Tummy Time: What You Need to Know

Oct 14, 2024

Tummy Time is one of the very first developmental activities you can begin to do with your baby! While it can be an exciting time, many parents feel discouraged or overwhelmed when Tummy Time feels stressful for their baby. Understanding the benefits of Tummy Time as well as learning creative positions and activities to engage your baby may alleviate some of the Tummy Time troubles.

What is Tummy Time?

Tummy Time is the simple but essential time your baby spends awake and on their stomach. Think of Tummy Time as your baby’s first workouts. This exercise engages your baby’s muscles to promote overall development and can be a great opportunity for exploration, bonding, and learning about the world around them. Your baby must always be supervised in Tummy Time for safety.

Why is Tummy Time important?

The topic of Tummy Time gets a lot of attention, and for good reason. Aside from building strength, there are many additional benefits specifically related to feeding and communication development.

It builds postural strength for eating

Head control and the ability to maintain an upright seated position play a key role in our body’s ability to eat, digest, and excrete food. Without the strong abdominal muscles that Tummy Time builds your baby will have more difficulty developing the upper body strength and postural control for early feeding skills.

Feeding and speech development are closely related to gross motor skills

Your baby’s oral movements and skills will mimic their body movements and development. Gross motor milestones like head control, rolling over, sitting independently, crawling, and walking lay the foundation for feeding skills. For example, when your baby begins to crawl you’ll also notice their mouth movements follow suit by gaining the control to move side to side. This side to side mouth movement allows your baby to transition from eating purees to more soft foods as well as producing more complex speech sounds and babbling.

It develops breath control

Respiratory control is essential for your baby to coordinate a safe pattern for swallowing (suck, swallow, breathe) as well as controlling their breathing for speaking. Tummy Time is the perfect activity to develop the muscles to assist with breath control.

It provides a unique opportunity for language development

Tummy Time offers your baby the freedom to move their neck in new directions to view their environment and engage their curiosity. When your baby is in confined equipment or on their back they aren’t able to see the world in the way Tummy Time encourages. As your baby is placed on their stomach they will engage their muscles to explore their surroundings. Tummy Time is optimized when a caregiver is engaged in the play to promote language development by responding to baby's vocalizations, labeling items they are looking at, and encouraging the back-and-forth foundation needed for communication.

It builds physical strength

As your baby spends more time on their tummy they will strengthen their neck, shoulder and arm muscles which will help them meet gross motor milestones like sitting, crawling, and walking. Tummy time can also prevent flat spots on the back of your baby’s head potentially leading to asymmetry of the face (plagiocephaly).

How long should Tummy Time last?

Tummy Time can begin when your baby is just a few days old. Try a brief tummy time session after diaper changes or baths when your baby is in a quiet, alert state. There is no such thing as “too much” Tummy Time as long as your baby is tolerating it. Here are a few early guidelines:

Once your baby begins crawling between 6-9 months they get the developmental benefits of Tummy Time while moving, however it is still beneficial to have your baby play on their tummy.

What different Tummy Time positions can I try?

Skin to Skin: Place your baby flat on your chest while sitting at a 45 degree angle. This will provide a calm atmosphere for your newborn just learning to lift their head.

Elevated Pillow: Avoid tummy time immediately after feeding. If your baby has reflux, consider using a pillow to elevate them. Keeping their mouth above the height of their stomach may decrease spit-ups.

Exercise Ball: With a firm hand on your baby, place your baby on top of an exercise ball on their stomach. Add a blanket to make it extra cozy! Slowly roll the ball in various directions or introduce a gentle bounce.

Walk it Out: The tummy down or football hold is a great option as your baby gets better at holding their head up. Go for a walk in your home or yard as you cradle your baby tummy down. Describe what you see along the way to encourage language development.

Baby Airplane: Lie on your back with your knees to your chest and hold your baby facing you with their body on your shins. Hold your baby's chest to ensure they are secure against your legs and let their arms rest on your legs. This position requires good head control and is best used around 2-3 months old and when your baby hasn’t recently eaten!

Take a Seat: Sit upright with your legs outstretched on the floor and your baby’s chest against your legs. This is a great option for skin-to-skin contact and provides your baby with a different view of their environment. As your baby improves their strength you can lift your knee under their chest to elevate their view.

Use floor props: When your baby is 2-3 weeks old begin to incorporate Tummy Time on the floor. Begin with your baby’s chest against a pillow or rolled blanket at a 35-45 degree angle. As your baby gets stronger use smaller blankets or a rolled-up kitchen towel to progress.

What are the best Tummy Time supports?

This stackable pillow grows with your baby long after Tummy Time is needed for development.

The Boppy is a Tummy Time staple with many options for use.

This multi-sensory caterpillar pillow has built in toys to entertain your baby.

The Tum Tum was specifically designed by pediatric physical therapists to meet your baby’s developmental needs.

What activities are best for Tummy Time?

It is common for babies to find Tummy Time upsetting at first. As your baby adapts to this position they will begin to tolerate it more. The key is to progress slowly and do your best to keep your baby engaged with various activities. Here are a few of my favorite tips:

Utilize high-contrast toys and books to capture your baby’s attention as they can only see in shades of black and white as a newborn.

Keep engaging toys in reach to encourage exploration. As your baby starts to support their body more, try placing toys farther away to encourage reaching and crawling. My boys have been captivated by this moving dino.

Sing songs or utilize musical toys to calm your baby. This light bar is a popular option in my house and we love this take-a-long toy for a smaller, more portable option.

Place mirrors at eye level to encourage visual tracking. We like the Sassy Mirror as the easel back stands on the floor and it has engaging toys attached to the mirror.

Babies are naturally drawn to faces. Try laying down at your baby’s level so they can see your face. Books featuring baby faces are also a great option.