Our Experience with Tummy Time

As new mums, we naturally want to do as much as we can to help our little ones develop and learn.

Sometimes though, it’s hard to know exactly what that means on a day to day basis.

You may have heard the term Tummy Time play before, but if you are like I was, you might not know exactly what it means for you and your new baby.

Tummy Time is when you place your baby on their stomach for a short period of time and their body weight is transferred through their forearms. This position encourages the development of neck, shoulder and back muscles along with important motor skill development that will be used later on.

From about 1-2 weeks old I started to do Tummy Time with Tanner. It was only for very short intervals each day. About 1-2 minutes. It also gave me something new to do and allowed Tanner to see the world from a different view.

We would practice Tummy Time by using a small pillow or rolled up towel placed under Tanner’s arm pits, or Nath would have her lying on his chest while he spoke to her; encouraging her to push herself up and look at him. It assisted Tanner in building strong neck and back muscles and allowed her to learn how to roll and sit up very early on.

I remember the maternal health nurses commenting on how good her neck strength was when she could hold her head up with little support only a few months old.

Now, 9 months on she is standing up and holding her own body weight. I don’t think walking is too far around the corner…

For a little more information, the Australian Government Raising Children website raisingchildren.net.au has a great page which outlines some great ways to have Tummy Time play with your baby; 

http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/pip_tummy_time.html

I hope that this has give you some helpful information on Tummy Time Play and it's role in early development.

I would really love to hear about your experience with Tummy TIme and any comments you have or you have for new parents. Please post them below.

Tiff

​*Please note that this article has been written from our experiences only and does not constitute medical advice in any way. Tummy Time play should always be supervised.

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My Bio;

My name is Tiff Droge and i am a new mum to my beautiful little Tanner Jae. I have only been writing blog posts for a short time, so i hope my grammar isn't too bad ;).

I started this blog to be able to provide advice to new and expecting mums which i never received or which i received in parts from different people. I know that i found it hard when i was pregnant to know which pieces of advice to listen to and which not to. All i hope is that i can provide you with a little piece of helpful advice. 

I am a Health and Physical Education teacher living in Melbourne, currently lucky enough to be on maternity leave with my beautiful Tanner. 

Please feel free to comment below or contact me at tiffany@jumply.com.au if you have any questions at all.