Most new parents know about the significance of placing their baby on the back to sleep but may not appreciate the importance of placing their baby on the tummy for play.  Many babies are still missing out on this important daily developmental movement activity.

When you prepare a special place on the floor to participate in Tummy Time each day, you are providing a nurturing environment that encourages your baby’s natural movement development. From this dynamic foundation babies become active explorers, expressive communicators and self-motivated learners.

Tummy Time for Two

When you are also on the floor, you can share in the joy of moving and learning together.  Before you know it Tummy Time will become your baby’s favorite activity to do  several times a day.  When you play at your baby’s level, you can extend your baby’s social time by your warm attention, smiles and vocalizing your encouragement. Following your baby’s lead, you can create spontaneous games that enhance your growing relationship.

During the first year, your shared interactions are often body-to-body.  Resting comfortably in your arms, your baby picks up a variety of cues from you: your focus of attention, your hand and arm pressure, your breathing pattern, vocal tone and expressive actions.  A baby can quickly sense how you are feeling.  Notice when your baby is fussy that he calms down when you are holding him close to you and you are humming, cooing, or singing to him.  He may be enjoying the sound of your voice and also the sound vibrations resonating from your chest. You may also experience him cuddling and nuzzling into your neck.

In the first two months, your baby could focus on your face best in your arms from 8 – 12 inches away. In his everyday interactions, it is still your lively face that captures his attention. You can see how your baby’s expressive communication repertoire is expanding. Babies smile in response to smiles, and also prompt smiles in others.

Your baby’s face-to-face interactions are really whole-body experiences. When babies and parents gaze and smile at each other, they respond with their whole body. When your baby sees your animated face, he responds from head to toe, with a little body wriggle, open hands and beaming face – just for you!

Tummy Time for Two is essential during this pre-locomotion stage from newborn to the end of five months. The best way for your baby to develop her visual sense is through moving her body. In Tummy Time play, your baby develops the necessary head and neck control that promotes her developing visual control. Your baby’s ability to flex her head and tuck her chin when she’s on her tummy while supporting herself on her forearms is significant for all her visual play explorations. Choosing developmentally appropriate toys facilitates your baby’s handling skills and contributes to her eye-hand coordination.

Parents and caregivers can make a supreme difference in a baby’s natural movement development by taking an active approach to parenting. When you provide enough floor space for your baby to play, she can practice her natural movement explorations, building her movement vocabulary, day by day. When you are at your baby’s level you are ready for her spontaneous, playful cues. Whether observing or moving with your baby, you develop a deep appreciation for her remarkable accomplishments.

The first year with your baby is a unique journey because of the nurturing environment you provide.  In an environment that encourages natural movement, your baby will show you her unique abilities and amazing accomplishments. Babies are learning so much about their bodies and what they can do.  Self-directed learning from “motivation to mastery” begins in these early months.

When you calmly observe your baby in play, the deeper your appreciation will be of her competent abilities. When you stop to think about it, curiosity, interest, problem solving, and making her own discoveries in play are the skills she will use for all her future learning.