What it is
Tummy time is awake time on her stomach while you watch. Since babies sleep on their backs, this is how they build the neck and arm strength that leads to rolling and sitting. A flat spot on the back of the skull, called positional plagiocephaly, is common in back-sleeping babies. Your chest, your lap, or your forearm all count.
What's typical
The AAP suggests starting the first week home with two or three short sessions a day, building to 15 to 30 minutes total by around two months. Most newborns hate it at first; that eases by six to eight weeks. Flat spots show up most between two and four months and usually round out by a year.
What's known
The AAP and pediatric physical therapists link tummy time to earlier motor milestones and fewer flat spots. Some flat heads come with a tight neck muscle, called torticollis, where the baby always looks one way. Early physical therapy works well for it. A few babies get a helmet.
What helps
- Do it after a diaper change, not right after a feed.
- Get down face to face, or put a mirror in front of her.
- Switch which end of the crib her head is at each night, so she looks both ways.
When to call someone
- Nowthe baby is floppy, stops moving one arm or leg, or has a bulging soft spot.
- Todayher head is always turned to the same side, or she cries when you turn it.
- At your next visita flat spot you can see from above, a tilted head, or no head lift by two months.
Who helps
Tools: Postpartum Prep Checklist
Related
- Newborn sleep and safe sleepBaby Basics
- BabywearingBaby Basics
- Fussy weeks and developmental changesBaby Basics
- Jaw tension, torticollis, and bodywork for feedingFeeding Your Baby
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Sources
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org — Back to sleep, tummy to play
- Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy — Tummy time and torticollis fact sheets for families
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