Tummy time is when you place a baby on his belly while he is awake. It requires constant supervision. You may have been told to place your baby on his back when he is asleep. You should note that it is also a good  practice to let him lay on this belly while he is awake  to help exercise the muscles of the head, neck and shoulders. Tummy time also prevents the baby’s head from becoming flat (positional plagiocephaly).
 

 

What is the importance of tummy time ?

 
Tummy time strengthens  the baby’s head, neck and shoulder muscles.  During tummy time the baby has to look up, left and right to see other objects. Moving  the head around helps strengthen the neck, shoulders and trunk. It also helps the skull round-up. These muscles will help him sit up in future. It also  strengthens  the eye muscles because the baby has to look around.
 
The more a baby spends time on his belly, the earlier he can learn to roll over, crawl and sit without support.

How to do tummy time 

You can start by placing the newborn on his belly on your lap for a few minutes about 3 times a day.

As time goes on you can put a clean blanket or mat on the floor and put the baby of his tummy. This should be done  while the baby is wide wake and constant supervision is required. Place appropriate toys within the baby’s reach to encourage interaction.

As the baby gets bigger and stronger, you can increase the frequency and time period for tummy time aiming about 20 minutes of tummy time daily.

My baby hates tummy time.What should i do ?

 
Some babies love tummy time while others hate it. Here are some of the things you can do to encourage it.

• Go slow in the beginning. Some kids can only tolerate a few minutes of tummy time
• involve siblings. Encourage older siblings to sit on the floor and play with the baby while you supervise
• use plastic mirrors to entice the baby to lift his head to admire his refection
• move to the baby’s level by sitting on the ground and encouraging him
• sing or tell stories. The baby will lift his head when he hears your voice. You should remember to make eye contact
• combine other activities. You can put the baby on his belly  when drying him after bath or putting baby lotion on his body

 
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