Ways to Play
Beginner floor play & tummy time.
Expected Age Range: 0-1 month, or so.
These activities are organized into three categories:
1. Bonding Through Play; 2. Opportunities for Learning and New Sensory Experiences; 3. Tummy Time Suggestions and Modifications.
Bonding Through Play
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Before we discuss tummy time, we need to start at square one —becoming aware of, and regulating, your emotional response when your baby becomes frustrated during play activities.
Your baby is looking to you to learn how to regulate themselves. Honing your ability to emotionally regulate can help your baby learn to emotionally regulate.
If your baby begins to show signs of frustration while on their tummy, and they are safe, try to remain calm and patient. Wait for a moment. Let your baby know that they are safe and secure. Quickly saving them from tummy time at the first signs of frustration communicates that tummy time is something they need saving from.
This can be a challenging skill to develop, so how do you play it cool and look calm even when you’re flustered?
Go slow.
Breathe slowly, react slowly, move slowly, touch slowly, speak slowly.
First slow your breathing down. This will calm your nervous system, and automatically make you take a pause and react slowly. After a small pause, move slowly to assist them if needed. Sometimes a gentle hand on their back can provide enough security to soothe their frustration. Speak calmly and slowly to reassure and give a sense of safety.
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Get on your baby’s level.
In the beginning, you are what your baby is most interested in. There’s no toy that can compete with mom or dad.
So whether your baby is on their back, side, or tummy, look them in the eyes. Have a conversation with them. Try taking pauses when speaking, giving your baby time to process.
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While your baby is on their back or on their tummy, speak or sing to them on the left and right sides of their body. Provide light touch on that side of their body. The auditory and tactile input brings awareness to that side, and encourages head rotation. They may also notice their hand at their side.
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Since the hip joint continues to rapidly develop in the first 6 months of life, the way that we position babies is important. If you want to support the healthy development of your baby’s hips while baby wearing, try wearing your baby facing inward and with legs in the M-position. M-position is your baby’s thighs spread around your torso and their hips bent so their knees are slightly higher than their buttocks, with thighs supported. The M-position is the natural clinging position for babies and it encourages healthy hip development.
As you’re wearing your baby with them facing inward, they reflexively cling to you. If their hips are in the M-position, their muscles activate to evenly press the ball of the hip joint into the center of the hip socket. This type of muscle activity is beneficial for healthy joint development.
Opportunities for Learning and New Sensory Experiences
Your baby isn’t getting around on their own, yet. But they are taking in a lot of information through their sensory systems. They are learning how their body relates to their surroundings. That is why the sensory systems are the foundation of gross motor development.
This beginner stage is focused on helping you and your baby become familiar with these systems, and how to engage them through play.
These systems include: Tactile (sense of touch, pressure, temperature, texture), visual, auditory (sound & hearing), vestibular (sense of movement & balance), proprioception (sense of body in space, or position).
Here are a few ways to engage these systems as you play with your baby:
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Introduce Variety
Safely introduce objects with a wide variety of textures and materials. Soft blanket, crinkle book, cool metal spoon, textured ball, squishy toy, splashing water, the breeze, light touch, tickles, hugs, etc.
Consider practicing tummy time on a variety of surfaces. A fuzzy blanket, a quilt, and the carpet all have different textures, and can add interest to tummy time.
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Your Face and High Contrast Images
At this stage, babies are interested in looking at your face. They may also be interested in high contrast images and objects – found in picture cards, board books, blanket patterns, or the ceiling fan, for example.
You can hold up a high contrast image for your baby to view while you talk about it.
Visual Tracking
Provide your baby with an opportunity to practice visual tracking with their eyes.
Hold an object of interest about 9 inches from your baby’s face, give it a little shake to get their attention. Once your baby establishes visual contact with the object, slowly move it to the left or right. If your baby looks away, stop moving the object and start over.
With practice, your baby should start tracking objects to the left and right, equally, maintaining contact for longer periods of time.
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Speak to Your Baby Frequently
Speak to your baby face to face, but also from near and far, on their left side, and on their right side. Speaking or singing to your baby can bring awareness to both sides of the body and begin to lay groundwork for understanding distance.
Rattles
Toys like rattles engage your baby’s auditory system, and soon they will be able to hold it themselves to experience cause and effect. Shake the rattle in different spots around your baby to grab their attention.
Music
Play music. Pay attention to how your baby responds to different styles.
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Rocking & Rolling
Rocking and bouncing your baby stimulates their vestibular system.
