{"id":1582,"date":"2017-05-02T21:50:00","date_gmt":"2017-05-02T21:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/?p=1582"},"modified":"2026-07-02T01:41:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T01:41:07","slug":"tummy-time-troubles-solved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/2017\/05\/02\/tummy-time-troubles-solved\/","title":{"rendered":"Tummy Time Troubles Solved"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Parents often hear about the importance of tummy time, yet overwhelmingly report their babies don&#8217;t want to do it! Tummy Time Troubles Solved has tips to help baby enjoy tummy time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tummy Time Troubles Solved\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jGHjojXPal0?start=9&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-regular-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jGHjojXPal0\"><br><\/a>Why Does Your Newborn Need Tummy Time?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Newborns and infants often seem uncomfortable with being placed on their bellies when they&#8217;re awake, so why do we do it? Babies spend a LOT of time sleeping. And since it&#8217;s been proven that placing babies on their backs to sleep for the first year is one of the best ways to minimize the risk of SIDS, they also spend a LOT of time on their backs.  Because of this, we need to give newborns and infants opportunities to exercise their next and shoulder muscles. Stronger muscles = healthier and safer babies. In addition to building neck and shoulder strength, tummy time supports motor development, prevents flat spots (positional plagiocephaly), and helps babies learn to push up, roll and eventually crawl. It\u2019s not just exercise, it\u2019s the foundation for all future movement skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">So yes, tummy time is your baby&#8217;s workout and just like us, sometimes they don&#8217;t feel like working out! With slight but important adjustments though, infants can have comfortable, yet productive play and exercise. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Infant expert Terri Lee Weatherholtz, M.A, CCC-SLP, CDA says: &#8220;the time an infant is awake on the floor should consist of 50% back and 50% tummy time.&#8221;  There&#8217;s no exact rules on when to begin tummy time sessions with your baby. Chances are it&#8217;s something you and your baby are doing together naturally anyway! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">As a guideline however, you can start with 3-5 minute sessions 2-3 days after baby is born, and this is an accepted rule of thumb.  As baby grows, tummy time can gradually increase to about 20\u201330 minutes a day by the time they\u2019re 3 months old. Short, frequent sessions are better than long ones, think \u201cfloor time snacks,\u201d not \u201cfloor time marathons.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"604\" height=\"353\" src=\"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/screen_shot_2017-05-02_at_11.55.28_pm_0.png\" alt=\"Tummy Time Troubles Solved\" class=\"wp-image-956\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7110481586402266;width:455px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/screen_shot_2017-05-02_at_11.55.28_pm_0.png 604w, https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/screen_shot_2017-05-02_at_11.55.28_pm_0-300x175.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 604px) 100vw, 604px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">RN Noelle explains, Tummy Time Troubles Solved<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-regular-font-size\">Tummy Time Troubles Solved &#8211; Steps for Success<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-regular-font-size\"><strong>Roll a thin baby blanket<\/strong>&nbsp;(3\u20134 inches thick) to create a small chest lift.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-regular-font-size\"><strong>Place baby tummy-down<\/strong>&nbsp;with arms out front and chest resting at nipple level on the blanket.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-regular-font-size\"><strong>Keep the neck clear<\/strong>&nbsp;of the blanket so weight shifts backward off the tummy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-regular-font-size\"><strong>Encourage movement:<\/strong>&nbsp;Use a firm but gentle stroke from the back of the head down to the bottom to activate the neck extensor muscles.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-regular-font-size\"><strong>Get face-to-face:<\/strong>&nbsp;Lie down on the floor to make eye contact. Smiling and talking help your baby lift their head and build social connection at the same time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-regular-font-size\"><strong>Try chest-to-chest:<\/strong>&nbsp;Lying on your back with baby on your chest lets them look \u201cup\u201d at your face\u2014a natural tummy time position for even the youngest infants.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Another way to help tummy time be a fun activity is to lay on your back with baby on your chest, so you&#8217;re face to face. With a gentle hold on baby for safety of course, baby will be motivated to look &#8220;up&#8221; at your face.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Night Nurse&#8217;s Reminder-  Always supervise tummy time and use a flat, firm surface instead of a couch or bed to be sure baby is safely positioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s perfectly fine if tummy time only lasts 5 minutes or less some days. &nbsp;Eventually continuing the routine a few times a day for longer periods though, helps your baby equate &#8220;tummy time&#8221; with happy, social time. As always, if your baby consistently dislikes tummy time or shows limited movement or head control after a few weeks, talk to your pediatrician or a pediatric physical therapist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-regular-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">For answers to more early care questions, visit our newborn care guide, <a href=\"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/2024\/02\/28\/your-first-week-home-with-baby-ultimate-qa\/\">Your First Week Home with Baby: Ultimate Q&amp;A<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@graph\": [\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"Article\",\n      \"@id\": \"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/2017\/05\/02\/tummy-time-troubles-solved\/#article\",\n      \"headline\": \"Tummy Time Troubles Solved\",\n      \"description\": \"Parents often hear about the importance of tummy time, yet overwhelmingly report their babies don't want to do it. 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Newborns and infants often seem uncomfortable with being placed on their bellies when they&#8217;re awake, so why [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-archives"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1582"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1582\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/letmommysleep.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}