How to Do Tummy Time

Tummy Time

Routinely putting a baby to sleep on the stomach raises her risk of cot death about 4x. But cot death risk jumps even higher (8-37x) when young babies (under 4 months) are put to sleep on the back…but accidentally roll to the stomach.

Of course, sooner or later, your baby will roll onto her stomach during sleep. So what should you do to protect her?

Establish Safe Sleeping Habits Before Starting Tummy Time

For at least the first 4 months, always put your baby to sleep on the back snugly swaddled with white noise playing nearby. The sound will keep her calmer (less likely to fidget and roll), and the swaddling will make it harder for her to flip over. (FYI, Happiest Baby's SNOO Smart Sleeper is the only baby cot that keeps babies on the back, via its clip-in swaddle. It also keeps your baby calm, by intelligently providing the right level of white noise and womb-like motion to soothe fussing.)

When to Start Tummy Time

While you can begin tummy time as early as the first day you bring your baby home, by the time your baby reaches one month, it is time to begin daily exercises to help her strengthen her neck and back. That will help her develop the ability to move her face out of a blanket or mattress in case she accidentally rolls to the stomach.

The key to starting tummy time is making sure that both you and your newborn are awake and alert and you are constantly supervising.

How to Do Tummy Time Exercises

Once or twice a day, hold your baby upright in your arms with her head resting on your shoulder and her belly against your upper chest. Allow her to practice lifting her head, as you gently support her neck and head with your hand.

Place your baby with her tummy and face down on a sheet to give her practice moving her head and getting her nose and mouth free. (Supervise her closely, and never leave her alone on her stomach.) The first few times, you may need to help by lifting her head a tiny bit and showing her how to swing her face to the side.

When your infant is 2-3 months old, place your hand under her chest during the tummy exercise to lift her a tiny bit and help her start learning how to use her arms to push up.

These exercises will teach her how to free her face by arching her back and lifting her head, in case she accidentally flips over in sleep.

How Long Should You Do Tummy Time For?

Start by doing tummy time once or twice per day for 3 to 5 minutes. As your baby gets older (and stronger!), you can ramp up the number of tummy time sessions and duration. Pretty soon your baby will be able to roll over on her own!

Final Thoughts on Tummy Time

Do not stress if your baby hates tummy time. If you are finding it challenging to keep your baby engaged, then take a break from tummy time exercises for a couple of days or even a week. Shortening tummy time sessions and spacing the exercises throughout the day will make it more bearable for your little one. Remember, some tummy time is better than no tummy time.

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