe infant sleeping environment. Laughlin J, et al. Prevention and management of positional skull deformities in infants.
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