How To Do ‘Tummy Time’ at Every Age

Your newborn is home from the hospital (congratulations, by the way!) and you’ve heard that you’re supposed to get them started on tummy time.

“It’s important to give your baby a variety of play positions while they’re awake,” says pediatric physical therapist Kathleen Finnan, PT. “Tummy time activities help them learn to move and develop important skills, while also preventing head flattening and muscle tightness.”

When to start tummy time

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends starting tummy time as soon as your baby is home from the hospital.

That may seem surprising, especially because your tiny, sleepy, squiggling newborn can’t even hold up their head on their own. But tummy time is the best way to start to help them learn.

“You need to be very careful and observational,” clarifies pediatrician Matthew Badgett, MD, “but challenging them early on is actually something that is beneficial to their development.”

Talk to your pediatrician about the specifics of starting tummy time if your baby:

• Was born preterm
• Has reflux
• Has physical disabilities

How to do tummy time effectively

Tummy time is simple, but you may have lots of questions: What’s the best way to do it? How long should it be? And, oh, no … what should you do if your baby can’t stand it?!

Let’s start with this big piece of advice: Keep it simple.

The specifics of tummy time vary as your child gets older, which we’ll cover in a moment. But the basics look like this:

1. Ready a clean, firm surface

You don’t need an expensive blanket or fancy pad. Carpet or even a clean hardwood floor is fine. Just avoid beds or other furniture that your baby could fall off (yes, even if they can’t yet roll).

2. Put baby on their tummy

Gently place your baby on their tummy — but because newborns can’t lift their heads very much, if at all, it’s important to make sure they don’t end up face-down on the surface. You may need to place a rolled-up hand towel or receiving blanket just beneath their chest to help prop them up.

“This makes it easier for your baby to use the muscles they need to lift their head off the surface and eventually prop themselves up on their forearms in play,” Finnan explains.

3. Give baby something to look at

“To encourage head-lifting and pushing on elbows, you can prop a child safety mirror, a colorful or musical toy or colorful pictures on the floor,” Finnan suggests. This helps promote learning and play, and it motivates them to learn to use their muscles in order to see.

Know what else is exciting for your baby to look at? You! If you’re able, you can get on the floor on your belly — at their level, so they can see your face.

Just bear in mind that your baby’s vision is still developing. Babies younger than 4 months old see best when toys and faces are 12 to 18 inches away from their face.

4. Always supervise tummy time!

Tummy time should always be closely monitored, no matter your baby’s age. Never leave them alone face down, even if they’re propped up.

“You can’t just put your baby on their tummy and set a timer and walk away,” Dr. Badgett stresses. “You need to keep a close eye on. If they slip, or their face is down and they lack the ability to lift their head up, they might not be able to breathe.”

With practice, they’ll quickly develop the muscles to clear their airways.

5. That’s it … for now

When your baby is getting upset or frustrated, relieve them by picking them up or gently turning them to their back or side. You’ll want to repeat tummy time throughout the day to be sure they get enough of it.

But how much tummy time does your baby need? And what should they do while they’re down there? That all depends on their age.

Tummy time for newborns (0-2 months)

Tummy time is exhausting for newborns, whose muscles aren’t yet developed. Even the seemingly simple act of picking their head up off the ground wears them out.

“Early on, your baby isn’t going to be able to do a lot,” Dr. Badgett acknowledges. “So, tummy time is just going to be about them lifting their head up the ground so they can look around.”

But they can’t do it for very long. Begin with short sessions of just a few minutes at a time. During the newborn stage, your goal should be to do tummy time two or three times a day for three to five minutes apiece, working up to 20 or more minutes a day. With practice, they’ll start doing “cobra pose” and working on pushing themselves up.

And yes, they may hate tummy time at first. (More on this in a bit!) So, it’s OK if you can only make it a couple of minutes before they start fussing.

“If you start tummy time early on, this should soon become a comfortable position for them,” Finnan encourages.

Variations on tummy time for newborns

Another option is to lie on your back and put your newborn on your stomach, tummy to tummy, or to recline on a chair or sofa and put them flat on your chest at an angle.

