Baby belly time
Tummy Time (for Parents) - Nemours KidsHealth
Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD
en español Posición boca abajo
What Is Tummy Time?
Tummy time is laying babies on their stomachs for brief periods while they're awake. It's an important way to help babies strengthen their neck and shoulder muscles, and improve motor skills.
Be sure to stay with your baby and watch closely during tummy time.
What Can Tummy Time Help With?
Tummy time is good for:
- Newborns and infants 1–3 months old who are just developing neck control. Tummy time helps develop the muscles they'll need to roll over, sit up, crawl, and walk. Always stay with your baby during tummy time.
- Older babies, 4–7 months old. They should still spend some supervised time on their bellies, even if they can roll over and sit with some help. Tummy time helps them practice lifting their head and chest further by straightening their arms. This strengthens arm, chest, and back muscles.
- Newborns who have a neck condition called torticollis (tor-ti-KOLL-iss). Tight neck muscles keep the baby from turning their head. Tummy time encourages babies to look around, and along with exercises your doctor will show you, can help your baby's neck muscles relax.
- Babies with flat head syndrome (positional plagiocephaly). This happens when babies spend too much time on their backs in the first few months of life. This can cause a flat spot, either on one side or the back of the head.
How Do I Do Tummy Time?
Newborns
Start newborns on tummy time by placing them belly-down on your chest or across your lap for a few minutes at a time, two or three times a day. While lying on their belly, they can practice lifting their head and strengthening the neck and shoulder muscles. As your baby gets used to it, you can go for a little longer.
Older Babies
Place a blanket down in a clear area on the floor. Place your baby on their stomach on the blanket for 3–5 minutes to start, several times each day.
Your baby may get fussy and frustrated in this position. Keep the first sessions of tummy time brief and gradually lengthen them. It's also a good idea to do tummy time when your baby is fed, changed, and happy.
As your baby gets used to it, place your little one belly-down more often or for longer periods of time. Experts recommend that babies work up to about 1 hour of tummy time a day by the time they're 3 months old.
Make some noises or shake a rattle to get your child to look up and push up. Place a favorite toy in front of your baby to encourage reaching and forward movement.
Babies With Torticollis or a Flat Spot
This exercise is good for babies with torticollis and/or a flat spot, and can help treat both problems:
- Lay your baby on your lap for tummy time. Position your baby with their head turned away from you. Then, talk or sing to your baby. Encourage your little one to turn and face you. Do this exercise for 10–15 minutes.
What Else Should I Know?
- Always stay with your baby during tummy time.
- Always place babies on their backs (never on their bellies) to sleep to help prevent SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).
- Do tummy time on a low, safe surface. Don't put your baby on a sofa or bed, where they could roll off or suffocate on pillows or a soft surface.
If your baby doesn't seem to enjoy tummy time, add some variety. Sing songs, keep colorful toys nearby, get down on the floor and eye-to-eye with your baby, and have others join you. Don't give up! Tummy time is important, and some babies just need a little extra time to get used to it.
Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD
Date reviewed: October 2019
When To Start and 4 Benefits – Cleveland Clinic
Babies spend a lot of time on their backs looking up at the ceiling — in their crib, in their car seat and in your arms. Flipping them over onto their stomachs not only gives them a different perspective, but also plays an important role in their development.
Pediatrician Matthew Badgett, MD, explains the main benefits of “tummy time” and how to do it safely.
What is tummy time?
Think of tummy time as your baby’s first exercise. “Tummy time is as simple as putting a baby or infant on their tummy for short periods of time every day to help train them,” Dr. Badgett says.
Tummy time seems (and is) simple, but it has big benefits for your baby. There are four important reasons to prioritize it.
1. Helps motor skill development
When they spend time on their bellies, little ones use and develop the muscles that allow them to lift their heads up, roll and, eventually, crawl.
“Having them on the floor helps develop core muscle strength as well as their back, neck and arms,” Dr. Badgett says. “Tummy time leads to milestones like crawling and rolling a little bit earlier.”
Studies have shown that infants who don’t spend time in this position are more likely to experience a delay in motor development.
2. Reduces chances of skull deformity
Babies should sleep on their backs, which can help reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). But babies who spend too much time on their backs can develop flat head syndrome, or positional plagiocephaly — which tummy time can help prevent.
Plagiocephaly is fairly common and usually not dangerous or permanent. Some types of plagiocephaly, though, can be caused by a serious condition called craniosynostosis, so if you notice a flat area on your baby’s head, have your pediatrician take a look.
