TUMMY TIME FROM BIRTH

Don’t leave it too late to start giving your baby tummy time. Child development expert Gill Connell says, “Start them at birth because if you leave it too late, until your baby is three months or so, your baby may lose the important ‘push away’ reflex in his foot that he relies on to develop his crawling skills.” Tummy time strengthens and tones baby’s neck and upper body muscles – in preparation for all of his milestones, including rolling, sitting and crawling. Start by putting baby on his tummy for 10 seconds at a time per day, and build up gradually. Make it fun by: · Placing toys around baby to look at, he will soon try to reach for them or roll towards them · Roll a ball in front of his eyes · Place a mirror in front of baby · Blow bubbles towards him, but not in his face · Massage him or read to him · Lie reluctant tummy timers on your legs and lift, or on your tummy to start with