What is tummy time?
Tummy time is anytime baby is on their front with their tummy flat on a surface when awake.
Why is tummy time important?
- Tummy time helps newborns to build their neck and shoulder muscles to be able to support their heads themselves and eventually improve head control.
- It reduces the chances of baby developing flat spots on their head.
- It promotes sensory and cognitive development
- It is important for babies of all ages as it develops motor skills and the coordination needed for rolling, crawling and walking.
How do you do tummy time?
The easiest way to do tummy time is to place a playmat or clean blanket on the floor and gently position baby onto their tummy. Newborns don’t generally enjoy tummy time to begin with, so getting down onto the playmat with them and getting your face into that 8-12 inch vision zone so they can see you is a great way to reassure them. You can talk or sing to them while they are doing their tummy time and you can also use high contrast books and mirrors to keep their attention while they do their tummy time.
When starting out it is best to do it for short intervals, eg. 2-3 minutes at a time, 3 times a day and then gradually building on this duration as your baby gets stronger and more comfortable with it. As your baby builds strength they will start to lift their head for longer durations and with better control. Eventually baby will learn how to roll from their front to their back and they will end their tummy time session themselves when they have had enough by rolling onto their backs.
Another way to do tummy time is carrying baby in a baby wrap or baby carrier as this will build their neck and shoulder muscles. Be sure to support their head until they have good head control. For more information about baby wraps and carriers, read our baby wearing content here.
There are also variations on the playmat idea, you can place baby on your chest whilst you are in a reclined position. Being so close to your face may encourage baby to try to lift their head. This is also a great opportunity to do skin to skin at the same time.
You could also place baby across your lap on their tummy, however you won’t be able to get your face into their line of sight if you are doing this, so this position may be better for a slightly older baby.
Tummy time as they get older
As your baby develops and grows in strength, you can move high contrast books or cards slowly from one side to the other to encourage your baby to track the image and move their head from side to side.
Once they’ve mastered head control, you can make tummy time more interesting by placing toys just out of reach of them to encourage them to use their arms whilst on their front to reach and grab. This will eventually lead to crawling.
Tummy time safety tips
- Always stay with baby during tummy time and closely supervise them.
- If you are doing tummy time on a flat surface, make sure the surface is safe and close to the floor. Babies will learn to roll eventually so best to have them in a safe place for when they do roll for the first time.
- Safe sleep recommendation is that the safest position for baby to sleep is on their backs. Tummy time should be done when baby is awake so they can build their muscle strength.
