Ask any early intervention therapist no matter what their specialty what they
think about tummy time and they will all recommend supervised belly time from day one of an infant's life.
You will
understand about tummy time solutions, how you can stimulate early brain mapping and learn hands on techniques for supporting babies development.
And for babies who aren't
crazy about tummy time, this can be quite a dilemma — especially in the middle of the night!
With all the emphasis to put the baby on the back the position, it may be easy for parents to forget or even
hear about tummy time.
It has shifted my perspective
about Tummy Time from being a torture session to something I can enjoy with my baby and an opportunity to begin laying the foundation for resourceful, simple play.»
Etc., etc.) Because they got all of that fabulous core and neck work from falling to sleep and waking on their bellies, I never
worried about tummy time (they also spent hardly any time in strollers or other plastic things because they hated them).
If baby isn't yet able to reach in Tummy Time (learn
more about Tummy Time milestones here), use a nursing pillow or folded blanket / towel to lift baby's chest and free his hands to reach, touch and grasp.
Your baby likely hasn't achieved many of the important Tummy Time milestones that are important for strength and sensory development (learn more
about Tummy Time milestones).
One of the tricky
things about Tummy Time is giving your little one something fun to look at even before he can fully lift and hold his head up.
In general, my recommendation is to continue to give your little one plenty of daily floortime play unrestricted, but don't
stress about Tummy Time.
Some parents find that rolling up a small towel or placing a nursing pillow underneath baby's armpits and forearms makes a difference with babies who aren't
sure about tummy time.
Once upon a time, when my four daughters were babies, when pediatricians told parents to put babies to sleep on their tummies for the exact same reasons they are now told to put babies on their backs, we never ever ever had to
worry about tummy time.
Coincidentally, there is a big push at my son's school (hes 7 years old)
about tummy time not being just for babies.
Turns out Grandma might have known a thing or two
about Tummy Time, even though she'd never heard of it!
Michelle Emanuel lives in Cincinnati, OH and is the mother to three wonderful children, who taught
her all about tummy time.