" Far from all babies experience tummy time as a cozy time. It can be so frustrating for you - who is told over and over again that it is important for your little one to lie on their tummy. Fortunately, there is a lot that you and your partner can do to ensure that the time that baby wants to lie on their tummy is spent in the best possible way. "

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

You've barely let go of your baby and already you can see that the lips have started to tremble. You know it right away. Soon the discontented sounds begin. Then the slightly more insistent sound, and then the crying. As if your baby is commanding you to understand that 30 seconds on the tummy is more than enough for today.

Parents are great at beating ourselves up if there is something we feel we could do better. Or if we are not trying hard enough. You need to stop doing that, because you and your partner are doing your best. Putting your baby on your stomach is one of the areas that we know frustrates a lot of parents. We meet you in our clinics where you are deeply frustrated because you are told over and over again that it is very important that your baby is put on their stomach. But what on earth do you do when baby is not playing?

In this article, we will highlight how to get the best possible quality into tummy time, so that you make the most of the time your baby is with you. And we also have some advice for parents who have had a baby who doesn't want to lie on their tummy at all. Because yes - tummy time is important. From a physiological perspective, it is one of those things where it pays to be persistent, as the time spent on the tummy has a significant impact on a baby's physical strength.

Tummy time - when should it be introduced and how?

Around the time your baby turns one month old - and the first relationship between you has been established - you can quietly start practicing tummy time.

When your baby is going to be put on his or her tummy, you need to make sure he or she is full and comfortable. It is also important to start in short intervals, because at first it can be very hard work for your baby.
You may want to start by letting your baby lie on your stomach or chest - or on a firm, sloping surface. The sloping position makes it easier for your baby, as there is a bit less gravity, and the head is therefore a bit easier to hold.

This is how you get high quality into tummy time.

When your baby is around two months old, tummy time starts to get 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 the tummy - just as it is beneficial to warm up a tense neck before exercising. Exactly as you would do if you were going to exercise 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 then how you can, quite simply, make small corrections to your baby so that tummy time is good.

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

1. Keep both elbows on the mat. The weight should be evenly distributed on both arms. If your baby is over three months old, the elbows can be brought forward to approximately where your baby's eyes are. It may be necessary to support the elbows to keep them there. The shoulders should preferably be down towards the mat and away from the ears.
2. Baby should look straight up and forward. Your baby's head should be in line with his upper body, i.e. the chest should be lifted and the chin should be slightly tucked into the chest. You may want to find some interesting toys to encourage your baby to look forward.
3. Place one hand on your baby's bottom and push it down. If your baby's bottom tends to stick out or their knees want to come up, you can gently hold one hand or elbow on their bottom. Sticking out their bottom or moving their knees is not a sign that your baby wants to crawl. Instead, it indicates that they haven't developed enough strength and stability in this position yet.
4. Quality over quantity. Have many short intervals of tummy time throughout the day. When you can put your baby in the correct position, your baby will naturally get stronger day by day.
5. Lay yourself on the floor with your baby, or lift your baby up to your height. We often find that this gives babies longer, good tummy time.
6. And if you think it's incredible that baby won't lie on their stomach for a long time, try laying yourself in the correct position on the floor for the same amount of time as your baby. That'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 be put on their tummy.

When your baby is between two and three months old and lying on his back, he or she should naturally start to lift his legs up. The knees should be bent at a 90-degree angle, and the knees should be placed above the hip. If you find that your baby is not doing this on his own, place a hand under your baby's bottom. The hand makes it a little easier to get the legs up and lovingly helps along the way. You can also put a blanket or something else on top. It can also be valuable to give light pressure to your baby's ribs, as this creates better contact with the abdominal muscles.

And then we would also like to mention one last thing.

If your baby seems uncomfortable in the tummy position - or perhaps doesn't want to lie on the tummy at all - it might be a good idea to have your baby checked for tension. We recommend that you find a competent baby therapist in your area.