The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has a very classic phrase for the healthy development of newborn babies called "Back to Sleep, Tummy to Play". What does it mean? Back to sleep means that the baby should sleep as far as possible after birth, which is safer; tummy to play means that when the baby is awake, the parents should let them lie down from time to time, and have a fixed time to lie and play every day to promote Baby's muscle development.
What is tummy time? What are the benefits for the baby? How old can a baby do tummy time? How long should I do every day? What precautions?
1. What is tummy time?
Tummy time is literally translated as "belly time", which is simply a kind of exercise that allows your baby's belly to crawl on the bed or carpet when she is awake, and then encourages the baby to raise his head and lift his upper body.
In the United States, almost all pediatricians will recommend parents to take a tummy time every day after taking their newborn babies home. They will also regularly ask the baby how to do tummy time.
2. What are the benefits of tummy time for babies?
The benefits of tummy time for the baby are mainly two points. One is to prevent the baby from having flat head problems, and the other is to be able to exercise the muscles of multiple parts of the baby's body and promote the development of the baby's athletic ability.
First of all, tummy time can prevent babies from having flat heads. Parents all know that in order to reduce the risk of SIDS, newborns are usually recommended to sleep on their backs, but long-term sleep on their backs may cause the baby’s head to become flat, so the baby cannot lie down 24 hours a day, awake When you lie down, you can make your baby's head look more beautiful.
Secondly, lying down for a long time will also affect the baby's early exercise ability development, And when the baby does tummy time, the neck, shoulder, back and limb muscles can get a good exercise effect, insisting to lie down for a while every day can also strengthen the baby’s muscle strength and control of the body, so that the baby can grasp it as soon as possible Lifting, sitting upright, rolling, crawling and other sports skills.
In addition, tummy time also has many benefits to relieve the discomfort of the baby's stomach bloating, support and control the head, obtain a different visual experience, and so on.
3. How old can the baby do tummy time? How long is it better to do each time?
According to the recommendations of the American AAP, the earlier the tummy time begins, the better. The first day after the healthy newborn baby born at the full term returns home from the hospital, you can actually practice tummy time!
新生宝宝刚开始做tummy time时间也不用很长，每天2到3次，每次3到5分钟就够了。之后等宝宝慢慢适应习惯了可以再逐渐加长时间。每天让宝宝趴一趴，一直到宝宝6、7个月大学会翻身、爬行的时候为止。
4. How should parents guide their baby to do tummy time?
First of all, parents should create a comfortable tummy time environment for the baby.Parents can lay blankets on the ground, or put babies on toy blankets, and do tummy time on the bed. They can also let babies lie directly on their chests and feel their temperature and breath.
The newborn baby may not have enough strength to support the body by the strength of the abdomen and arms. Parents can use pillows or blankets to support the baby’s armpits and arms, or let the baby lie on his chest or stomach. on. Generally, when the baby is about 3 or 4 months old, they can usually support their heads by themselves and do tummy time on their own!
Secondly, when the baby is doing tummy time, parents should interact more with the baby to encourage the baby to look up.Some babies may not move on their stomachs, especially when they are lying on their parents’ chests. They are too comfortable and do not want to move, but Tummy time can’t achieve the best exercise effect if they are lying on their stomachs.
Parents can talk to the baby, make faces, play games, lie on the floor with the baby, let the baby imitate their own actions, or use toys to stimulate the baby's interest. For example, parents can put a mirror in front of the baby, shake the rattle to attract the baby's attention, put the baby's favorite toys in front of him, let the baby try to catch and so on.
5. What should I do if my baby refuses to do tummy time?
For babies, tummy time is certainly not as comfortable as lying down, so parents may also appear that the baby refuses to do tummy time or starts crying when lying down. At this time, parents should not worry, take your time and give your baby time and space to adjust. Parents can refer to the following tips to help your baby accept tummy time:
- Find out if there is a reason why your baby feels uncomfortable doing tummy time.For example, the blanket is too thick or too rough, the floor is too cold or too slippery, the clothes are too much or too little, etc. In short, make sure that the baby does tummy time in a comfortable environment.
- Choose the right time, pay attention to observe when the baby will do tummy time will be more happy, and the degree of cooperation is relatively high.In general, after bathing, changing diapers, and after breastfeeding is a good time for tummy time. The baby will be more happy after washing the fragrance and eating, but pay attention not to do tummy time for a short time after breastfeeding, otherwise it will be easy to spit milk, it is best to wait until 1 hour after eating. When changing diapers, the baby is lying down. After tummy time is changed, the baby can change the field of vision. They will find it very novel and fun, and naturally they are more willing to play on their stomachs.
- If the baby is crying during tummy time, parents first check to see if the baby is hungry, the diaper is wet, the clothes are too much or too little, etc.After excluding these factors, parents can first try to coax the baby, chat with the baby or tease the baby with toys, if the baby continues to cry, do not force the baby to continue lying down, calm the baby and let them rest, then Try again at another time.
Finally, I would like to remind my parents about the safety precautions for letting the baby do the tummy time: first, don’t let the baby lie down in a soft and depressed place to do the tummy time; second, clean up the things around the baby, especially any danger that may be caught by the baby Articles; Finally, when the baby is lying down, an adult must be on the side of the care, especially when the baby is doing tummy time on the bed, be sure to prevent the baby from rolling down on the bed.
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