By Christina Gillham 

First, the good news: The American Academy of Pediatrics’ Back to Sleep program, which teaches parents to put their babies to sleep on their backs instead of their stomachs, has helped reduce cases of sudden infant death syndrome by 40 percent. The bad news is that babies are now spending too little time on their stomachs, a position that helps them strengthen their back, neck and shoulder muscles so they can roll over and, later, crawl. In a survey released last week, two thirds of occupational and physical therapists reported seeing an increase in early motor delays in children. The American Physical Therapy Association is now urging parents to give babies more “tummy time” while they are awake and supervised. TIP SHEET’s Christina Gillham spoke to Judy Towne Jennings, a pediatric physical therapist and spokesperson for the APTA. (Readers can get more tips by clicking on “Tummy Time Tools” at www.apta.org/consumer.)

Gillham: Why is tummy time important for babies?
Jennings: All development comes from the tummy position. If a baby doesn’t develop the core strength—the muscles of the chest, the tummy, the back, the neck—they also don’t have those muscles to use for breath control, for the tongue moving back and forth and for the ability to form their mouths to do speech. Babies don’t have to use their muscles if they’re sitting in a car seat. They don’t have to use muscles if they’re in a swing or a bouncer seat.

What kind of motor delays are you noticing in infants?
Six-month-old babies are looking like 2-month-olds. They don’t have any control on their bellies, they don’t have the ability to lift their head, they don’t have the ability to pull their eyes horizontal so they can see far and near or interact with toys on the floor.

How often should a baby have tummy time?
Tummy time needs to be scheduled just like diaper changes, feedings and naps. Babies should have one to two minutes of tummy time after every nap, diaper change and feeding, throughout the day.

What are the best ways to give your baby tummy time?
For the first couple of weeks, have the baby lie on your tummy or on a pillow over your legs. Encourage play on the side, where the baby is lying on either the right or left side and has gentle stimulation with different noises and toys that they can interact with when they’re on their side. Positions need to be varied throughout the day so that all four sides of a baby get stimulated.

What about babies with reflux or babies who don’t like to be on their stomachs?
A good position is inclined on the mom’s chest. If they really hate being on their tummy, then they should start off in that position also. Eventually the neck muscles will develop so that the baby can be flat on the floor. Varying the baby’s position through the course of the day will allow the baby to enjoy any position he’s placed in.