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Tummy time: How much does your baby need?
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tummy-time/AN02151
- With Mayo Clinic emeritus consultant
Jay L. Hoecker, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Jay L. Hoecker, M.D.
Jay Hoecker, M.D.
Dr. Jay Hoecker, an emeritus member of the Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, brings valuable expertise to health information content on primary care pediatrics. He has a particular interest in infectious diseases of children.
He's a Fort Worth, Texas, native, certified as a pediatrician by the American Board of Pediatrics and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He was trained at Washington University's St. Louis Children's Hospital, and in infectious diseases at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He has been with Mayo Clinic since 1989.
"The World Wide Web is revolutionizing the availability and distribution of information, including health information about children and families," Dr. Hoecker says. "The evolution of the Web has included greater safety, privacy and accuracy over time, making the quality and access to children's health information immediate, practical and useful. I am happy to be a part of this service to patients from a trusted name in medicine, to use and foster all the good the Web has to offer children and their families."
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Question
Tummy time: How much does your baby need?
What's the importance of tummy time for a baby?
Answer
from Jay L. Hoecker, M.D.
Tummy time — placing a baby on his or her stomach while awake and supervised — can help your baby develop strong head, neck and shoulder muscles and promote certain motor skills. Tummy time can also prevent the back of your baby's head from becoming flat (positional plagiocephaly).
A baby's skull is soft and made up of several movable plates. If a baby's head is left in the same position for long periods of time, the skull plates might move in a way that creates a flat spot. While it's recommended that you place your baby on his or her back to sleep to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), tummy time gives a baby the chance to experience a different position. This can help reduce the risk of flat spots. In addition, research suggests that babies who spend time on their tummies crawl on their stomachs earlier than do babies who don't practice tummy time. The more time babies spend on their tummies, the earlier they might begin to roll over, crawl on their stomachs, crawl on all fours and sit without support.
You can begin giving your baby tummy time when he or she is a newborn. Start by laying your newborn on his or her tummy across your lap two or three times a day for short periods of time. As your baby grows stronger, place him or her on a blanket on the floor. Arrange age-appropriate toys within his or her reach. As your baby gets used to tummy time, place your baby on his or her stomach more frequently or for longer periods of time. For a 3- to 4-month-old baby, some research suggests aiming for at least 20 minutes of tummy time a day.
Remember, however, to never leave your baby unattended during tummy time. If your baby becomes fussy or sleepy during tummy time, change his or her activity or place your baby to sleep on his or her back in the crib.
Next questionInfant growth: What's normal?
- American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The changing concept of sudden infant death syndrome: Diagnostic coding shifts, controversies regarding the sleeping environment, and new variable to consider in reducing risk. Pediatrics. 2005;116:1245.
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- Positional plagiocephaly. National Institute of Child Healthy & Human Development. http://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/positional_plagiocephaly.cfm. Accessed June 16, 2011.
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