You can prepare your baby’s vestibular system for rollin, from day one:
Gently roll your baby from their back to tummy, instead of picking them up and placing them on their tummy. When you pick your baby up and then place them on their tummy, they lose their sense of how tummy time relates to lying on their back.
Rolling from back to tummy is a natural transition that your baby will eventually learn to do on their own. By relating the two positions to one another, babies often tolerate tummy time better from the start. Plus, you’re laying the groundwork for rolling in the months to come.
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Change Positions Often
By changing your baby’s position, it helps them get a better understanding of their body in space.
Switch between lying on their back, tummy, and side. You can also practice these positions on a level floor surface, a slight incline with their head elevated above their hips, or their hips elevated above their head.
The incline shifts how your baby feels gravity. When their head is elevated above their hips, gravity is reduced at their head, making it easier for them to lift their head.
Tummy Time Suggestions
Develop a Daily Routine
In the beginning, the most important thing you can do with your baby relating to tummy time is develop a daily habit and routine.
Consistency is More Important Than Duration (In The Beginning)
Consistency is more important than duration, in the beginning. At least once every day, get on the floor with your baby and gently roll them from their back to their tummy, and play there as tolerated.
Consistency, beginning as soon as possible, will help your baby learn what to expect when playing on the floor, and make it much more likely that they grow to enjoy tummy time.
Always Start On The Floor
Attempt tummy time on the floor before incorporating modifications.
Tummy Time Modifications
On Your Chest
Practicing tummy time with your baby lying on your chest is a great way to help your baby acclimate to tummy time. For newborns, your face and your touch are two of the things they are most interested in. And in this position, they get a front row seat to your smile! This position is often tolerated better than flat on the floor because your baby will be at a slight incline. This will make it easier for them to try to lift their head and look at you. They will also be comforted by being on your body, and having your hands supporting them. For all they know, this is snuggle time, not tummy time.
Held In Prone Position
This is a great way to sneak in modified tummy time. It’s ideal for babies that are not tolerating being placed on their tummy on the floor, yet. Hold your baby with their tummy facing down, toward the floor. The underside of your forearm will be supporting their whole body (and head, as needed), like they are flying. You can walk around the house or outside together like this. Your baby will likely be looking down at the floor, but as their neck gets stronger, they will start lifting their head to look around. This may help them better tolerate tummy time on the floor.
On an Exercise Ball
This is a hands-on way to ease your baby from inclined tummy time to tummy time on a level surface. If you have an exercise ball at home, give this one a try. Sit on the floor behind or in front of the the exercise ball. Place your baby on their tummy on the ball. With two hands holding your baby’s lower trunk and pelvis, slowly and gently move your baby forward and backward on the ball. You can increase or decrease the degree of incline that your baby is experiencing. For example, if your baby is horizontal on the ball, they will be working harder to hold their head up. If they are not tolerating this well, you can roll them backward on the ball, so that their head is raised above their hips. You can adjust between these two positions, according to what your baby is tolerating.
On an Inclined Pillow or Cushion
This is another way to modify tummy time and practice with your baby’s body on an incline. With the pillow or cushion on the floor, be sure to position your baby so that their head and chest are raised slightly higher than their hips. You may need to stabilize your baby with your hands so that they don’t roll off the pillow. You can also achieve this inclined position by placing your baby on their tummy over your lap.
With a Rolled Towel Under Their Chest
Give your baby a boost with a rolled towel under their chest. Raising your baby’s chest slightly off the floor can make tummy time much more tolerable. One way to do this is by tightly rolling a small-medium towel about 4 inches thick, and placing it under your baby’s chest. Arms should be forward, in front of the towel, elbows under or slightly in front of shoulders. This is best for babies that are starting to lift their head on their own for several seconds at a time, but get fussy easily. By raising your baby’s head above their hips, their weight is shifted to their lower body. This makes their head feel lighter and easier to lift.
Anchor Your Baby’s Hips With Your Hand
When your baby is on their tummy, place your hand in a “C” shape over their hips to gently anchor their pelvis. This will make it much easier for them to lift their head. This can be done in conjunction with the rolled towel trick.
If You Can’t Comfortably Lie on the Floor With Your Baby
If getting down onto the floor is not comfortable, try these two alternatives. You can lay on the bed, face to face with your baby, while they practice tummy time on the bed. You can also try sitting on the floor in front of the couch, face to face with your baby, while they practice tummy time on the sofa.