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(Unit 8) Topic 1: The Whole Child 

4 Clock Hours of Early Childhood Education

Babies Who Hate Tummy Time

​Topic 1 Page 18

As an early childhood educator, it is inevitable that you will come in contact with an infant that does not love tummy time.

​Here are a few suggestions for making it more enjoyable for both you and baby:   ​ 

​Do it with them 
​During tummy time, position yourself at eye level to interact with the child. Encourage them by talking, singing, and making funny faces. Tummy time is a wonderful time to bond and socialize with the child.  

​Comfort them
​Infants will want to know that you are close by during this unfamiliar time. You can rub or pat the child’s back to soothe them.  

​Make it fun!
​When in doubt, distract! Provide the infant with plenty of sensory activities to keep them occupied. Sensory boards, bottles, toys, and of course mirrors can be used to make the experience engaging for little ones. Remember that a baby’s eyesight is not fully developed, so they may have trouble seeing objects. Help them out by using items that are primary colors or high in contrast (black and white). 

​Go slow
If a child is having a particularly hard time, start out with even less time on their front than recommended. Even if they just do 30 seconds at a time, it is beneficial to their development.   

​Don’t force it
If you place a child on their stomach for tummy time and they begin to become upset, remove the child from the position. Tummy Time should not be a “tough it out” type of experience.  

​Make it comfortable
Place a rolled up blanket or boppy under the child’s armpits to prop them up. Doing so makes it so the infant doesn’t have to work as hard to look up. This can be helpful for infants who are just beginning a tummy time routine.  

​Mix it up
Just like adults, children crave variety. Try alternating tummy time positions (on a balance ball, “football hold”, on the ground, ect.) and activities to help prevent boredom.  

(Unit 8) Topic 1: The Whole Child ​ * Navigation Menu