How to Do Newborn Tummy Time
Feb 15, 2023
For many new parents, figuring out how to do newborn tummy time can feel like an overwhelming challenge.
Learning how to safely perform this essential activity for your baby is key in helping them develop strong neck and upper body muscles.
Tummy time doesn't have to be daunting though! With the right tools and tips, it can be something both you and your little one look forward to each day.
Why is Newborn Tummy Time Important?
Tummy time is an important part of newborn development and can have profound impacts on the health, welfare, and happiness of a newborn baby.
Tummy time can help to develop neck strength by giving newborns opportunities to practice pushing themselves up, as well as supporting their own heads. This gives them vital practice for more advanced skills like crawling, sitting up, and even walking further down the line.
Newborn tummy time has also been found to benefit cognitive development and even help with digestion problems in some cases.
Additionally, tummy time can strengthen the bond between newborns and their parents since it is often done as part of a shared activity.
While it can sometimes feel like an intimidating task, learning the proper ways to do tummy time is an essential part of making sure that newborns will thrive in the future.
How to Do Newborn Tummy Time
Choose the Right Location
When it comes to newborn tummy time, it's important to carefully choose the best location. For the first two months, the ideal option is to do tummy time chest to chest on an inclined surface.
Since babies don't have much neck strength in the beginning, tummy time can be hard and frustrating. Putting your baby at an incline will help to shift the weight down their body, making lifting their head a little easier.
For best results, sit on the couch in a comfortable position and lay your baby on your chest. You can sit straight up, slightly inclined or you can lay flat. The further back you go, the harder it will be for your little one.
Remember that in the early stages of life, babies can only see about 6-8 inches away. Having them close to your chest is the perfect way for them to engage with you while also strengthening the muscles in their neck and arms.
Practice at an Ideal Time
To ensure newborn tummy time is most effective, you want to make sure you practice it at the most ideal times of the day.
Tummy time is an active activity that should be practiced when your baby is most alert. Ideally, you want to try to work on tummy time three times a day, however, this can be tricky with newborns since their wake windows are so short.
The best time to practice tummy time is during your baby's quiet, content times. All babies are different so finding the best time may take some trial and error. Some babies will perform best right after they wake up before they eat. Others may be most engaged right after they eat, before they go down for a nap.
The length of time will also vary from baby to baby and day to day. Some tummy time sessions may only last about 30 seconds while others may stretch up to 3 minutes. You want your baby to be happy and engaged during tummy time.
Remember the goal of tummy time is quality, not quantity.
Learn Proper Positioning
Newborn tummy time is an important activity for babies and providing proper positioning during this activity can help ensure their safety and comfort.
There are a few tips to keep in mind when positioning your baby during tummy time. First, you want to ensure their elbows stay behind their shoulders in a similar position to when they were tucked in utero.
You want to avoid their arms being out in front of them or spread to the side in a superman pose. This will cause frustration and discomfort. Always be sure to keep their arms tucked under them for the best results.
With a little patience and some practice, your baby will be a master at tummy time in no time. Remember that every baby is different and develops at their own rate. Have fun with it, experiment with different positions and techniques, and know that you are doing something valuable for your little one’s development!
If you are interested in learning even more about the best tummy time techniques and practices plus all the other great positions your newborn can learn their movement milestones, check out my Newborn Masterclass! Your baby will learn to love tummy time {and everything else!} without the tears with my proven step-by-step process.
