5 Reasons Why Tummy Time is Important for Your Baby

5 Reasons Why Tummy Time is Important for Your Baby

It's no secret that tummy time is an essential part of a baby's development, but many parents don't know just how important it is for their little one. Tummy time helps to strengthen your baby's muscles and develops the skills needed for crawling and other milestones. In this blog post, we will discuss five reasons why tummy time is important for your baby.

1) Strengthens muscles in the neck, shoulders, and back
Tummy time is an important activity for babies as it helps to strengthen the muscles in their neck, shoulders, and back. When babies are placed on their stomachs, they learn to lift their head, arch their back, and extend their arms and legs in order to explore the environment around them. This not only strengthens their core muscles, but also helps them develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. The strength gained during tummy time helps babies to be able to roll over and sit up unassisted when they are older. Additionally, tummy time can help reduce discomfort associated with reflux or colic by allowing babies to lie in a position that can help relieve the pressure in their abdomen.

2) Helps develop gross motor skills
Tummy time helps babies develop their gross motor skills, which are the bigger movements of the body such as sitting, crawling and walking. During tummy time, babies practice lifting their head, pushing up on their arms and making other movements that are required for these bigger skills. As they strengthen their neck and back muscles, they will be better able to support themselves in a sitting position. Once they can do that, they can move on to crawling and eventually standing and walking. All of these gross motor skills are very important for a baby’s development and tummy time is an essential part of it.

3) Aids in the development of hand-eye coordination
Tummy time is an important activity for your baby that helps them develop hand-eye coordination. When babies lie on their stomachs, they can practice reaching for and grasping toys or other objects. This allows them to strengthen the muscles in their arms and hands as well as practice coordination between their eyes and hands. This helps them become more adept at later activities such as feeding themselves or playing with toys. Babies who spend time on their stomachs and practice reaching for objects will become more independent and learn how to do more things for themselves. Tummy time is a great way to help your baby develop the skills needed for hand-eye coordination.

4) Prevents flat head syndrome
Flat head syndrome (also known as positional plagiocephaly) is a condition in which an infant’s head becomes flattened on one or both sides due to pressure. This can happen when a baby spends too much time in the same position, such as when they are lying down and not moving. Tummy time can help prevent this condition, as it encourages the baby to move and shift their weight, thus reducing the risk of flat head syndrome. Additionally, it strengthens the neck, shoulder, and back muscles, helping to support the baby’s head in different positions. As your baby’s muscles become stronger, their neck will be able to support the weight of their head for longer periods of time. Therefore, tummy time is an important activity for preventing flat head syndrome in infants.

5) Promotes social and emotional development
Tummy time is a great way to help promote your baby’s social and emotional development. Being on their tummies helps babies learn how to recognize and respond to other people’s facial expressions and voices. It also gives them an opportunity to interact with you and others around them, which helps build trust and strengthens their bond with those around them. When babies are comfortable in their environment, it helps them learn how to soothe themselves, which is an important part of emotional development. Tummy time also helps babies learn how to roll over, reach for toys, and interact with the world around them, all of which are important skills for emotional development.