Tummy Time for Your Baby
If you’re a new mom preparing for a baby, I’m sure you’re realizing there’s a lot to learn. One of the things I was unsure of as a first time mom was tummy time. I had questions like, “when should I start doing tummy time?” “how often should I be doing tummy time?”, and “how do I play with my baby during tummy time?”. This post will walk you through all of these questions and hopefully make you more confident doing tummy time with your baby.
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What is Tummy Time and Benefits
Tummy time is placing your baby on their belly to play for a period of time, and is important for your baby’s growth and development. Placing your baby on their tummy allows them to strengthen their neck, back, arm, and shoulder muscles that support lifting up their head, crawling, and sitting up. This time also helps prevent flat spots on your baby’s head.
When to Start Tummy Time
You can (and should) begin tummy time as soon as your bring your baby home from the hospital!
Tummy Time Positioning
Lay baby on your chest and allow your baby to lift and move their head.
Lay baby across your lap
Hold baby in a football or superman hold
Place baby on their stomach on the floor
Use a nursing pillow to prop your baby up
How Long to Do Tummy Time
Start with 1-2 minutes of tummy time 2-3 times a day and work your way up towards longer periods of time as your baby gets bigger and stronger.
What to Do During Tummy Time
You don’t need to have structured activities for your baby, especially during the newborn. Simply talking to your baby and making eye contact is enough stimulation for a new baby and helps with bonding. You can also incorporate books or toys to support play and learning. Here are a few of my favorites to support tummy time. Be sure to add these to your baby registry (get my free baby registry checklist here).
Lovevery Play Gym - has different play areas that support your baby’s development through the first year. I bought ours off of Facebook Marketplace. I love the versatility but also the simplicity of this play gym. It does not have a lot of lights and sounds but rather encourages your baby to explore, discover, and play on their own. I also think it's super cute!
Tummy Time Water Mat - develops fine motor skills, hand and eye coordination
High Contrast Book - supports cognitive development
Rattle - encourages reaching and grasping
I know you’re a Mama who likes to feel prepared and confident in your role as a new mom. I have a free training just for expecting first time moms like you called, Baby Prep Bootcamp: Preparing for Baby and Navigating Postpartum with Clarity and Confidence. Here we’ll be diving into first time mom need to knows like how to truly prepare for life with a newborn, not just childbirth, how to approach breastfeeding and pumping with confidence, and how to create a stress-free, functional environment that supports you in the early weeks postpartum. Spots are limited so grab your seat; you won’t want to miss it!
