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Tummy Time Tips for Your Baby's Development
Brandy Escamilla, PT, DPT shares why tummy time is important for infants and how it helps baby's future development. Sharing general guidelines to follow for tummy time, and the risk of not getting enough tummy time.
Featured Speaker:
Brandy Escamilla, PT, DPT
Brandy Escamilla, PT, DPT, received a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Nebraska Wesleyan University and her doctorate degree in physical therapy from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She has spent the majority of her career working with pediatric patients. Her passion is working with children from birth to 18 years old and their families to maximize their function in a fun and meaningful way, no matter what their diagnosis. Prior to joining the therapy team at Bryan she practiced at a pediatric therapy clinic in Lincoln called Leaps and Bounds, which she co-owned for 7 years prior to its closing. She is excited to have the opportunity to meet your child’s individual needs. Transcription:
Tummy Time Tips for Your Baby's Development
Melanie Cole (Host): Welcome to Bryan Health podcast. I’m Melanie Cole and today, we’re discussing tummy time. Joining me is Brandy Escamilla. She’s a Physical Therapist with Bryan Health. Brandy, it’s such a pleasure to have you with us. And what a great topic. And just a happy topic we’re talking about today. Tell us how tummy time helps a baby’s development.
Brandy Escamilla, PT, DPT (Guest): When people think of tummy time, they usually think of getting the baby a little bit stronger. It’s helping them with their neck extensors and also their back extensors, so it helps with overall posture. But there’s other things tummy time does as well. And that works on their gross motor development which we had talked about but then also the fine motor development. So, it helps them with the use of their hands because it helps with reaching and grasping. It also helps with their vision because it is improving their eye hand coordination as well as working on their depth perception because they’re seeing things from a different perspective or a different angle. It is also helping with developing their sensory systems because they are feeling different textures and then they’re having to weight shift their body from side to side when they are incorporating reaching and even trying to maintain their balance. So, that helps with their body awareness. It also helps kind of improve their balance as well.
Host: Well we hear so much about back to sleep and babies on their back, tell us a little bit about some of the risks if a baby doesn’t have regular tummy time because they are two different things.
Brandy: So, with the back to sleep program, babies are spending so much more time on their backs than they are at risk for developing plagiocephaly or brachycephaly and basically what that is is just flattening of the skull. Because when babies are born, their skull needs to be very malleable so they can travel through the birth canal. If you are spending a lot of time in just one position, which they are doing when they are sleeping for several hours a day; then that flattening can occur on the side of the head which then in turn can make it difficult for them to rotate their head to one side. And that again, will affect their overall development by affecting their vision, their neck control and their neck muscle strength which then can result in muscle asymmetries that will affect their gross motor development later. So, that’s one of the risks that is associated with decreased amount of tummy time as well as decreased gross motor skill acquisition and fine motor skill acquisition. Because as stated before, when babies are placed on their tummies, it’s helping develop those neck extensors and trunk extensors that are used for different postures such as sitting and then scooting and progressing to crawling then later on. So, if they are really averse to tummy time, those skills are going to be delayed a bit because they are not going to be used to being on their tummies and feeling that sensation. And they are not going to be strong enough to do those later on.
Host: Well then let’s get into it. How soon can we start putting their baby on their tummy and what are some general guidelines you’d like us to follow for tummy time?
Brandy: It’s important that as soon as baby comes home from the hospital you are able to do some tummy time. A lot of parents are afraid because again, they are fragile, they are kind of weak I guess but it’s important that you just kind of ease into it and the easiest way for a newborn to do tummy time is chest to chest. So, the parent lies down on the floor or on the couch or sometimes maybe in a semi reclined position and places the baby on their chest. This is very comforting for the baby because again, they’re with their parent and they feel very safe but yet if the baby is encouraged to lift their head up, they can see that parent and have that interaction, face are so important to babies and that’s what they can kind of relate to. So, they are going to be very interested that way.
And then slowly increasing the amount of tummy time they get throughout the day. And changing that up with the different positions that you can do to make it a little bit easier for them, so they don’t get bored with it and then continuing to stimulate that development. There’s different ways to do that and again, you want to work up to about 60 minutes duration throughout the day not all at once. But it is very important to do it throughout the day and it always has to be supervised as well as when the child is awake. Just because of the risk of SIDS when they are sleeping if they are placed on their stomachs.
