5 answers

Tummy Time - San Diego,CA

How much time does or should my baby be spending on her tummy. I understand all the benefits, and I know that I need to be in constant supervision when she is on her tummy, but I don't know how much time she should be spending on her tummy. We obviously don't want her to have a flat head from being on her back all the time. Any advice or help hints would be greatly appreciated, thank you all so much.

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I am a pediatric physical therapist and have worked with babies for over 10 years now. I am soooo happy to hear your question! Your little one can be on her tummy as much as you feel is appropriate during the day - as long as she is tolerating it well and doesn't seem really tired or irritable. Sometimes babies really take to "tummy time" and sometimes they don't...if she's reluctant or fussy at first then increase the increments of time by 3-5 minutes and see if she does better with that. I hope that helps!
A.

After she nurses, or takes her bottle, and has been up for a little while (10-15 minutes for digestion), I would put her on her belly on a blanket for about 5 minutes. If she seems content, have her on her tummy a little longer. If she fusses, then stop her tummy time. Try it when she's well-rested. You don't want to put her on her tummy to nap if she's a back sleeper, though. It's advised that all babies sleep on their backs, anyway. To prevent the flat head occurrence I would put her on her side to sleep with a sleep positioner or a receiving blanket rolled up behind her back. Alternate sides. I'm sure she'll be just fine. God bless you!

My daughter hated tummy time on the floor. she was fine if she was on me, but the floor did not work for quite a long time. We only did about 3-5 min a time, but we did it several times a day. She is fine though. She rolled over on time, crawled on time, and walked on time, so it is up to you.
Good luck!
R.

Hi A S I have a baby routine chart that I received from the Child Nutrition program that I have and it says 20 minutes a day. J. L.

my daughter was always on her tummy and rarely on her back (i didnt want her head to be flat either). if my daughter was on the floor 8 times out of 10 she was on her belly. i think it helped a lot with her head control, strengthening her back and aiding her to crawl early. my daughter was sitting alone and crawling by 4 1/2 months. i think it was from all the tummy time. just watch your daughters cues if shes getting fussy on her tummy put her on her back if she doesnt want that then try the swing or bouncer.

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