Reasons For Placing The Baby On His Tummy During The Day
For many years the importance of placing the baby on his back or in a supine position at bedtime has been pointed out. It is done to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
However, there are also several reasons for placing the baby on his tummy during the day, known as the prone position. We will show you 3 compelling reasons to do so. In addition, we will add some practical tips to make it easier for your little one.
Why place the baby on his tummy during the day
1.- Development of motor functions
Spending enough time on the tummy will help your baby develop balance and visual and listening skills.
In addition, it will help to strengthen the head, neck, shoulder and back muscles. All of this will be needed for everyday actions, such as pushing, rolling onto the side, sitting, getting up, and crawling.
During the first months of his life, the baby must learn about the movement of his body and how to control it. Thus, he will develop the physical skills necessary to turn, sit and crawl. This is not adequately accomplished if the child spends a lot of time in baby seats or other places that restrict movement.
In addition, a baby who is awake all the time on his back only sees the ceiling and objects on both sides. On the contrary, babies placed on their tummies raise their heads and begin to look at many more things around them.
2.- Normal development of the head
As a consequence of the advertising campaigns launched to help prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, there has been an increase in children with plagiocephaly.
What’s that? Because babies do not have fully welded cranial bones, a quality that helps them withstand small blows, their head can become deformed if it is kept in the same position for a long time.
Babies tend to spend too much time asleep on their backs and in chairs or playpens (also on their backs). This practice causes the back of their heads to flatten. That is why it is essential that the baby spends enough time on his stomach during the day, while he is awake and playing.
3.- Development of social skills
Another reason for placing your baby on his tummy during the day has to do with developing sensory and perceptual skills. It is also positive for improving social-emotional skills, problem solving, learning and adapting to challenges.
When the baby is in the prone position, he remains alert and better perceives the world around him. Thus, it remains in a state where it is constantly receiving stimuli while interacting with everything around it.
Ways to place the baby on his tummy during the day
If you do not know exactly what is the correct way to get your baby to spend enough time on his tummy or if, on the other hand, it seems that he does not like being in that position, you can follow these practical tips:
0 to 2 months
Try laying the baby on his tummy on a blanket. If you find that you cannot lift your head, put your hand on your lower back and shift the weight down. If he still can’t lift his head, place a rolled towel under his chest or place it across your legs.
Another excellent option is to put the baby on the chest. This way, he will feel more secure and you will encourage him to raise his head to look at you. With this activity the little one will be able to develop control of his head, also strengthening the upper part of his body.
3 to 5 months
Since your back and neck have been strengthened, you will be able to support yourself with your forearms. You can spend time with your baby using toys and mirrors to further encourage weight transfer and reach.
Now you can interact with your environment at eye level. You will receive many more stimuli and you will learn to respond to them.
As your son or daughter gains more strength, they will begin to push themselves with their arms outstretched to reach objects and play. This serves as preparation for sitting up and crawling.
6 to 9 months
Being more strengthened, you can practice games such as “the plane”, lifting it and holding it only by the waist. Another option is to support it on the bent legs and move them up and down.
With this, the strength of your entire body is developed. Obviously, this will allow him to crawl and explore with greater dexterity.
Remember that you must perform these and other routines with your baby on a daily basis. This is the best way to support and collaborate with its development.
