Week 14 Tummy Time

With babies spending more time on their backs, pediatricians have noted an increase in cranial asymmetry, or misshapen heads. Babies' skulls are still somewhat soft, and constant back positioning with no break can sometimes cause a flattening effect on the back of the head.

Tummy time literally gets babies off their backs. It provides a break for the occipital area, or back of their heads, and gives babies a chance to strengthen their neck muscles to prepare them for crawling. It also helps them to get ready to push up, roll over, sit up, and eventually stand.

There are multiple forms of tummy time:
Hold Baby on your chest while you're reclined or lying flat.
Place Baby on a firm, safe surface, such as a blanket on the floor.
Hold Baby on your forearms (as opposed to a traditional cradle hold).
As your baby gains more head control, try using a nursing pillow or blanket to prop her up on her tummy.
Try using an exercise ball to help make it more fun: Place Baby on her tummy on top of the ball. While supporting her with your hand on her back or bottom, gently roll the ball lightly forward and backward.

The Benefits of Tummy Time
Tummy time helps with both fine and gross motor development:
Once on their tummies, babies tend to kick and flail, working their large motor muscles. Later, rolling onto their tummies will help babies strengthen neck and leg muscles.
Babies on their tummies tend to grasp at a parent's shirt or blanket, encouraging fine motor development.

What Tummy Time Looks Like




How Much Tummy Time and When
The current recommendation for time on the tummy is approximately 30 minutes a day, either all at once or broken up into short segments ranging from a few minutes to longer. Engage Baby in tummy time when she's content and alert. It is important not to insist on it if she's fussy: Forcing the issue will cause Baby to negatively associate this tummy time with being unhappy. Try again later when Baby is calm and willing.

My baby is always fussy when it's tummy time, however, so this game is what to do with a tummy time hating tot.

Take a ball or other easily mobile toy. Roll the ball encouraging baby to watch as you roll it. Does baby wiggle slightly to grasp the ball? Make sure the ball is in clear sight of baby. If baby attempts to reach for the rolling ball move it away slightly as to encourage baby to wiggle forward. You want to stimulate baby enough so she will attempt to stretch her arms, legs, and move towards the ball. Let baby explore independently for as long as interested. The idea is to motivate baby to attempt to grasp at the ball. It helps for you to lie down on your tummy and interact with Baby. Talk to, play with, and be silly with your child! A common tummy time problem is that Baby becomes frustrated with being simply placed on a blanket on the floor. So instead, make faces, sing songs, play with toys—you'll have more fun and this will keep Baby from getting fidgety.
These are baby's beginning attempts at crawling!

This activity develops:
Baby's body muscles by using a stimulus to initiate stretching and grasping.
An awareness of movement through the sense of touch
Motivation to move forward
A round head :)