Why is tummy time so important for babies

For more tummy time tips, check out our Helping Hand! Many of them are parents and bring a special understanding to what our patients and families experience. Skip to Content. Urgent Care. Some babies are happier to be on their tummies than others. The ones that are a lot fussier on their tummies, you just really have to work on it. Try to give them some incentive to be on their stomachs.

Putting toys or things that they really like to look at, at their level when they're on their tummy. Or getting down to their level and interacting with them while they're on their tummy can help that out a lot. The dangers of not doing tummy time regularly, is your baby may not develop their upper body strength and their neck muscles the way that they should. They may not hold their head up as well as others babies at their age.

They can also get something called torticollis or a tightening of their neck muscles on one side. They can also get a flat head on the back of their head or one side or the other. Here's the thing: Pacifiers can be super helpful, breastfeeding or not, and breastfeeding parents should stop being guilted for getting a break! Your newborn will typically have a baby hearing test before leaving the hospital.

Here's what results mean. Babbling adorable nonsense words actually serves an important purpose. Here's why baby babbles and how to use it to encourage language development.

Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Carissa Stephens, R. What are the benefits of tummy time? How to do tummy time. How much tummy time babies need by age. How to make time for tummy time. Tummy time supplies. Tummy time safety. Other ways to help baby. Parenthood Baby. Read this next. Sleep Disorders in Children. Medically reviewed by Mia Armstrong, MD.

Baby can begin Tummy Time as a newborn. They can continue to do Tummy Time throughout their first year. Aim to achieve at least an hour of Tummy Time total per day by 3 months of age.

This hour of Tummy Time can be broken up into smaller parts. From newborn age, start with a few minutes at a time and build up to longer sessions. Start with small increments of a few minutes at a time, several times a day.

Eventually, try to do longer Tummy Time sessions, eventually building up to a full hour. Once baby begins crawling, around months, they will be getting the developmental benefits of Tummy Time while moving, and it is not as essential to have them do Tummy Time.

However, it is still beneficial to have baby spend some time in the Tummy Time position also known as Prone Lying on the stomach with the face downward. That means spending time on their tummy while awake is crucial for development! And remember: if baby falls asleep during Tummy Time, be sure to place them on their back and let them continue to sleep. Learn More. Your Guide to Tummy Time has everything expecting and new parents need to know about this crucial exercise, including Tummy Time options and activities.