Tummy Time Activities by Age
Babies need tummy time to support their development, right from birth! Tummy time strengthens their back and neck muscles, builds their shoulder and arm muscles, gives them a head start on their motor skill development, and ensures the prevention of flat spots on the head. As your baby grows, it can be difficult to find new, exciting ways to keep tummy time interesting (especially if they don’t like it to begin with) and keep their development rolling. Keep reading to see a month-by-month breakdown of tummy time activities by age, including how to incorporate our Oral Development Teethers!
Tummy Time Tips
Tummy time should be fun! We know not all babies love it; in fact, some absolutely hate it—and that is totally normal. However, this shouldn’t be a sign for you to give up altogether. Your baby needs it for their development, and they will come around eventually.
Here are some tips from the National Institutes of Health:
- Spread out a blanket on a clear area of the floor.
- Place a rolled-up towel under baby’s arms to help prop them up slightly.
- Try short sessions after a diaper change or nap.
- Put a toy within baby’s reach to help baby interact with their surroundings and learn to play.
- Have someone you trust sit in front of baby to encourage interaction and bonding.
Incorporating something interesting, such as an Innobaby Oral Development Teethers, can build interest and curiosity as well as encourage them to get things moving.
Innobaby’s star teethers aren’t just great for teething pain, they’re considered “training teethers,” which means they’re great for a bunch of different reasons, such as:
- They stimulate the muscles of the lips, tongue, and cheeks to improve oral motor skills
- Aids in nursing, eating solid foods, drinking from cups, and speech development
- The light and easy-to-grip handle also improves hand-eye coordination
- Giving two to baby will allow for bilateral movement and stimulation of both sides of the brain
0-2 Months
Tummy time can start as soon as they are out, and usually does! When your baby is placed on your chest, they’re taking part in their very first tummy time session. At this stage, it’s about all your baby can handle: short, sweet tummy-time sessions on your chest.
You can also place your baby on a soft surface for a couple minutes at a time, a couple times a day. Newborn babies are super sleepy, so keep this in mind. Provide support as needed and, again, keep these sessions short and sweet.
| TIP: Hold up an Innobaby Oral Development Teether as visual interest to start practicing tracking, neck movement, and reaching out. |
3-6 Months
By now, you can increase your tummy time sessions to between 5-10 minutes. They are starting to lift their head and look around, as well as pushing up on their forearms. By the time they get closer to the end of this age range, they may even be rolling over, sitting up, or reaching for objects!
During this time, you can start putting out toys for them to encourage reaching and keeping things visually interesting for them.
| TIP: Put some Innobaby Oral Development Teethers just slightly out of reeach to encourage them to go for it. It also provides them with something to look at while they are on their stomach. You can also hand one to them to practice reaching and grabbing, as well as to keep them busy while on their stomach. |
7-9 Months
By now, your baby should be a tummy time pro, able to handle up to 30 minutes of time comfortably on their stomach. If your baby is not already crawling, you can encourage it by putting their toys even farther away from them or calling them over to you.
At this stage, you want to make sure that their play area is safer than ever, especially if they are mobile. Ensure they have a “yes area” that doesn’t have too many obstacles or things they can’t/shouldn’t explore.
| TIP: Your baby is likely already teething by now, which makes our Innobaby Oral Development Teethers even more important during tummy time. Ensure they have safe objects to put in their mouth, as their oral fixation stage is at an all-time high during this period. If you’re going to give them something to put in their mouth, make sure it’s also super safe and beneficial for their development! |
9-12 Months
If your baby isn’t already walking or trying to walk at this point, they are gearing up to! This is especially true if they have a big brother or sister that they are trying to keep up with. At this age, your baby has their own idea of tummy time and how they want to spend it. Tailor it to their individual needs and interests!
Still not crawling perfectly? Keep up with the exercises from before.
Trying to walk, but balance is off? Keep encouraging tummy time to strengthen those muscles and keep them on the floor with toys, books, and mirrors!
Bored with tummy time? Incorporate it in new ways, such as during changes or right before nap time.
| TIP: By this age, your baby may be getting ready to start working on their one-year molars. Our Innobaby Oral Development Teethers are the safest option for getting as far back in the mouth as possible to soothe those gums. If you see an increase in this, be aware that molars may be on the horizon! |
For more fun parenting ideas and great family products, head to Innobaby.com!