Tummy Time

​Why do Tummy Time?
 
This is an important activity for babies and is believed to build the muscle strength necessary for head control, pulling up, reaching, crawling and other developmental milestones. This includes the muscles of the arm, shoulder girdle, and neck muscles. Tummy time has been associated with higher motor performance vs lower motor performance with frequent sitting in devices such as strollers while not moving, swings, and chairs.
 
The Institute of Medicine recommends early obesity prevention from birth to five years old and stresses the need to increase infant physical activity and reduce time spent in movement restricting devices. Minimizing time in car seats when not travelling, swings, and other movement restricting containers and increasing floor time helps with physical development and prevents flat spots on the head (brachiocephaly/plagiocephaly). ⁠

Back to sleep is the recommended way to sleep to reduce the chances of SIDS and many parents report being afraid to do tummy time due to SIDS. Supervised tummy time is an important part of the development of your little one and can be performed in many different ways. This can include:
- Unrestricted floor play
- On caregiver's lap
- On caregiver's chest while reclined
- Burping baby in prone position on caregiver's lap
- Carrying baby in a prone position

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​Did you know many parents report their little one does not tolerate tummy time? This makes total sense! If we had the choice to just relax on the couch vs workout most of us would choose relaxing. It's a lot of work to learn new skills and build muscles. Some infants may have some neuromusculoskeletal issues stemming from birth that make tummy time and being prone more uncomfortable. Being assessed by a chiropractor or other manual therapist may help alleviate this aspect of the discomfort. ⁠

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Some ways to make tummy time easier includes:⁠
- Getting down on the floor/eye-level with your  little one⁠
- Having your baby do tummy time on a table (as pictured) to make it easier on your body or while you are eating⁠
- Try turning baby onto belly during every diaper change (even a few minutes at a time will add up)⁠
- Have bright coloured toys, mirrors and other things to keep your baby distracted and stimulated⁠
- Making faces, singing, talking, etc. ⁠

⁠How much tummy time is recommended?
Studies show that getting 80+minutes per day in the prone position achieved greater success in acquiring milestones than infants getting less tummy time.  The Canadian Paediatric Society suggests tummy time for about 10-15 minutes at least 3 times a day. This seems like a lot but it adds up quickly throughout the day!

References:
1. van Vlimmeren LA, van der Graaf Y, Boere-Boonekamp MM, L’Hoir MP, Helders PJ, Engelbert RH. Risk factors for deformational plagiocephaly at birth and at 7 weeks of age: A prospective cohort study. Pediatrics 2007; 119:e408-18.
2. Canadian Paediatric Society: Positional plagiocephaly. https://www.cps.ca/documents/position/positional-plagiocephaly#ref2. Jan 9, 2021.
3. Zachry, A.H., & Kitzmann, K. (2011). Caregiver awareness of prone play recommendations. The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association, 65 1, 101-5
4. Gross, R. S., Mendelsohn, A. L., Yin, H. S., Tomopoulos, S., Gross, M. B., Scheinmann, R., & Messito, M. J. (2017). Randomized controlled trial of an early child obesity prevention intervention: Impacts on infant tummy time. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 25(5), 920–927