Tummy time at 1 month
Index
- Tummy time 1 month: Introduction
- Tummy time of the Newborn: What it is and what it means
- How to propose tummy time to your 2-month-old baby
- Tummy time at the parent's chest: 1 month old
- Tummy time on the changing table: 1 month old
- Tummy time on the play mat: 1 month old
- How much tummy time at 2 months of age
1. Tummy Time at 1 Month: Introduction
The tummy time is the first real exercise and physical activity of the newborn child whose purposein addition to pure enjoyment, is to promote better motor and postural development of the child, from day zero of birth until it becomes a little walking hero.
In this article I will explain to you practically how best to start with tummy time as early as 1 (first) month of life to strengthen your baby's neck, back and arm muscles.
Furthermore, in the video course From zero to hero I show you (thank you hundreds of videos explanatory) how to reach with success all motor stages of the first year of life and ensure a perfect motor and postural development of your baby.
2. What it means and what it is
Tummy time, literally time on your belly, indicates the elapsed time prone (belly down) from the baby to play during the day, when it is awake and supervised by the parent himself.
In this position, by gradually learning to support the head, neck and back, the child develops muscle tone and coordination appropriate to improve its motor skills.
3. How to propose tummy time at 1 month of your baby's life
To start gently and effectively from the first weeks of life, you can start offering tummy time to your baby in 3 different ways.
4. At the parent's breast
First, you can start in the most loving and gentle way possible: you sit on the sofa, lean back and position your baby chest to chest.
This way we can interact, pet him and play with him.
5. On the changing table
The second way you can offer tummy time is during nappy changes, on the changing table.
The changing table offers a soft surface but at the same time is rigid enough not to sink in, so that your baby can put strength in his arms and support himself properly.
6. On the play mat
The third way to initiate your child into the tummy time at 1 monthas well as what is to become thepreferred activity of your baby from 2-3 months of age onwards is tummy time on the play mat.
Initially, you can place the play mat on the kitchen table and lower yourself to the child's height to facilitate eye contact and keep him prone for longer.
Week after week, place the play mat on the floor and lie with your baby.
The play mat will become your baby's new homehabitat in which to play and spend most of the day. It will be the launch pad for his improved motor development the achievement of all subsequent motor milestones (such as rolling, clockwork, crawling, standing up and walking independently).
7. How much tummy time at 1 month?
How much tummy time is one of the questions that parents ask me (rightly) most frequently.
The answer to this question depends on the age of your child and before that, by how ''trained'' he is your baby.
Let me explain: if your child has 3 months but you have never proposed tummy time before, the time I expect to be able to devote to tummy time will be less than for babies who do it from the first weeks.
Anyway, don't worry. I am sure you will recover perfectly even if you start at this age.
Do not procrastinate beyond that, though; the longer you go on, the more the baby grows and the harder it is to ''start'' him at tummy time.
To answer the initial question: how much time to devote to tummy time in a 1-month-old baby, I could give you some generic estimates on which to base yourself starting with the WHO guidelines (World Health Organisation) saying:
''An infant should do tummy time at least 30 minutes in total per day, divided into several sessions''.
That is why I recommend starting in the first few weeks with just a few minutes at a time (2-3 min several times a day - 5/6 vv), gradually increase to 3-5 minutes in the second month of life, move on to 5-9 consecutive minutes in the third month of life.
NB: always alternate the prone position with the supine one, to let your baby catch his breath and increase the time spent prone in the same ''tummy time'' session.
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