Tummy time is a very important position to start early with your baby, helping develop head control and strengthen their back, neck and shoulders, preparing them for crawling. It can also help with head shape - see head shape information.
Start by lying your baby on their tummy on your chest when you are sitting or lying back.
Then when your baby is ready, try doing tummy time on the floor.
Use rolled towels or blankets under their chest to raise them off the floor,
Encourage them to lift their head to look at toys and rattles.
As their strength develops in their arms, remove the blanket or towel from under their chest.
Encourage them to push through their arms and straighten their elbows to look at toys / mirrors held in front of them.
Encourage them to release 1 hand to reach for toys / turn pages in a book.
See links below for further help, advice and tips:
https://www.nhs.uk/start-for-life/baby/baby-moves/#tummy
My baby doesn't really enjoy tummy time!
Don't worry, this is very normal for lots of babies. If you've been trying to do tummy time on the floor and your baby isn't really that keen you could try:
- putting some toys out within easy reach
- talking, singing, interacting with your baby
- Use child friendly baby mirrors in front of them so they can see themselves
- Lie next to them on the floor so you can talk and interact with them
- Use play time sensory mats so they can explore with their hands and distract themselves.
Try doing this every day, for a short amount of time, gradually increase the amount of time they spend on their tummies.
Encouraging your baby to spend time on their side. This helps to:
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Develop the strength in muscles in their shoulders and trunk, preparing them for rolling
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Provides an alternative position to lying on their back, helping reduce the risk of Plagiocephaly.
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Encourage them to play with 2 hands in midline
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Helps them to develop hand eye co-ordination as they start to play and reach for toys placed in front of their vision.
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Prepares them for rolling.
Help your baby to maintain a side lying position by using rolled blankets or towels behind their back.
Encourage them to play on both sides several times a day.
Place toys in front of them and encourage them to reach out to play and explore them.
Rolling
To teach rolling, bend one of your baby's legs, slowly glide their knee across their body to encourage their trunk to rotate, tap behind their shoulder to encourage them to reach across with their arm so that they roll onto their side.
Practices this in both directions and make it fun, by singing songs such as there were 3 in a bed. We recommend you practice rolling every time you change their nappy. Encourage them to roll independently using toys or rattles to motivate them.
See below links of useful tips and videos:
Eismart - Helping my baby learn through play: lying on their side
Sitting is a important developmental stage, which encourage play and learning. Your baby will further develop their muscle strength in their core as they sit up by themselves and start to reach out to the side and in front for toys.
A good place to start is placing your baby sitting in between your legs. Place their legs out wide in front of them giving them a wide base of support.
Use your hands to support them initially around their chest as they will likely tend to topple forwards. As they develop their strength, slowly reduce the amount of support you are giving them and lower your hands around their tummy, then down to their hips.
Progress onto sitting them on the floor in front of you, place a box or basket of toys in between their legs and encourage them to reach forwards to play and explore. Start by supporting their lower body / hips with your hands as they may still need some support to keep their balance. Gradually remove the support you are offering until you can remove your hands altogether.
Always make sure their environment is safe as children will often lose their balance as they learn new skills. You could place cushions or thick blankets around them on the floor, or breast-feeding cushions are always very useful.
Challenge their sitting balance by sitting them in in different positions, such as in between your crossed legs, or sitting astride your outstretched leg (like a horse). Encourage them to use their hands to plays or read books.
Progress onto encouraging them to reach out of their base of support, in front and out to the side, to further challenge their balance.
See below for useful tips and videos
Eismart - Helping my baby learn through play: having fun sitting
Crawling is an exciting time for you and your baby – it gives them independence and a chance to explore their surroundings. It also helps to develop their co-ordination, hip, shoulder and upper limb stability as well as develop their core tummy strength. Initially babies may 'commando crawl' on their tummies as the do not have the strength to support their body weight.
Before crawling, babies need to get used to the crawling position on their hands and knees (4-point kneeling) getting used to the sensation of weight through their arms, shoulders, hips and knees. Help them by positioning them on their hands and knees across your leg or over a roll, supporting their tummies.
As they gain their strength gradually reduce the amount or height of the support, so that they are accepting more weight through their arms and legs.
Encourage them to rock back and forth and reach up for toys to bring their weight forwards over their arms
As they become more confident encourage them to reach for toys or balls that are moving away to encourage them to start crawling on their own.
Or try to encourage them to crawl a short distance towards a familiar person. Gradually move backwards to increase this distance.
Create a space in your house where your baby can crawl and explore safely.
If you're worried that your baby isn't showing any signs of moving by 12 months, ask your health visitor for advice.