Ways to vary the tummy time would be starting out still doing the chest to chest in that reclined position. Babies can then be kind of progressed to being on the floor but it’s important to realize that early on, they are not going to be able to lift their head as well from a fully horizontal position. So, that’s why sometimes we’ll use like a boppy pillow or maybe a rolled up blanket or a pillow to place underneath their chest or under their arms so that they don’t have to lift their head completely from that horizontal position and it makes it a little bit easier for them.
And then you can also carry your baby, supporting them in a prone line or on a tummy position. You can rest them over your legs and again, support heir head as much as needed earlier on but as they progress, you’re not going to have to provide as much support. If they start to cry when they are on their tummy, it’s an okay thing. Try to soothe them. Maybe distract them with toys or maybe vary the position a little bit. So maybe if they are completely on the floor, on their stomach, you could put them up on the boppy pillow or maybe change them so that they’re on your chest but that would be a way to kind of increase the duration of the tummy time so that they can tolerate longer periods of time and again, kind of build that strength and endurance that’s so important for the gross and fine motor skill acquisition.
Host: It’s great information. And I was going to ask you what do we do if our baby cries when they are on their tummy. So, what else do you want listeners to know about tummy time, the importance of it, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends this and it’s so important as you say for baby’s development. Wrap it up for us and give us your final thoughts on the importance of tummy time and the guidelines that we should follow.
Brandy: I would say again, just making sure that every time the baby is awake, that you are trying to do some sort of tummy time. You are going to want to watch out for doing it immediately after feeding because that can put a lot of pressure on the child’s belly so you might need to wait maybe up to an hour before doing tummy time if they had just eaten. But again, that kind of varies with each kiddo. Just knowing that there are several different ways to do it as well and to incorporate those and again, it’s not – it should be hurting the baby. If they are crying more than likely it’s just hard for them and so they are a little bit upset so, you just need to find a way that is maybe going to work best for them and then continue to try to make it fun and distract them with those toys and do those interactions with them. Because yeah, we do want those kids to be able to be up and moving around so that they can continue to explore their environment and learn from their environment.
Host: Great information and I remember those days and tummy time is wonderful and a fun time for parents as long as you’re paying attention and watching baby, it’s such a wonderful bonding time. Thank you so much Brandy for joining us today and thanks to our Bryan Foundation partner, Davis Design. That concludes this episode of Bryan Health podcast. Please visit our website at www.bryanhealth.org for more information and to get connected with one of our providers. Please also remember to subscribe, rate and review this podcast and all the other Bryan Health podcasts. I’m Melanie Cole.
Tummy Time Tips for Your Baby's Development
Melanie Cole (Host): Welcome to Bryan Health podcast. I’m Melanie Cole and today, we’re discussing tummy time. Joining me is Brandy Escamilla. She’s a Physical Therapist with Bryan Health. Brandy, it’s such a pleasure to have you with us. And what a great topic. And just a happy topic we’re talking about today. Tell us how tummy time helps a baby’s development.
Brandy Escamilla, PT, DPT (Guest): When people think of tummy time, they usually think of getting the baby a little bit stronger. It’s helping them with their neck extensors and also their back extensors, so it helps with overall posture. But there’s other things tummy time does as well. And that works on their gross motor development which we had talked about but then also the fine motor development. So, it helps them with the use of their hands because it helps with reaching and grasping. It also helps with their vision because it is improving their eye hand coordination as well as working on their depth perception because they’re seeing things from a different perspective or a different angle. It is also helping with developing their sensory systems because they are feeling different textures and then they’re having to weight shift their body from side to side when they are incorporating reaching and even trying to maintain their balance. So, that helps with their body awareness. It also helps kind of improve their balance as well.
Host: Well we hear so much about back to sleep and babies on their back, tell us a little bit about some of the risks if a baby doesn’t have regular tummy time because they are two different things.
