Tummy time is when your baby is lying flat on the stomach while awake. It is fun time for infants and also good bonding time between parents and babies. Tummy time is important for various reasons. One of the crucial reason is giving your baby’s head rest, preventing asymmetrical head development. Others reasons why tummy time is important are that it prevents shortening of the neck muscles, promote strong neck and head muscles and enhance coordination and posture.

Also tummy time helps in normal bowel movement, develops the baby’s visual power and develops shoulder muscles.  Making your baby lie on his stomach will also help develop his near and far vision, even prevent early motor problems.

The reasons why tummy time is important are as follows:

Reasons Why Tummy Time Is Important For the Infant

Prevents flat head syndrome

Tummy time is perfect to get your baby off his back and give his head some rest.  Babies need to rest the back of their head; otherwise they might develop a flat spots in their head. This is very important for babies. Tummy time helps to prevent flat head syndrome in babies.

Promotes strong neck and head muscles

Lying on the stomach develops strong neck and muscles in your baby. When your baby is on his stomach, he can hold up his head against gravity. Doing it regularly will help your baby to develop strong muscles in the neck. Strong neck muscles will also help your baby to sit up and crawl as well. These milestones can be achieved faster with tummy time.

Reduces the risk of neck muscle shortening

When your baby maintains a single position for long time, it might cause the shortening of his neck muscles. Keeping your baby flat on his back for all time will lead to this problem. Tummy time actually prevent this successfully. On his tummy, your baby will be able to hold up and move his head and neck. This will help in proper development of the muscles.

Stimulates bowel movement

Tummy time is when your baby gets to stretch his abdominal muscles.  This stretching gives a massage to his abdominal organs. This stimulates proper bowel movement and also helps to pass gas. Proper bowel movement is very necessary for the overall health of your baby. Giving him his tummy time will ensure that your baby has normal digestion and bowel movement.

Helps in visual system

Tummy time is a great way to develop your baby’s visual system, especially his tracking power.  When your baby is on his tummy, he can look both ways after lifting his head.  This helps in developing the coordination of his two eyes. Tummy time is very helpful for your baby’s visual coordination.

Enhances posture

Lying on the stomach is very important for an infant as it enhances the body posture. It helps in aligning the spinal cord.  Body posture development is crucial for infants. Tummy time develops the posture of your little one. It also helps in body parts coordination. Your baby learns to coordinate his hands, legs and head during his tummy time. If you want your little one to have correct body posture, keep him on his tummy when he is awake.

Develops throat and mouth muscles

On his tummy, your baby moves his head and neck while looking up. His muscles of the throat and mouth region become strong in this way. Movement is important for developing strong muscles in infants. Tummy time helps in muscles development of throat and mouth of your baby. This is one of the important reasons why you should let your baby have his tummy time.

Reduces tightness in the neck and head muscles

Spending time on the tummy is a useful way to prevent neck and head muscle tightening in your baby.  Lying on the back without movement might cause muscle tightening in the neck and head.  This prevents the proper functioning of your baby’s central nervous system. Tummy time is the best way to get your baby to move his head and neck. This also ensures healthy function of the nervous system of your baby.

Develops vision

Both near and far vision of your baby develops because of spending more and more time on the belly. This visual organization starts to develop once your baby starts lying on his tummy.  This visual development is very significant once your baby grows up. This is a milestone development in your baby’s life.

Prevents motor delays

Problems in movement of the arms and legs can be prevented by the tummy time. Lying on the stomach successfully prevents delayed motor movement in your baby. It is advised that you put your baby on his tummy so that he does not face any such problem while growing up.

Promotes overall health development

Tummy time is one of the ways to promote your baby’s overall health. It helps your baby in many ways and ensures his well being.   Regular tummy time helps to maintain a healthy body.

Conclusion

Tummy time is extremely important for infants. It helps to develop muscles, motor movement and visual coordination. It is also contributes in maintaining the functions of the nervous system. Your baby might be uncomfortable the first time you start putting him on his tummy. But slowly he will get used to it. Regular tummy time is essential for every infant. It is also a great bonding time between parents and their kids. Placing your baby on his tummy two- three times each day for a short period of time is enough. You can increase the time as your little one is growing up.

However, avoid placing your baby on his tummy if he is gassy or cranky. This will create more stomach problems for your kid.  This happens especially if your baby has acidity problems. The best time to give your baby time on his tummy is when he wakes up or right after you change his diaper.  Do not keep your baby on his tummy at night. This must be done only when he is wake. It is better to consult a doctor for best advice.

Reference

https://www.mamanatural.com/tummy-time/

https://pathways.org/topics-of-development/tummy-time-2/