Tummy time

When your baby is on their tummy, they’re working muscles that are crucial for future milestones like rolling over, sitting up, crawling, and eventually walking. Lifting their head, pushing up on their arms, and using their legs to kick and stretch all help develop their neck, back, and shoulder muscles. These muscles are the foundation for everything that comes next in their physical development.

Tummy time encourages your baby to reach for and interact with objects, which helps develop hand-eye coordination. As they learn to push up with their arms or grab for toys, they’re gaining the motor skills needed to reach, grab, and manipulate objects later on. These early movements also build the foundation for fine motor skills, like grasping and manipulating toys, that they’ll use as they get older.

One of the most well-known reasons tummy time is important is because it helps prevent flat spots from forming on the back of your baby’s head, a condition known as positional plagiocephaly. This can happen if babies spend too much time lying on their backs (which is the safest sleep position to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS). By giving your baby regular tummy time when they’re awake, you reduce the pressure on the back of their skull, helping their head develop a more rounded shape.

Tummy time isn’t just about physical strength; it also helps your baby’s sensory development. When your baby is on their tummy, they can see the world from a new perspective—looking at toys, your face, and other objects from an angle they can’t get while lying on their back. This new perspective encourages your baby to practice tracking objects with their eyes, which helps develop their visual skills.

As your baby gains strength and starts lifting their head, they’ll also be learning to balance. Tummy time teaches them how to balance the weight of their head and body, which is a precursor to sitting up and walking. The movement required to push up on their arms, stretch out their legs, and twist their body helps them develop better coordination and control over their movements.

Tummy time also plays a role in cognitive development. As your baby interacts with their environment and practices different movements, they’re engaging their brain. For example, reaching for toys, focusing on objects, and figuring out how to use their muscles all help to build important brain connections. The physical effort involved in tummy time stimulates brain development, particularly in the areas that control motor skills, coordination, and spatial awareness.

Without enough tummy time, babies may miss important developmental steps, such as holding their head up or rolling over, and this can lead to delays in other areas of development. Regular tummy time gives your baby a head start in reaching those milestones, and it can also help prevent issues with muscle tone or coordination as they get older.

As your baby strengthens their neck and back muscles through tummy time, they develop better posture overall. Babies who get enough tummy time are more likely to develop good posture as they grow, which will be important when they begin sitting, standing, and walking.

When babies are on their tummies, they get a chance to explore their surroundings from a different perspective. They may start to reach for toys, turn their head toward new sounds, or even start to roll. This encourages curiosity and a desire to explore, which is a key part of cognitive development. The more they practice reaching and moving, the more engaged and interested they become in the world around them.