The prone position for a baby, known as “tummy time,” involves placing an infant on their stomach while awake and supervised. This activity is a fundamental part of early development, offering numerous benefits for physical growth and skill acquisition. Tummy time helps babies strengthen various muscle groups and explore their environment, building foundational abilities.
Developmental Importance of Tummy Time
Tummy time strengthens a baby’s muscles, supporting motor milestones. When babies are on their stomachs, they naturally lift their heads, engaging muscles in their neck, shoulders, back, and arms. This effort builds upper body strength for future movements.
As neck and upper body strength improves, infants gain better head control, which facilitates rolling over, sitting up, and crawling. Tummy time also helps prevent common conditions from prolonged time on their backs. These include positional plagiocephaly (flat spots on the head) and positional torticollis (tightness in neck muscles).
Safe Prone Positioning Practices
Tummy time can begin early, from the newborn stage. Parents can start by placing the baby on their chest while reclined. Once the umbilical cord stump has healed, tummy time can transition to a firm, flat surface like a play mat.
Initial sessions should be brief, a few minutes, two to three times daily. As the baby grows stronger, the duration can gradually increase, aiming for 15 to 30 minutes daily by two months, and up to an hour by three months.
Tummy time must always occur when the baby is awake and under direct adult supervision. This aligns with the “Back to Sleep, Tummy to Play” guideline, emphasizing placing babies on their backs for all sleep times to reduce SIDS risk. Placing a baby to sleep on their stomach increases SIDS risk and must be avoided.
Making Tummy Time Enjoyable
Many babies may initially express discomfort or fussiness during tummy time. To make the experience positive, parents can get down to the baby’s eye level, talking, singing, and making engaging facial expressions. This interaction helps distract the baby and encourages them to lift their head.
Using specific props and varied positions can also enhance enjoyment. Placing a non-breakable mirror or high-contrast toys directly in front of the baby provides visual stimulation and motivates them to reach and interact. Tummy time can also be performed with the baby lying on a parent’s chest or across their lap, which can be more comforting and provide a different angle for exploration. For additional support, a small, rolled-up towel or blanket placed under the baby’s chest, with their arms draped over it, can make it easier for them to prop themselves up and build strength. The goal is to keep sessions short, frequent, and positive, ending before the baby becomes overly fatigued or distressed.