What is tummy time?

Tummy time is time your babe spends lying on their tum rather than their dorsum. It'due south of import for your baby to exist supervised and awake during stomach time. They'll try to lift their head and shoulders, and strengthen their neck, arm, shoulder, stomach, and back muscles while in a stomach-down position.

Lying on their tummy is a workout for your little one, and though your baby may not like information technology, tummy time is essential to help your baby grow strong. Researchers have found that babies who spend fourth dimension face-downward develop motor skills faster than those who don't.

Tum time helps babies eventually learn to button up to all fours, roll over, sit down up, scoot on their abdomen, crawl, and pull to a stand. Information technology likewise builds cerebral skills past giving your petty one a different perspective.

More specifically, tummy time helps your infant:

  • Strengthen the muscles they'll demand to sit, crawl, and walk
  • Avoid getting flat spots on the dorsum of their head
  • Do lifting their head and chest
  • Improve their motor skills (actions that involve using the muscles)
  • Improve their hand-eye coordination (when they achieve for toys during breadbasket fourth dimension)

When should babies start breadbasket fourth dimension?

Experts say babies should start tummy time right away. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends giving your baby some tummy fourth dimension on their first 24-hour interval domicile from the hospital. The sooner your baby starts practicing stomach time, the sooner they'll get used to it.

Commencement with ii to three sessions of stomach time each twenty-four hour period. Keep each session brusque – just a few minutes. Some newborns can only take a minute on their tummy before they start to fuss. Information technology'southward an unfamiliar position, and your baby may outset crying immediately later on yous lay them down. If your baby starts to wail, pick them up and try again later.

As your baby gets older, give them longer sessions of three to five minutes each. Eventually work up to 30 minutes to an hr of tummy time each day, broken into several sessions.

How to do tummy time

To start, notice a safe spot on the floor and put down a soft blanket or stomach fourth dimension mat.

Make sure your babe isn't hungry or tired when you set them tummy-down. It's too a good thought non to place them on a full belly, which might be uncomfortable. (Wait about an hr after feeding to avert spit-ups or acid reflux.) A good fourth dimension to try tummy time is when your baby wakes up from a nap, or after a diaper change.

Stay within arm'southward reach of your baby and so you tin can keep them safe. You lot might lie down with them or sit nearby. Scatter a few toys nearby for your baby to look at – when they're older, you can encourage your baby to reach for them.

If your babe starts to weep, effort to coax them to go a flake longer by talking, singing, or playing with them. When your babe has definitely had plenty, pick them up and try over again later.

Your baby'south tolerance for breadbasket time will increase gradually with experience and a fleck of coaxing. Many babies go more content on their breadbasket as they get stronger and experience more in control. Think of it like your own workouts: They're a lot more enjoyable as you get accustomed to them.

To go far a routine, some parents gyre their babies over on their tummy for a few minutes after every diaper change. Information technology's easy to remember to do it, and your babe may come to look it. Your infant may also enjoy the view if they're up on a changing table. But be certain to keep a hand close so your little one can't curlicue off.

If your baby falls comatose during tum time, gently roll them onto their back – the safest sleeping position for babies. Every bit the AAP advises, "Back to sleep, tummy to play."

Tummy time by age

Stomach time may be a struggle at first, but soon your footling i will principal skills like lifting their head and chest and rolling over – and breadbasket time will exist only part of their usual routine. Here's what to expect past age.

Newborn tummy time

In this early period, i to two minutes at a time, four to 5 times a day may exist all your newborn tin handle. Before they tin can plow or lift their caput, tummy time doesn't take much appeal. To brand tum time more enjoyable for your newborn, effort going breadbasket to breadbasket: Prevarication down on your dorsum and put your newborn on your chest.

1 month sometime

Now that your baby is more than used to breadbasket time, attempt to increase the length of each session by a minute or two. Aim for sessions of 3 to v minutes. At this age, your baby may start to elevator their head briefly while on their tummy and turn it from side to side.

ii months sometime

At 2 months, your baby volition probably be more used to tummy time and do information technology without fussing. Expect your baby to lift their head while on their tummy and motility it from side to side. To encourage them, put interesting toys in their sight line on both sides. Or, sit to i side and encourage your baby to move their head to look at you.

three months old

At 3 months, aim to have your baby spend 30 minutes on their tummy each day, cleaved into shorter sessions. Your baby's probably much amend at controlling their caput at present – they may be able to enhance their head up to 45 degrees while on their breadbasket and hold information technology steady. (Yous can encourage them past property a toy at eye level in front end of your infant.) Some babies can exercise a "mini-pushup" past lifting their head and chest and using their forearms for back up.

