Tummy time: let’s play!
Did you know? Tummy time helps your baby develop muscles and motor skills.
Lying your baby on their stomach instead of their back for play time is known as ‘tummy time’. This time is crucial for babies (right from birth) since it helps strengthen certain muscles (including neck and shoulders) and helps them practice movements that are important for proper development.
Back to sleep, tummy to play!
Experts recommend that you always put your baby to sleep on their back. Because of these sleep recommendations, it is important for babies to have time on their tummies when they are awake. Tummy time must always be supervised.
When your baby first comes home from hospital, tummy time can be just for a few seconds at a time, repeated a few times throughout the day.
Spending time on their tummy also has a positive effect on the way your baby’s head shape develops. If your baby spends too much time on their back or in a car seat or bouncy chair, the back of their head can flatten slightly. Longer amounts of time on their tummy will help lessen the pressure on the back of their soft skull.
Include tummy time in your routine as a way to help your baby’s development as well as introduce the idea of play. Make it fun!
Sources
American Academy of Pediatrics. Back to sleep, tummy to play. 2011
https://healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/Back-to-Sleep-Tummy-to-Play.aspx (Accessed December 29 2016)
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