When to start tummy time
Many parents struggle with knowing when to start tummy time and what that looks like as their infant gets older and starts to learn more skills. We hope to break down those details for you in this post so you can get the most out of tummy time as soon as possible.
When to Start Tummy Time:
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends starting tummy time as soon as you get home from the hospital as long as you don’t have specific concerns from your doctor instructing you otherwise. The earlier you start, the more accustomed to tummy time your baby will be, and they will hopefully become less fussy about the routine over time. It is recommended for infants to practice tummy time up to three times per day in short 3-5 minute increments. These can be built into the natural routine of your day such as when your baby wakes up in the morning, after an afternoon nap, and after bath time before bed. As your child gets older, time on their tummy will naturally increase, up to 60+ minutes per day.
Tummy Time Month-by-Month:
The following timeline for tummy time is just a rough guideline of when you can expect to see certain milestones with your infant, although everyone does progress at their own pace, and some infants might do some of these skills sooner or later than listed below.
NEWBORN:
Can be done either on the floor, or something as simple as lying the baby on your chest. Your infant may try and lift their head, but will likely turn their head to the side and lay with their cheek touching your chest or on the floor.
1 MONTH:
Baby will start to lift their head during tummy time for short periods of time. They should be able to lift their head and turn it from one side to the other.
2 MONTHS:
Baby can bear some of their body weight onto their elbows and lift their head to a 45 degree angle.
3 MONTHS:
Your infant should be able to lift their head to about 90 degrees and look from one side to the other. Your baby might start to roll over from their tummy onto their back as they rotate their head to explore their environment, although rolling is not an expected milestone at this point in development.
4 MONTHS:
At this age your baby should be able to start lifting their chest off the ground while they are in tummy time, while their head still lifts to a 90 degree angle off the ground. They might begin to shift weight from one arm to another while they attempt reaching for a toy or something in their environment.
5 MONTHS:
At five months your baby can start to prop themselves up onto fully extended arms while in tummy time. They might even start scooting themselves backwards as they practice this movement more and more.
6 MONTHS:
Baby can push themselves up onto their arms, stacked directly beneath their shoulders. Your baby can start pivoting in a circle, reaching for toys, and lifting their arms and legs off the floor at the same time.
7 MONTHS:
At this age baby starts to get a little mobile! You might notice your baby rocking back and forth on their hands and knees. You might notice your baby starts army crawling where they propel themselves forward by dragging themselves along a surface on their forearms.
8 MONTHS:
Baby begins making big transitions from being on their tummy, to getting into hands and knees position, and then transitioning to side sitting. Baby can also start reaching for toys while on their hands and knees.
9 MONTHS:
Around this age you can expect for your baby to start crawling around your home! They can access their environment pretty freely (baby-proofing is so important at this mage!), and they might even be able to start crawling over small obstacles!
This is a rough timeline for when you can expect your baby to start hitting certain milestones during tummy time. There will always be some variability to timelines as most infants/babies develop at their own pace. If you are concerned about delays or your baby not progressing towards some of these goals, please give us a call to setup a free consultation with one of our pediatric physical therapists.
How To Do Tummy Time:
Setting your child on their tummy on the floor might not be the most fun or exciting part of their day, but there are lots of tricks you can do to make tummy time more fun and engaging for your baby.
From 0-4 months tummy time can be done on the parents chest
As they get bigger you can setup toys on the blanket they’re on to encourage turning their head from one side to the other.
Have the parent/caretaker lay on their back and hold baby up in the air while playing with them.
Holding them in your arm facedown while you walk around the room with them.
Lay them on their tummy on a yoga ball (while making sure they’re secure with your arms), and gently rock/bounce them on the ball.
Put a mirror in front of them on the floor or play peek-a-boo.
You can place small treats (age 6 months up, and foods you know they can safely swallow such as baby puffs or yogurt melts) on their mat and encourage them to reach and grab for them while on their tummy.