“Tummy time flat on a flat surface is most effective,” Finnan says, “but the more upright they are, the easier it is for babies to lift their heads. So, if they can’t tolerate being flat, it can help to use your chest and slowly move toward flat.”

Plus, this version of tummy time brings benefits of its own: “It’s an important chance for physical bonding where you can interact with them,” Dr. Badgett adds.

Ages 2-4 months

By 2 months old, your baby should be getting at least 15 to 30 minutes of total tummy time per day. By 3 months, they should be up to 30 total minutes.

As your baby gets stronger, they’ll become more aware of what’s around them. They’ll be able to tolerate longer stretches of tummy time.

“As they get older, they’re going to develop better head control, and they can keep their head up longer,” Dr. Badgett says. “They might not need that towel to prop them up anymore.”

This is also when babies’ vision starts improving, so you may notice them beginning to fixate on you and interacting a little bit more while they’re on their belly.

Ages 4-6 months

Now, tummy time is getting fun! At this point, your baby will have better core strength, and they should start rolling from stomach to back and back to stomach.

“That’s when they can start playing more,” Dr. Badgett says. “They’ll start to get the ability to push up more with their arms and be a lot more independent.”

At this point, you can start introducing more interesting toys for them to grab and other interactive elements.

Tummy time after 6 months

Work up to 60 to 90 minutes of tummy time each day until your baby starts crawling.

“Eventually, they’ll use it as a kind of practice, trying to push themselves up to see what happens,” Dr. Badgett shares. “As babies develop, tummy time slowly transitions into crawling, walking and playtime.”

Crawling happens as early as 6 to 9 months. But remember: All babies develop differently. Talk to your pediatrician if you have concerns about your child’s developmental milestones.

Don’t forget side-lying play

Side-lying play is exactly what it sounds like: when your baby lays on their right or left side to play with toys and interact with you. You can think of it as a cousin to tummy time, as it’s another important play position to help with babies’ early development.

“The great thing about side-lying play in the first three to four months is the ability for the baby to move their arms and their legs in smooth movement patterns without having to work against gravity,” Finnan explains. “It also changes pressure points on the head to promote round head shaping.”

Side-lying play also encourages babies to:

• Learn to bring their hands to their mouth
• Keep their head in a neutral position
• Use their arms to swipe at toys

To do it, make sure that your infant’s head and body are lined up, using a rolled blanket against their back to provide support if it’s needed to keep them in the position.

Make sure you provide equal time for your baby to do side-lying play on the right and left sides of their body. And remember to place toys in their line of sight.

What to do if your baby hates tummy time

If your newborn resists being on their belly, Dr. Badgett suggests choosing times of day when you know they’re not too fussy — like after a diaper change or when they wake up from a nap.

“You have to figure out your baby’s personality and when in the cycle of their day they’re going to be most open to it,” he says.

Still, sometimes babies just can’t stand it. After all, even the tiniest of people can have big opinions!

“To some degree, you want them to tough it out and challenge them to push through because it’s going to help them learn some skills earlier,” he continues.

Finnan adds, “If you start right away, this shouldn’t be a problem for long.”

Ask your pediatrician about any concerns you have for your baby’s development. If appropriate, they may refer you to pediatric physical therapy, where a trained provider will help your child reach milestones like turning their head to both sides and rolling from back to tummy.

And be sure to cut yourself a parenting break, says Dr. Badgett. Every baby is different, and as long as you’re doing what you can to get them where they need to be, it’s likely that your child will be just fine — even if you don’t get the exact recommended amount of tummy time every day.

“Maybe your baby won’t crawl until 10 months instead of eight,” he says, “but that’s OK. Really. Don’t grade yourself too tough on these report cards and checkboxes because although they’re helpful, sometimes, they can shame parents a little bit too much.”

A final reminder: No stomach sleeping

Remember this important phrase: “Back to sleep, tummy to play.” Although tummy time is great for development and exploration, babies should always sleep on their backs to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

If your baby falls asleep during tummy time, gently roll them onto their back — and feel free to let them sleep right there on the floor, so long as you keep an eye on them. After all, a sleeping baby is a blessing. So, consider it a win!