Tummy Time: facts and tips.
Let’s talk tummy time!
In utero, your baby is completely flexed in the fetal position. This lengthens the muscles on the back of their body & makes them ready to work first. This is where the importance of tummy time comes in. Tummy time is the first position that lets your child activate those muscles on the back of their body, which then lengthens the muscles on the front of their body & gets them ready to be active next.
Although it may not seem important yet, between 4-6 months, the strength and balance of the front & back muscles working together is crucial for the development of the next milestones. These muscles have to work together to help your child control their core and maintain positions requiring strength and coordination.Think of it like a pyramid, the bottom skills lay the foundation for the rest of the skills to occur. Without one, another can’t happen, or may happen in a way that is not ideal.
In those first few months of life, the most important thing to do for your baby is tummy and floor time. This is their first opportunity to learn how their bodies move against gravity (remember – they’ve been in fluid for their entire life!). Learning how their bodies move, exploring, gaining motivation, and refining movement & strength are the foundation for all other skills.
The benefits of tummy time in regards to gross motor development are typically what is talked about the most. But, tummy time is also of immense benefit to almost every other system in your child’s body!
Here’s just a few tummy time facts:
Strengthens digestive muscles, tightening the sphincter muscle and potentially reducing reflux.
Improves vision. As they track toys and faces or even just visually explore, they are refining and sharpening their vision.
Challenges the sensory systems for the first time, changing sensory input to your child’s vestibular system.
Can help prevent torticollis & subsequent development of a flat head by changing the pressure they are receiving during most wake/sleep times when on their backs.
Begins development of hand eye coordination as they see and engage with toys while on their belly, their first attempts at swatting/reaching for toys occurs.
Begins to integrate the sensory system. As their weight bearing surface changes from their forearm to their hands, and finally to open hands with arms straightened, they are improving hand strength, fine motor development, become aware of changing sensation (textures) on their arms. This weight bearing position on hands has been heavily researched and is shown to correlate to hands and knees crawling, improved dexterity, improve handwriting, and even improved athletics and hands eye coordination!
With all of that said, you can see why tummy/floor time is so important! BUT, that doesn’t mean it should be a source of stress for you. There are lots of reasons baby’s struggle with tummy time, many of which are out of your control.
Here are some tips for tummy time success:
Start from day 1. Every time you burp your baby after a feeding, recline yourself a bit against the couch while you do it. Those small bursts of muscle work are the beginnings of your baby strengthening those extensor muscles in their neck and back. It may not seem like much, but it all counts!
On your chest in those first weeks while you recline is, in my opinion, the best way to get those tummy time minutes in!
As they get older and stronger (6 weeks or so), I recommend putting them in tummy time over a boppy! Then, lower the amount of support (from a boppy roll to a towel roll, to eventually flat on the floor), and help them be successful by staying engaged with them throughout their time on the floor.
Aim for 3-5 minutes, repeated 3-5x a day. If you don’t get it all in, that’s okay!
Figure out a schedule that works for your baby. Some babies do just fine with laying down right after a meal. Some require being upright for longer periods, which can lead right into their next nap and leaves what seems like very little time for structured floor time. That’s okay! If that is your baby, get those minutes in while they recline against you in the ‘burping’ position after they eat. Remember – the more tummy time they do, the stronger those digestives muscles strengthen, which will hopefully improve reflux!
I hope this brief overview helps, but please don’t let this be an added source of stress! You’re doing a great job, and as always, feel free to reach out.
WANT MORE?
For developmental questions, tips and guidance related to milestones about tummy time, rolling & sitting, crawling and walking, check out KC’s developmental Masterclasses linked here.