Tummy Time: Baby, Let’s Have a Roll

Tummy Time is probably a phrase yet to become part of the modern dictionary. But to moms everywhere, it has become a part of their lives. And if modern child development theories are to be believed, it should stay this way. The reason - tummy time helps your baby through the development phases of rolling, crawling, pulling up to stand and walking.

Back to Sleep, Tummy to Play
Placing your baby on his stomach does more for him than you may realize. In addition to strengthening his back, neck, shoulder and arm muscles, which are need for good posture as well as transitional movements, letting your baby spend some time everyday on his tummy also helps to:

• Encourages development of gross motor skills like rolling and crawling. These movements not only allow children to move, but also help them develop the concepts of time, distance and space.
• Provide visual stimulation as the baby looks up from this position.
• Strengthens hands, arms and shoulders and facilitates interaction with toys.

In fact, putting your baby on his tummy for a little everyday is so important, not doing so may actually cause him development problems.

In 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) came out with a campaign called "Back to Sleep". They advised parents that babies should be put to sleep on their backs to reduce the occurrence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). But parents went overboard with the advice and cases were reported where babies came in with "flat head syndrome" as well as weak arms neck, shoulder, and trunk muscles. The reason? The babies weren’t spending enough time on their fronts during the day. In response, the AAP came up with "tummy time."

As the AAP puts it, providing "tummy time" is another way to help prevent the development of positional skull deformities. It also allows your baby to develop the upper body strength he'll need in order to push up and crawl when the time comes. Whenever your baby's on his tummy, however, you need to be with him at all times and make sure he's on a flat surface and awake.

The Right Time For the Tummy Flip
For some babies, tummy time is crying time. So, the earlier you start tummy time, the more he will get used to it. To make the transition easier, start getting your child used to being on her stomach right away, even as soon as she’s home from the hospital.

Play and interact with your baby while she is awake and on her tummy 2 to 3 times each day for a short period of time, increasing the amount of time as she shows enjoyment for the activity. A great time to do this is following a diaper change or when your baby wakes up from a nap. As babies grow older and stronger, they will need more time on their tummies to build their own strength.

Tips to Make Tummy Time Fun
Whether your baby has been a tummy baby from the get go or you have to put in some effort to get him on his stomach, here are some tips and games to help make your tummy time more fun:

• Be a part of his tummy time. Lie side by side with your baby and talk to him – coo, sing, make funny faces, do everything to make him look up at you.
• Put all his favorite toys around him. They should be within his reach so that he can see and try to grab them.
• The AAP recommends placing toys in a circle around your baby. Reaching in different directions helps develop the muscles needed to roll over, scoot and crawl.
• Prop him up a bit. Give him a pillow under his chest, with his arms in front of him. Or lay him across your lap, raising one of your legs to create a slight incline. This will make it easier for him to see what’s going on around him.
• Lie on your back and place your baby on her tummy on your chest. Once she tolerates this, try moving her to a blanket on the floor.
• Carry your baby horizontally by scooping your hand under his chest so his legs straddle your forearm. Play airplane in this position in front of a mirror.
• Encourage friends, relatives, and your child's caregivers to get down on the floor for short periods of tummy time with her as well.