Brandy: So, with the back to sleep program, babies are spending so much more time on their backs than they are at risk for developing plagiocephaly or brachycephaly and basically what that is is just flattening of the skull. Because when babies are born, their skull needs to be very malleable so they can travel through the birth canal. If you are spending a lot of time in just one position, which they are doing when they are sleeping for several hours a day; then that flattening can occur on the side of the head which then in turn can make it difficult for them to rotate their head to one side. And that again, will affect their overall development by affecting their vision, their neck control and their neck muscle strength which then can result in muscle asymmetries that will affect their gross motor development later. So, that’s one of the risks that is associated with decreased amount of tummy time as well as decreased gross motor skill acquisition and fine motor skill acquisition. Because as stated before, when babies are placed on their tummies, it’s helping develop those neck extensors and trunk extensors that are used for different postures such as sitting and then scooting and progressing to crawling then later on. So, if they are really averse to tummy time, those skills are going to be delayed a bit because they are not going to be used to being on their tummies and feeling that sensation. And they are not going to be strong enough to do those later on.
Host: Well then let’s get into it. How soon can we start putting their baby on their tummy and what are some general guidelines you’d like us to follow for tummy time?
Brandy: It’s important that as soon as baby comes home from the hospital you are able to do some tummy time. A lot of parents are afraid because again, they are fragile, they are kind of weak I guess but it’s important that you just kind of ease into it and the easiest way for a newborn to do tummy time is chest to chest. So, the parent lies down on the floor or on the couch or sometimes maybe in a semi reclined position and places the baby on their chest. This is very comforting for the baby because again, they’re with their parent and they feel very safe but yet if the baby is encouraged to lift their head up, they can see that parent and have that interaction, face are so important to babies and that’s what they can kind of relate to. So, they are going to be very interested that way.
And then slowly increasing the amount of tummy time they get throughout the day. And changing that up with the different positions that you can do to make it a little bit easier for them, so they don’t get bored with it and then continuing to stimulate that development. There’s different ways to do that and again, you want to work up to about 60 minutes duration throughout the day not all at once. But it is very important to do it throughout the day and it always has to be supervised as well as when the child is awake. Just because of the risk of SIDS when they are sleeping if they are placed on their stomachs.
Ways to vary the tummy time would be starting out still doing the chest to chest in that reclined position. Babies can then be kind of progressed to being on the floor but it’s important to realize that early on, they are not going to be able to lift their head as well from a fully horizontal position. So, that’s why sometimes we’ll use like a boppy pillow or maybe a rolled up blanket or a pillow to place underneath their chest or under their arms so that they don’t have to lift their head completely from that horizontal position and it makes it a little bit easier for them.
And then you can also carry your baby, supporting them in a prone line or on a tummy position. You can rest them over your legs and again, support heir head as much as needed earlier on but as they progress, you’re not going to have to provide as much support. If they start to cry when they are on their tummy, it’s an okay thing. Try to soothe them. Maybe distract them with toys or maybe vary the position a little bit. So maybe if they are completely on the floor, on their stomach, you could put them up on the boppy pillow or maybe change them so that they’re on your chest but that would be a way to kind of increase the duration of the tummy time so that they can tolerate longer periods of time and again, kind of build that strength and endurance that’s so important for the gross and fine motor skill acquisition.
Host: It’s great information. And I was going to ask you what do we do if our baby cries when they are on their tummy. So, what else do you want listeners to know about tummy time, the importance of it, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends this and it’s so important as you say for baby’s development. Wrap it up for us and give us your final thoughts on the importance of tummy time and the guidelines that we should follow.
Brandy: I would say again, just making sure that every time the baby is awake, that you are trying to do some sort of tummy time. You are going to want to watch out for doing it immediately after feeding because that can put a lot of pressure on the child’s belly so you might need to wait maybe up to an hour before doing tummy time if they had just eaten. But again, that kind of varies with each kiddo. Just knowing that there are several different ways to do it as well and to incorporate those and again, it’s not – it should be hurting the baby. If they are crying more than likely it’s just hard for them and so they are a little bit upset so, you just need to find a way that is maybe going to work best for them and then continue to try to make it fun and distract them with those toys and do those interactions with them. Because yeah, we do want those kids to be able to be up and moving around so that they can continue to explore their environment and learn from their environment.
Host: Great information and I remember those days and tummy time is wonderful and a fun time for parents as long as you’re paying attention and watching baby, it’s such a wonderful bonding time. Thank you so much Brandy for joining us today and thanks to our Bryan Foundation partner, Davis Design. That concludes this episode of Bryan Health podcast. Please visit our website at www.bryanhealth.org for more information and to get connected with one of our providers. Please also remember to subscribe, rate and review this podcast and all the other Bryan Health podcasts. I’m Melanie Cole.