Tummy time, head control and upper body benefits

While it's known that putting your baby on their back for every sleep at night and during the day reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome,^[1] spending short amounts of safe time playing on their tummy helps babies to develop upper body strength and gives them a different view of the world.

Now that your baby is getting stronger...

At first, your baby will have turned their head to one side when lying on their tummy as they didn't have the strength or control to move and hold their head in a central position. You might have found that your baby didn't like tummy time on the floor, so you might have introduced tummy time in a different way, perhaps lying with them on your chest. Now you will begin to see that your baby is getting stronger as they turn their head into the centre and lift it briefly when lying on their tummy. 

Their head control will develop before their upper body strength  

Control of muscles develops from the head, so you will probably notice your baby controlling their head before other muscles. Initially, this control will be seen in them being able to hold their head in a central position, at first when on their back and then when on their tummy.  

If you lie your baby down resting on their arms, you'll probably see that they can turn and hold their head in the centre for a short time.^[2] They're unlikely to be able to use their arms to lift themselves up at this stage, or be able to hold their head up for more than a few seconds, so they might not like tummy time on the floor yet. If they don’t like lying on the floor, keep giving them tummy time lying on your chest or your lap when you are both awake and alert.  

Try changing the positions you hold your baby in

As you notice that they have more control of their head and can hold their head steady for a short time, you could also think about holding them in different positions. If you hold them upright perhaps looking over your shoulder, they will be able to practise holding their head up and looking around. You could also hold them on their tummy on your arm, making sure that you can hold them securely with your other hand.^[3] Gently move them as you hold them – they might find this soothing, and it also gives them the opportunity to hold their head steady as they move.  

The benefits of tummy time (when your baby is awake and alert)

Keep trying short bursts of supervised tummy time when your baby is awake and alert – you might find that they prefer playing on their tummy at a particular time of day. Spending time on their tummy builds strength and control and also supports your baby’s development in other streams.

Looking at you and listening to you as you play with them supports language and social and emotional development, and seeing the world from a different position supports their cognitive and sensory development, too.  

Over the coming months... 

Your baby will get stronger and develop more control; soon they will be able to use their arms for support and lift their head for longer periods and be able to turn their head when lying on their tummy.  

References:

[1] The Lullaby Trust (undated) Safer sleep for babies presentations: Safer sleep for babies-Sleep positions, sleep environment and bedding.  [Online] Available at: Safer Sleep for babies presentations - The Lullaby Trust (Accessed on: 30th September 2021) 

[2] Versfiled, P. (1st January 2018) Development of head control: newborn-10 weeks. [Online] Available at: Development of head control: newborn-10 weeks | Task Oriented Movement Therapy (skillsforaction.com) (Accessed on: 30th September 2021)  

[3] Association of Paediatirc Chartered Physiotherapists. (2016) Tummy Time: Tummy to play everyday. [Online] Available at: Tummy Time Poster (Update 2016) | Association of Paediatric Chartered Physiotherapists (csp.org.uk) (Accessed on: 30th September 2021)