Playing With Your Baby

Tummy time

‘Tummy time’ is the time that your baby spends lying on her stomach while she is awake.

Once your baby’s cord has fallen off, you can put her down to play on her tummy or her side several times throughout the day. Make sure you’re watching her when she’s on her tummy.

‘Tummy time’ is important because it helps your baby learn to:

Hold up her head and get strong enough to turn her head from side to side
Get up on her elbows
Get up on her hands with straight elbows
Roll from her tummy to her back and then onto her tummy again
Shift her weight to reach for toys
Crawl forward on her tummy and then all fours

It can even help keep your baby from getting a “flat head” (which happens when baby always lies the same way).

‘Tummy time’ Ideas:

Lie on your back and have her lie on your chest
Lay your baby down is on a clean, firm surface (like a playpen or mat on the floor)

Avoid putting your baby down on a high surface like a change table because he could roll off

Sit on the floor with your baby
Remember, blankets and quilts can block your baby's face and prevent proper breathing
If your baby gets tired and falls asleep, you can roll him gently onto his back to sleep.

Ways to prevent flat head

Remember to change the position of your baby's head when you put him down to sleep on his back. The idea is to give your baby a different view of the room and encourage your baby, while sleeping on his back, to turn his head to look at different things when he wakes up.

Here are some other things you can try:

Move mobiles and crib toys to different sides of the crib
Change your baby's head position from side, to back, to side especially if she has one side she spends a lot of time on
Limit the amount of time that your baby spends in car seats, infant seats, swings and strollers
Change positions when feeding, carrying, holding and playing with your baby
Once the baby has good head control, increase your baby's time in an upright position.

Health Canada and the Canadian Paediatric Society recommend that babies sleep on their backs on a firm surface to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).