A couple of weeks ago, my friend sent me a video of her new son, who recently turned one month old. In the video, her baby is on his back, minding his own business. He lays there without a care in the world… until his mom flips him over onto his stomach. Flabbergasted, the baby groans in dismay, without a clue as to what’s going on or why.
Cut to several days later. I’m at the same friend’s apartment, and we’re chilling on the couch talking about a topic that’s fascinating to me: tummy time. As a perfect illustration, her baby is resting on his mom’s chest, situated on his belly. The baby lifts his little head and looks at her face, something he was unable to do in the video she sent me just a few days before.
A demonstration of tummy time at work.
The name might imply that tummy time is a period for babies to be on their tummies. But really, tummy time is any period where the baby ISN’T on their back. Positioning your baby on their side, stomachs or even carrying them over your shoulder all counts as tummy time.
It is the earliest exercise your baby will get, and very important when it comes to developing crucial muscles.
Why does tummy time exist?
In the grand timeline of human history, the conversation around tummy time is a recent one, popularizing around 1994 with the start of the “Back to Sleep” campaign. This campaign was designed to spread awareness around Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, which correlates strongly with babies sleeping on their stomachs, or with blankets or plushies. Because of this, the “Back to Sleep” campaign pushed parents to make their babies sleep on their backs in empty cribs. Thankfully, the campaign was very successful. But with the rise of so many back-sleeping babies, pediatricians saw an increasingly common phenomenon: flat-headed babies, some with weaker neck muscles than normal.
Infant skulls are soft, which means even resting on their back creates a flat spot on the back of the baby’s head. If this isn’t corrected, as the infant’s head hardens, it can result in a permanently flat head that will last the rest of their lives. Most of the time, this isn’t too noticeable, but there have been many cases where a flat head also leads to facial deformities and bald spots.
Flat heads aside, tummy time has a positive impact on physical, cognitive and emotional development. As I saw for myself with my friend’s baby, tummy time allows your infant to lift their head, developing those essential neck muscles they need to keep their head up and look around. It also prevents a condition called torticollis, a tightening of the neck muscles that limits how much your baby can turn their head.
A snowball effect happens the more your baby has regular tummy time. At first, your baby might only be able to lift their head for a second or two, but then they can hold it up with ease and look around. This leads to them sitting up and crawling. Fine motor skills are also exercised during tummy time when babies learn to reach for toys.
Your baby's brain is also positively impacted by tummy time simply because of the ability to look around. Imagine lying on your back at all times, unable to sit up and look around. Your entire world would be whatever was right above you, most likely the ceiling.
Now imagine that, over time, you learn to sit up and look around the room. You can see what the room looks like, where people are and what they’re doing. Compared with your past life of staring at the ceiling, the ability to look around opens up a new world for you to explore.
Even though simply looking around isn’t what we normally think of when someone drops the phrase “cognitive development,” fostering a baby’s growing curiosity and observation skills creates a mental foundation that is built on later by education. Experts say that the ability to observe their surroundings will also strengthen your relationship, as your baby can make eye contact with you on their own and seek you out when you’re not holding them.
When does tummy time happen?
Some say your baby can start tummy time the day they are born. But to be safe (and to not overwhelm the baby even more on what is, so far, the craziest day of their life), most recommend starting after you take your baby home from the hospital.
To start, don’t push your baby to do more than 3-5 minutes. Over time, your baby can do more. By a month, it should be 30 minutes to an hour several times a day. As a rule of thumb, once your baby can hold their head up with ease, increase the duration of tummy time.
Common Tummy Time Troubles
I’m going to be blunt: your baby might not like tummy time initially. Those weak muscles will take some time to strengthen, so your baby might get frustrated. Some babies have no problem and slide into the routine with ease. But just like adults complain about going to the gym, your baby will complain about tummy time. Lying on their back is comfortable. Being in a position that makes them use weaker muscles is hard. So if you’re thinking of skipping tummy time so they won’t get upset, just know that they’ll get used to it and that it’s good for them, even if they don't like it.
That being said, listen to your gut as a parent. If you get a feeling that your baby is in actual pain, speak to a pediatrician.
If you get the all-clear from the pediatrician to have tummy time but your baby is still resistant to it, there are lots of ways to make tummy time fun for your baby. Talk and snuggle with them, play with toys and have tummy time in different parts of your home to make it more engaging.
Another complication with tummy time might be if you don’t notice any progress in their development. Here’s what you should be looking out for in tummy time during those early months:
· One month or younger: They should be able to hold their head up for at least a second or two.
· Two months: They can have tummy time for at least one minute and look around.
· Three months: Looking around is easy, and they should be starting to lift themselves up on their elbows.
While milestones might occur little by little, if it’s very inconsistent or simply not happening, talk to your pediatrician.
The most important thing to remember about tummy time is to watch your baby, even if they can hold their necks up. A baby might be able to hold themselves up for a time, but their muscles aren’t fully developed. To avoid the risk of them suffocating or hurting themselves, be with them during tummy time.
Bethany Brewer is an Orlando-based creative writer and an editorial intern at Connecting Mothers Initiative. She has a B.A. in English from the University of Central Florida and uses it to write blogs, short stories and video game scripts.
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