The Dos and Don'ts of Using a Boppy Pillow for Tummy Time

Tummy time can be one of the most rewarding and important activities for your baby's development, but as a parent, it can also be one of the most challenging. 

Using a Boppy pillow while doing tummy time with your child is an easy way to make it much more enjoyable for both you and them. With their convenient positioning support, comfort, and safety features, Boppy pillows are incredibly versatile and provide several key benefits during this crucial bonding time between you and your little one. 

In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the advantages that Boppy pillows have to offer when helping parents facilitate successful tummy-time sessions through tips on how –and how not–to use them!

What is a Boppy Pillow?

If you're a new parent, you've probably heard of the Boppy Pillow, a versatile and popular baby accessory designed to keep your little one comfortable and supported. But what exactly is a Boppy Pillow?

Essentially, it's a crescent-shaped pillow that can be used for a wide variety of purposes, from nursing and bottle feeding to tummy time and lounging. Boppy Pillows are known for their soft, plush fabric and their ability to conform to the shape of your baby's body for optimal comfort. 

They can even be used by adults as a back or neck support pillow! With so many uses and benefits, it's no wonder that Boppy Pillows have become a staple in many households, providing practical assistance to parents and comfort to babies.

The Boppy Pillow is also a great place for your newborn to do tummy time. While there is a proper way to use the pillow to support newborn tummy time, there are also many things I see that are not helpful and actually make tummy time a lot harder for your baby.

Today I’m going to teach you how to use it properly because while it’s a great tool and very easy to use, I don’t want you to make common mistakes many parents make.

Why is the Boppy Problematic?

The Boppy is really easy to use poorly because it is squishy and soft. Tummy time is a hard skill for most babies to master. When we have them do it improperly on a soft surface, it makes tummy time even harder. I like to compare it to doing pushups in a beanbag- not fun! 

You don’t want to have them practice tummy time incorrectly because you don’t want tummy time to be harder for your baby.

What are Some Common Mistakes?

The most common mistake I see when it comes to using the Boppy Pillow is when babies are slung out over the front of the pillow. They don’t have contact with the floor and their hands are flopping in the wind.

This is especially not helpful in the early days of tummy time when it’s really hard. Babies are using only their neck muscles to lift their heads which will ultimately lead to lots of tears. 

How Can We Fix This?

The easiest way to fix this problem is to bring your baby backward into the Boppy so their elbows and forearms are properly positioned on the top of the pillow. You want their arms tucked underneath them so they can push down into the surface and then lift their head up.

An easy way to do this is to gently take their elbows and tuck them under their chest so their forearms are in contact with the boppy. 

Why Is the Boppy Pillow a Good Tool for Tummy Time?

When your baby is properly positioned with their arms tucked under their body, the pillow helps to put your baby at an angle. Their feet and knees are drawn closer to the floor which uses gravity to shift weight away from their head, shoulder, and arms to make pushing up a lot easier.

When newborns are doing tummy time on the floor they are in the fetal position which causes their weight to go forward into their head. This often makes tummy time uncomfortable and hard for babies. 

I usually recommend parents do tummy time chest to chest on an incline for the first few months. This is essentially what the Boppy Pillow is doing. It allows gravity to take over some of the work to make lifting their head easier.

We want tummy time to be active and positive and using the Boppy pillow properly can help to achieve this! 

If you have any questions you can check out my Tummy Time Mini Workshop or my Tummy Time Solutions Course!