Lately, “Tummy Time” has been talked about more and more on social media, but what exactly is it? Why is it important to do it with newborns and how does it work? These are the answers that we at NewbornTips will give you today with another article dedicated entirely to our children.
Table of contents
What is tummy time?
Tummy time is an exercise for newborns that allows them to gain various benefits from both a physical and psychological point of view.
This exercise simply consists of placing the newborn on his stomach instead of the traditional supine position recommended by pediatricians. Of course, it is an exercise and should not be a routine for the newborn who will still have to continue sleeping and resting in the recommended position.
What is tummy time for?
This type of exercise is performed to strengthen the newborn’s muscles, especially those of the neck, shoulders and also the abdominal muscles.
In fact, newborns spend a lot of time in the supine position, both when they sleep and when they are awake, even when they are being transported, between strollers and various prams, their position is always the same with their belly facing upwards.
This position is often the cause of positional plagiocephaly, or the crushing of a part of the skull that causes anxiety and concern in parents. But don’t worry, a recent study states that 46.6% of newborns have a form of plagiocephaly, which is quite common in newborns.
So tummy time becomes a useful tool to avoid this type of complication.
In addition to physical and muscular development, this exercise is also useful for the sensory sphere of the newborn, who can finally see the world from another perspective, thus improving his mood.
How do you do tummy time?
As we have seen, tummy time simply consists of placing the baby on his stomach, however there are ways to do it that can make this exercise more pleasant for the newborn.
For example, one of these is to place him on his stomach in contact with the skin, this will strengthen the bond between mother and child and stimulate the sensory sphere of the newborn.
Is tummy time dangerous?
Tummy time is an exercise that as we have seen has several benefits but can become dangerous if the baby remains on his stomach even in his daily routine, increasing the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
In fact, the baby who remains on his stomach could encounter a blockage of the airways with the face facing downwards.
Therefore, tummy time remains only an exercise that must stimulate the development of the newborn and not a position to replace the one naturally recommended and in any case carried out under the constant supervision of the parents.
When to do tummy time? And how many times a day?
Tummy time can be done at 1, 2 or even 3 months, there is no age that the infant must have to be able to do it.
However, this exercise should be done at most 2 or 3 times a day for just a few minutes, while for 4-month-old babies the exercise could be repeated several times and for longer, since as we have seen, a fourth-month-old baby is already able to support his head on his own and has much more developed motor coordination.
What happens if you don’t do tummy time?
What we have seen is an exercise that is not strictly mandatory for children, but highly recommended, this is precisely because babies who have not done tummy time develop strength in the muscles of the neck and shoulders more slowly, they will take longer to develop skills such as crawling and stretching, and also to refine motor coordination and balance.
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The Editorial Team, NewbornTips
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