1.What exactly is tummy time?

In a nutshell, it is an activity in which the baby's small belly crawls on the bed or carpet while the infant is awake, and then stimulates the baby to lift his head and rise his upper body.

Almost all physicians in the United States will advise parents to take their newborn baby home from the hospital and perform a little stomach time every day, and will ask the infant how the tummy time is doing.

2.What are the benefits of tummy time for infants?

Tummy time has two key benefits for babies: one is that it prevents flat head, and the other is that it exercises the muscles of numerous regions of the baby's body and promotes the development of the baby's motor ability.

To begin with, tummy time can help your baby avoid developing a flat head. Parents are aware that newborns should sleep on their backs to reduce the risk of SIDS, but sleeping on their backs for an extended period of time may cause the baby's head to become flat, so the baby cannot lie down 24 hours a day, but lying on their backs when awake can make the baby's head shape more beautiful.

Second, lying down for a long time will affect the development of the baby's early motor skills, and when babies do tummy time, the neck, shoulders, back, and limbs muscles can get a good exercise effect, adhere to lie down for a while every day can also improve the strength of the baby's muscles and control of the body, so that babies can master the head, sit up straight, roll, crawl, and other motor skills as early as possible.

Tummy time to ease the baby's stomach bloating pain, head support and control, access to diverse visual experiences, and so on are all beneficial.

3.How old can newborns perform tummy time? & How long should they do it each time?

The sooner you start tummy time, the better, according to the AAP. A healthy newborn infant born at full term can really practice tummy time on the first day after being discharged from the hospital!

Newborn newborns don't need to perform stomach time for long at first; 2 to 3 times per day for 3 to 5 minutes each time is sufficient. Following that, when the infant progressively adapts to the habit, the time can be gradually increased. Every day, let the baby lie down a party, till the baby is 6, 7 months university will flip over, crawling time.

4. How should parents encourage their children to do tummy time?

First and foremost, parents should provide a pleasant tummy time setting for their babies. To perform tummy time, you may place a blanket on the floor or place your baby on a toy blanket or bed, or you can let your baby lie directly on your parents' chest to feel their body heat and breath.

Newborn babies may not be strong enough to support their bodies on their own by the strength of their abdomen and arms, so parents can put a pillow or blanket under the baby's armpits and arms to help support them, or let the baby lie directly on their chest or stomach. Generally when babies are around 3 or 4 months old, they can generally support their own heads and do tummy time on their own!

Second, while the baby is conducting tummy time, parents should interact with the baby more in order to encourage the baby to elevate the head movement. Some babies may stay still, especially while lying on their parents' chest, since it is too comfy for them to move, yet lying still during tummy time will not provide the optimal exercise impact.

Mom and dad can communicate with the baby by making expressions, playing games, lying on the floor with the baby, allowing the infant to imitate their motions, or using toys to pique the baby's interest. Parents can, for example, place a mirror in front of the baby, shake the rattle to draw the baby's attention, place the baby's favorite toys in front of him, and allow the baby to try to grip, among other things.


Additionally, remind parents to follow these safety considerations while allowing their infant to conduct tummy time: 

• Do not allow the baby to practice tummy time on a soft and sunken surface. 
• Clean up the area around the infant, especially any harmful objects that the baby may grip.
• Finally,when the baby is lying down, an adult must be on the side to keep an eye on him or her, especially when the baby is performing tummy time in the bed, to avoid the infant from rolling over and tumbling off the bed itself.