Tips for Tear Free Tummy Time

Tips for Tear Free Tummy Time

Rachel and her baby girl just came home from their well-baby checkup. “Be sure to do a little bit of tummy time every day—about 10-15 minutes a day,” the pediatrician had reminded her. So as soon as Rachel got home, she pulled out the tummy time mat and gently laid Claire on top of it. In an instant, Claire was wriggling, fussing, and wailing to be picked back up, looking like a floundering fish. Rachel scooped up her baby and thought to herself, “How are we going to do this for 10-15 minutes every day?”

The good news is that you don’t have to do 10-15 minutes of tummy time all at once. Based on your baby’s age and tolerance, you can break up these times to as much as 1 minute, 10 times a day! Even one minute of tummy time counts and encourages your baby’s development! Plus, there are a few ways to get your baby a little more excited about exercise.

But first…

Why is tummy time important?

Tummy time might not be the most thrilling activity to do with your baby. No one wants to be the one to make your sweet baby frustrated. But think of tummy time as baby’s first steps toward mobility and coordination. It may be hard for your little one at first, but the more you do it, the better baby will get at it, and the benefits are oh, so important. 

The foundation for gross motor milestones: 

Tummy time builds your baby’s core muscles and develops strong neck and shoulder muscles. When your baby strengthens these body parts, it promotes gross motor skills and paves the way for them to be able to sit up, roll over, crawl, and walk! 

Source: What to Expect

Preventing plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome):

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends putting your baby safely to sleep on his or her back. This helps to prevent SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). However, with so much time on their backs, babies can sometimes experience plagiocephaly, or flat head syndrome. Tummy time allows your baby to experience a new position, strengthen neck and back muscles, and reduce the risk of developing flat spots on their heads.

Sources: Safe to Sleep & The Bump

Bonus - Tummy Time Toots:

Does your baby experience gas pains? Another bonus of doing tummy time is that the mild pressure on your little one’s belly can help them toot their troubles away (and give Mom and Dad a giggle as well)!

Why don’t baby’s like it?

Have you ever started a new workout regimen only to be frustrated with how hard it is? Exercising untoned muscles is not fun! That’s what tummy time is like for babies. They’re still developing all of their muscles, and tummy time is a hard workout! It can also be frustrating since they may want to roll from their tummy to their back to look around, but they just haven’t figured out how to yet (which will be great motivation once they get to that stage)!

When to start tummy time?

As long as your baby was born healthy and full-term, you can start doing tummy time the day you bring your baby home from the hospital! It may be intimidating at first laying your newborn on their belly for the first time, so you can also start by laying them on your chest at an incline (this counts!) Baby will love getting some skin-to-skin contact with you, and the gentle incline of laying on your chest will be easier on your little one (just like a workout modification).

How long should tummy time last?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends at least 10-15 minutes of tummy time a day. However, you can work up to this amount of time, especially if you have a newborn. Start with 2-3 sessions a day lasting about 3-5 minutes each time. An ideal time is after a nap and a feeding while your baby is alert and happy. It is never recommended to allow your baby to sleep on their belly since the risk of SIDS increases—tummy time should be carefully monitored. In fact, your voice, presence, and smell will help to keep them calm during their “workout.” The older and stronger your baby gets, the more you can increase tummy time, and the more they may enjoy it!

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics

Ideas to make tummy time more fun

Since it may be hard to get your baby to love tummy time at first, here are some ideas to keep them entertained for their workout session:

Get on his level: Getting eye to eye with baby will allow your little one to focus on your familiar face. Your close presence will reassure your baby that this new position and experience is ok! You can make funny noises and facial expressions, and your baby may all but forget that she’s on her belly!

Get a baby mirror: A small, lightweight plastic mirror is a great way to entertain your baby while on his tummy. It may also entice him to lift his head and admire his reflection! As your baby gets better at tummy time, you can even vary the position by moving it to the side of them. This will encourage your baby to use their arms to rotate their body position, possibly inspiring him to roll over!

Involve a sibling: Does your baby have an older brother or sister? There’s nothing quite as entertaining as watching a “big kid.” With supervision, have your older child get on the baby’s level and say hello. This can also be a great bonding experience for the new sibling pair.

Grab some toys: Spreading a few toys around your baby will encourage her to reach out and grab one. This seemingly simple motion works all kinds of muscles in your baby’s body and will help keep her busy and engaged during tummy time.

Use a prop: Using a nursing pillow or even a rolled-up blanket is a great way to prop your baby up on his chest to give him a little support during tummy time. This can be a great tool to help lengthen tummy time sessions. Being at this slight incline makes it easier for babies to look up and around at the world around them.

Sources: Mayo Clinic & WebMD 

Go, baby, go!

Building those muscles during tummy time is crucial because that core strength will ultimately aid your baby in reaching all of her other gross motor milestones like rolling over, sitting, crawling, and walking. Tummy time doesn’t have to be full of tears. Just remember to start small, break up the sessions, and your baby will be on the go in no time!