Although it may sometimes seem surprising with all the stress placed on putting babies to sleep on their backs, "tummy time" is essential for newborn growth and development. Allowing babies to spend time on their tummies promotes correct growth and strengthening of neck and back muscles as well as helps to prevent flat spots on the back of the head (plagiocephaly) or tightening of neck muscles from continued facing to one side (torticollis).

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has a downloadable article on its website titled “Tummy Time Tools.” It is a great resource outlining different ways to incorporate tummy time throughout the day. When reading through the different activities, I found that holding a baby in different positions can actually work as part of a baby’s daily tummy time by helping to stretch and strengthen neck muscles. To get more ideas, you can get your own copy of the article in PDF format here.

There are many great products out there to help engage infants during tummy time. HABA's Dwarf's Land playmat is a wonderful choice. Baby can laugh at himself in the mirror, grab at the houses and trees, move around the car, and more. What I like most about this mat is that it is designed to engage children well beyond their first year, and with quality HABA construction, it should last, too.

Additional information about tummy time:

• For strong babies, make playtime 'tummy time' - Liz Szabo, USA Today


• Too little tummy time slows infant development - Reuters via MSNBC

- Sara I.