Guys. It’s so important. Tummy time strengthens a babe’s upper body and core muscles, facilitates mobility, engages visual motor integration, encourages sensory exploration and decreases the chance for flat head or head turn preference. Tummy Time is also a precursor to crawling. With the appropriate strength, coordination, and body awareness, Baby is set up to rock exploring his environment. Time in a prone position (on his/her stomach) is important each day. It is ok to start with small bursts of time and build up to more time in this position, as Baby tolerates. If you’d like to read more about guidelines and benefits, check this resource out. If you’d like to read about what Baby can do during early tummy time days, I like this one.

When Tummy Time Is Hard (for everyone involved)

But also, some babies hate it. The last thing a tired parent wants to do is force their baby onto their tummy to hear them cry for 10 minutes so they can say they did it. Babies that are more sensitive to position changes or have reflux detest this position. Babies that have varying muscle tone may find this position incredibly challenging. Babies that have cardiac or breathing difficulties may expend all of their energy in this position, therefore their brain tells them to stop. And how are we, as caregivers, supposed to force this upon these sweet little infants? Any of these factors make tummy time very hard. Here are some things to try to make it a little easier on your little one, which makes it easier on you!

Best Tips for Improving Tummy Time

Here are some ideas to make it more attainable for you and comfortable for them. Reminder: always supervise your baby on her tummy, and ask your doctor or therapist before attempting if your child has diagnoses that may put them at risk of harm on their tummy.

Modified Positions

You certainly don’t have to have your baby in flat tummy time every time you do it. Changing up the position to anything but on their back is wonderful! (See “Sidelying” below.) Use yourself and your environment to make this position more comfortable for your babe. Any position that is reclined can be beneficial. Skin to skin (or shirt to shirt) with Baby on your chest is perfectly fine. Similarly, having Baby lie on your lap with her head supported is great. With this option you can stagger your legs to make the one by her head higher, thus making it more tolerable. Carry your baby across your forearm (similar to a football hold) while you walk around the house. Assure you switch sides each time so that she can practice turning her head both ways. This counts!

Shortened Time

Keep the experience positive by doing this in brief chunks of time. If Baby is able to tolerate a position (even modified), try this for a burst of time. Note when he starts getting fussy and how long that occurs. Next time you try, shoot for just under that. Try to end the experience on a positive note and help him roll out of it before he becomes upset. Remember, a minute here, 2 minutes there, and a 5 minute chunk there is excellent. [Literal] Baby steps here. As Baby tolerates better, increase the time. If you have an older baby, try putting him down to play on his stomach (versus his back) every time. This can be a way that you implement it into his day without carving a specific amount of time out.

Sidelying

A sidelying position is wonderful for visual development, encouraging hands at midline and to increase tolerance to tummy time. Use props behind Baby’s back to encourage him to stay there for a while. If you have a squirmy one on your hands, you may need to use your own body to keep him here a little longer (your arm behind his back). Try putting his top leg over his bottom leg, give him something to look at and reach for/bat at, and support him at the back for security. If he tolerates nicely, explore helping him roll onto his tummy and back. Remember to do both sides!
Side Note: my PT friend would tell you to always roll your baby in and out of their tummy time position so that they get to know that motor action in how it feels and looks.

Provide appropriate support and assistance

It is important to provide the appropriate amount of support under your baby’s chest. However, consider, also a little additional support on her back when she is in tummy time. This may provide her with some calming input and understanding of where her body is in space. This means a gentle hand on your mid-low back or her rump.
Appropriate support under her chest could be a curved pillow such as a Boppy or towel rolls. I prefer towel rolls, unless you have the perfectly fluff Boppy and the perfectly shaped baby. I did not. My baby slid backwards, or worse, tipped forward! It was comical. (Is this a good place to remind you to always supervise? Always supervise Baby when in tummy time. And the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends “Back to Sleep, Tummy to Play”.) Instead, try a thin towel roll under Baby’s armpits and across her chest. This provides just enough support and input to encourage her to remain upright. By giving additional support here, you may lengthen her tolerance or build her little baby confidence up to help her realize it is not so bad.
Also, feel free to gently put her elbows underneath her shoulders to encourage her to push up. Do not feel the need to do this all the time, because it is developmentally appropriate (and good for) Baby to figure things out and flail a bit. She should reach out and back with her arms like an airplane (see the above photo), and not always look coordinated or stable. But providing her with moment of stability by guiding her elbows under her shoulders is a great option to throw in the mix!

Provide novel things to look at

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These are some of my favorite tummy time toys. Initially, when Baby is an infant, use your face! They love it and you love theirs! Or this is a wonderful time to recruit siblings. Otherwise, consider:

• activity cards
• board books open to pages with contrasting colors
• mirrors (or books like the one to the left)
• light up toys
• water mats

Keep at it for tolerance

You’re going to hear me say this in many topic areas- keep at it. The more you do it, however that looks, continue trying. Modify your approach and figure out what works best for Baby (and you!). You may use a few of these ideas multiple times per day. You may need one for a certain time of day. Maybe you use some of these suggestions one week, and then your baby is in an entirely different stage the next week and you are done with that suggestion! And if you need to snuggle that baby and just hold him on your chest all day, hey, good for you! That’s some solid tummy time!

Tell me! What are your Tummy Time tips and tricks?

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