4 months old

At this historic period, your baby may adopt being tummy-downwardly on the flooring, where in that location are so many opportunities to explore! Expect your baby to hold their head up loftier without whatever support, push up on their elbows, and raise their chest upwardly off the floor. They may achieve for a toy dangling above them and start to roll over from tummy to back.

five months old

Your babe may now be able to whorl from dorsum to breadbasket and tum to back – meaning that your footling i could exist rolling around the room. At this indicate, y'all don't demand to worry about how much stomach time your baby is doing, because they've nailed it. While breadbasket down, your baby may rock on their stomach, kick their legs, and make swimming moves with their arms. They may also move their hands forward to reach for toys.

six months erstwhile

Many babies are masters of tummy time at this age. They tin roll onto their belly and coil to their dorsum when they've had plenty. Some babies may even offset to push up from their tum to a sitting position, or get onto all fours and rock back and forth.

What if my infant hates tummy fourth dimension?

Many babies are more than comfy on their back, where they spend most of their time – including sleeping hours and time spent in automobile seats, swings, and bouncers.

So if your baby seems miserable on their belly, it could considering it'southward unfamiliar. Early on, it'southward difficult work for babies to keep their head upwardly when they're on their breadbasket. Plus, they can't run into much of annihilation from down there.

Here are some means to brand tummy time more appealing:

Keep your baby company

One strategy is to distract your baby from the unfamiliar feeling of being face-down past joining them on the flooring. Talk, sing, shake a rattle, brand funny faces, or play peek-a-boo. Or you could catch a mat yourself and exercise. Your baby might bask watching you practice yoga or crunches.

Some other option is to lay your baby breadbasket-down on your tum. Y'all can do this while you prevarication on the floor, in bed, or fifty-fifty in the bath. They'll lift their head to look at y'all – just be aware that their head will come crashing down eventually!

ring stacking toy

Once your infant has enough head control – at around four months – you can play aeroplane: Lie on the flooring and on your back and bend your legs. Put your babe'south stomach against your legs, with their head at your knees. And so curve your legs while holding onto your baby firmly. They'll probably dearest the new view.

Tip: Make sure your child'southward sitter or daycare provider knows about the importance of tummy time when your babe is awake, equally well as the importance of placing your baby on their back to sleep.

Provide entertainment

Prop open up a lath book in front of your infant or place a favorite toy within reach. You can buy a breadbasket-time toy or gym designed for babies to play with while on their abdomen. Some gyms have lights, mirrors, moving pictures, music, and squeaky toys attached.

Or identify your footling i on a colorful quilt or activity mat. Some mats take prop-up toys or mirrors. Others are filled with water for added fun. Have your infant's socks off to provide more traction on the mat.

Tip: If you have older children, enquire them to play nearby during breadbasket time. Some older siblings love this task! And watching an older brother or sis – or fifty-fifty a family pet – can go on babies happily distracted.

Prop your babe up

Some parents like to give their baby a new perspective past propping them on a rolled towel or pillow placed under their breast and armpits. When your babe is effectually 3 to four months former, this can give them plenty leverage to elevator their head and chest. (If your baby tends to roll over unintentionally when propped like this, keep your hand on their bottom.)

When your infant tin can get upward on their forearms independently, remove the props to help them develop motor skills without them. And of course, never leave your baby unattended while they're propped up on a rolled towel or pillow.

Tip: Some babies bask rolling on a large do ball. Hold your baby on it, stomach-down, while you gently rock the brawl back and forth.

Melody in to your babe

If your baby still hates tummy time, endeavour to effigy out if there's something else virtually it that your babe finds sad. Perhaps the blankie underneath them gets too scrunched for comfort. Maybe it's also cold on the floor, or perhaps they want you to come down to their level. Y'all can also endeavor playing their favorite music to meet if that helps.

Tip: See if your infant likes to be massaged during tummy time. If so, a gentle massage might make them feel more comfortable.