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Your Child's Journey

wisdom for the big steps little children take

You are here: Home / Archives for tummy time

Tummy Time

July 13, 2017 By Diane Constantine

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You’ve probably heard about tummy time for babies. The reason it is now an issue is that most parents place their baby on its back to sleep due to the decrease in SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) in this position. This trend has led to a great increase in children with delayed motor development. Now parents must make an effort to provide tummy time.

I hope to give you some compelling reasons to make tummy time happen and also some ways to make it more enjoyable for both you and your baby.

There are milestones in your baby’s development related to tummy time. Without tummy time, some of these milestones won’t be reached or will only develop much later. So it is worth making tummy time a priority.

Start tummy time in the first week of life. Babies who have tummy time from birth onwards, tolerate it much better later on. It is a very natural position for newborns and helps them begin to stretch out after months in the womb. (Don’t worry about the umbilical cord. In the first two weeks of life, the time before the umbilical cord falls off, babies pull the knees up and rest on their forearms. They won’t rub the umbilical cord.) Lying tummy down on Dad’s chest is a great for both Dad and baby. Dad gets a great boost of bonding hormones and baby gets time and attention from Dad as well as tummy time. You may also burp baby belly down across your knees.

What happens during the first two months? Baby bobs his head up briefly to about 45 degrees. He can turn his head to place the opposite cheek down. Arms and legs straighten out and press down and lift the top of the chest up a little. The most important development during this time is that baby lifts its head to turn from side to side. This is the first time the two sides of the body coordinate together to accomplish a task. To make tummy time more comfortable, use a pillow to support your baby’s chest and shoulders. To make it more fun, you can lie on the floor next to baby while talking and rubbing her. This can be an enjoyable rest for both of you.

At three months, she can hold her head up without bobbing. She will lift her head to look both directions. She can lift her shoulders and the top of her chest while pressing down with her forearms. She may roll from belly to side if she lifts her head too far. During this month her sense of balance and vision begin to coordinate. Your baby will enjoy having different things to look at when turning her head from side to side. Keep it interesting to look both ways. She will benefit by having 30-60 minutes of tummy time each day now. No need to make it all at one time, break it into enjoyable sessions.

At four months, he lifts his head steadily to 90 degrees. He not only lifts his upper chest while pressing down with his forearms, but he will stay like this to play with something interesting. Try squishy balls, stuffed animals and sensory bean bags. He will really enjoy ‘flying’ on your feet as you lie on your back and hold him up with your feet and by his chest. Babies who have more than an hour of tummy time at four months, have been shown to reach their milestones faster than those who spend less time on their tummy.

At five months, he will begin to push his chest off the surface with straight arms. In the next few months he will begin bearing his weight on his open hands to the floor. He may begin intentionally rolling from belly to side. Don’t worry if he has less and less tummy time, as long as you are giving him plenty of floor time to continue to develop his muscles for crawling and eventually walking.


For more links about Tummy Time and other Baby topics see: Babies- Sleep, Eat, Awake

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Filed Under: Kid Tips, Newborn Tagged With: motor development, tummy time

The Importance of Tummy Time

August 6, 2012 By Diane Constantine Leave a Comment

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Give your baby a few minutes a couple times each day to lie on her stomach unrestricted by blankets or clothing. Her arms and legs will begin to uncurl and exercise will begin to strengthen her neck and upper body. Many important skills develop while she plays on her tummy. For more information see: TummyTime


Delayed Head Control

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Filed Under: Newborn Tagged With: development, Head control, tummy time

Give Your Baby Tummy Time

September 11, 2011 By Diane Constantine Leave a Comment

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Give your baby a few minutes a couple times each day to lie on her stomach unrestricted by blankets or clothing. Her arms and legs will begin to uncurl and exercise will begin to strengthen her neck and upper body. Many important skills develop while she plays on her tummy. For more information see: TummyTime

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Filed Under: Newborn Tagged With: tummy time

Delayed Head Control

August 6, 2010 By Diane Constantine Leave a Comment

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At birth, your baby has little control over his head because his motor skills and neck muscles are fairly weak. He’ll develop this crucial skill, which is the foundation for all later movement – such as sitting up and walking – little by little during the first year of life.

When it develops

Your baby will probably be able to lift her head when she’s about a month old, and hold it up when placed in a sitting position at around 4 months. Her neck muscles and head control should be strong and steady by 6 months.

Highlights from BabyCenter.com

  • Head control
  • When it develops
  • How it develops
  • What’s next
  • Your role
  • When to be concerned

To read more go go: BabyCenter.com

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Filed Under: Newborn, Resources Tagged With: developmental delay, Head control, tummy time

Newborn Girl

August 11, 2009 By Diane Constantine Leave a Comment

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Key Thought

Transition and adjustments. In this time of transition while your baby adjusts to life outside the womb, you and your family are adjusting to life with a newborn. As in all times of transition, give each other a little more consideration and lots of encouragement. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Month-by-Month Girl Tagged With: daddy, doctor visit, tummy time

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