This is why your baby should lie on his stomach

"Far from all babies experience tummy time as a pleasant activity. This can be so frustrating for you - as you are repeatedly told that it's important for your little one to lie on their stomach. Fortunately, there's a lot you and your partner can do to make the time your baby is willing to spend on their tummy as effective as possible."

Mie Lindholm and Tina K. Rasmussen, founders of EaseYourBaby, licensed Osteopaths and Physiotherapists specializing in the treatment of children and babies.

You've barely put your baby down and you can already see their lips trembling. You know it instantly. Soon, the unhappy sounds will start. Then the more insistent sound, and finally, the crying. As if your baby is commanding you to understand that 30 seconds on their tummy is more than enough for today.

Parents are excellent at beating themselves up if there's something they feel they could do better. Or if they're not trying hard enough. You need to stop that, because you and your partner are doing your best. Putting your baby on their stomach is one of those areas that we know frustrates a lot of parents. We meet you in our clinics, deeply frustrated because you're told again and again that it's very important for your baby to lie on their stomach. But what on earth do you do when the baby isn't playing along?

In this article, we will explain how to get the best possible quality out of tummy time, so you make the most of the time your baby is willing to participate. And we also have advice for parents whose baby doesn't want to lie on their stomach at all. Because yes - tummy time is important. From a physiological perspective, it's one of those things where persistence pays off, as time spent on the stomach has a significant impact on a baby's body strength.

Tummy time - when should it be introduced and how?

Around the time your baby is one month old - and the first bond between you has been established - you can gradually start practicing tummy time.

When your baby is on their stomach, make sure he or she is full and comfortable. In addition, it is important to start in short intervals, because in the beginning it can be very hard work for your baby.
You can start by letting the baby lie on your stomach or chest - or on a firm, inclined surface. The slanted position makes it easier for your baby, as there is a little less gravity, and the head is therefore a little lighter to hold.

How to get high quality into tummy time.

When your baby is around two months old, tummy time becomes more interesting, and there are a number of things you can pay attention to here. For example, a symmetrical baby's body is better able to lie comfortably on its stomach - just as it is an advantage to warm up a tense neck before training. Exactly as you would do if you were to train yourself.

For this, we have made a short video, where we first show how you can warm up the muscles in your baby's neck, and how you can then, quite simply, make small corrections on your baby so that tummy time becomes good.

Checklist: How to get the most quality out of tummy time for your baby

1. Keep both elbows on the surface. The weight should be evenly distributed on both arms. If your baby is over three months old, the elbows can be brought forward to roughly where your baby's eyes are. It may be necessary to support the elbows to keep them there. The shoulders should ideally be down towards the surface and away from the ears.
2. Baby should look straight up and forward. Your baby's head should ideally be in line with the upper body, meaning the chest is lifted and the chin is tucked slightly towards the chest. You can, for example, find an interesting toy to encourage your baby to look forward.
3. Place a hand on the baby's bottom and push it down. If the baby's bottom tends to stick up, or the knees want to come up, you can gently hold a hand or an elbow on the bottom. A sticking-up bottom or moving knees are not a sign that your baby wants to crawl. Instead, it indicates that not enough strength and stability has yet been developed in this position.
4. Quality over quantity. It's better to have many short intervals of tummy time throughout the day. When you can place your baby in the correct position, your baby will naturally become stronger day by day.
5. Lie on the floor with your baby, or hold your baby up to your level. Often, we see that this gives babies a longer, good tummy time.
6. And if you find it incredible that your baby won't lie on their tummy for longer, try lying in the correct position on the floor yourself for as long as your baby. It's surprisingly hard.

Does your baby not want to lie on their stomach at all?

Here's some good news. There's another way you can stimulate good tummy time - without your baby having to lie on their stomach.

When your baby is between two and three months old and lying on their back, they should naturally begin to lift their legs. The knees should be bent at a 90-degree angle, and the knees should be positioned above the hips. If you find that the baby isn't doing this on their own, place a hand under your baby's bottom. The hand makes it a little easier to get the legs up and gently helps them along. You can also place a blanket or something similar. It can also be beneficial to apply gentle pressure to your baby's ribs, as this creates better contact with the abdominal muscles.

And we also want to mention one last thing.

If your baby seems bothered by lying on their stomach - or perhaps doesn't want to lie on their stomach at all - it might be a good idea to have your baby checked for tension. We recommend finding a competent baby therapist in your area.