3. Promotes sensory development
Being on their bellies allows babies to experience different body positions and movements, and they start learning how their arms and legs move. It also shows them a completely different view of the world — literally.
“In the beginning, babies spend almost all their time on their backs, so this forces them to flip their world upside down for a bit,” Dr. Badgett notes.
4.
Opportunities to bondIn the beginning, there aren’t a lot of opportunities to have fun with your newborn. And even though tummy time isn’t initially all that interactive, your baby will become more engaged as their skills develop,
“Importantly, tummy time is an early chance for interaction and play with your baby, which is a really crucial bonding activity,” Dr. Badgett explains.
When should babies start tummy time?
The American Academy of Pediatrics says you can start right away — as soon as your baby is home from the hospital.
Advertising Policy
But bear in mind that babies of any age should never be left alone face down, even if they’re propped up. Tummy time needs to be supervised.
“You can’t just put your baby on their tummy and set a timer and a walk away,” Dr. Badgett cautions. “You need to keep an eye on them because 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.
”
How to do tummy time
Tummy time is simple, but you may have lots of questions. What is the best way to do tummy time? How long should tummy time be? What should you do if your baby can’t stand tummy time?!
But, really: Keep it simple.
Begin with short sessions where you lay your baby on their belly on a firm surface (avoid beds or other furniture they could fall off of) for just a few minutes at a time, a few times each day. And you don’t need an expensive blanket or fancy pad; carpet or even a clean hardwood floor is fine.
Tummy time at 0-2 months
“Newborns can’t lift their heads very much, if at all, so when you put them on their stomach, you want to make sure their face isn’t in the ground,” Dr. Badgett advises. “You can roll up a small towel to prop up their chest.”
You can even lie on your back and put your newborn on your own stomach, tummy to tummy. “It’s a chance for physical bonding, and it still counts as tummy time,” Dr.
Badgett says.
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. To start, your baby won’t be able to do much, and they may hate tummy time. It’s OK if you can only make it a couple of minutes before they start fussing. (More on this in a moment!)
Tummy time at 2-4 months
As your baby begins getting stronger, they’ll become more aware of what’s around them. They’ll start tolerating longer stretches of tummy time, and they may even come to enjoy it.
“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 tummies.
Tummy time at 4-6 months
Now tummy time is getting fun! At this point, your baby will have better core strength, and they might start rolling over, 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 toys for them to grab and other interactive elements.
Advertising Policy
Tummy time after 6 months
Work up to a full hour of tummy time each day until your baby starts crawling. In fact, they may even start to crawl during tummy time itself.
“Eventually, they’ll use it as a kind of practice, trying to push themselves up to see what happens,” Dr. Badgett adds. “As babies develop, tummy time slowly transitions into crawling, walking and playtime.”
What to do if your baby hates tummy time
If your newborn resists being on their belly, Dr. Badgett suggests choosing a time 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.
But sometimes, babies still just can’t stand it. After all, the tiniest of people 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,” Dr. Badgett says. “But if your baby despises tummy time, you don’t want to torture them.”
Do what you can, and cut yourself a parenting break if you’re not hitting tummy time guidelines. Every baby is different, and Dr. Badgett says yours will be fine regardless of whether they get exactly the recommended amount of tummy time.
“Maybe your baby doesn’t crawl until 10 months instead of eight,” he says, “but that’s OK. Don’t grade yourself on these report cards and check boxes, because although they’re helpful, sometimes they can shame parents a little bit too much.”
A final reminder: No stomach sleeping
Remember: 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!
“Definitely get them off their stomach,” Dr. Badgett says, “but then, if the baby’s sleeping, just take that as a victory.”
To learn more from Dr. Badgett about the importance of tummy time, listen to our Health Essentials podcast episode, “Tummy Time: What You Need To Know.” New episodes of our Health Essentials podcast publish every Wednesday.
A CHILD HAS A STOMACH
How often do we hear from our children, “Oh, my stomach hurts!”. Children complain in the morning when they are going to kindergarten or school, and in the evening when they go to bed, and during meals with the words “I don’t want to anymore.” At the same time, parents react differently: who runs to call an ambulance, and someone brushes it off, “you always come up with something.
” How not to be mistaken, what to do if the child complained about the tummy.
Children rarely lie just like that. Sometimes a child may say that his stomach hurts in order to attract his mother, without even experiencing discomfort in his stomach, but this is still an alarming bell, because he did not complain about his leg, head or something else, which means he periodically experiences pain or stomach discomfort!
Children of preschool and primary school age will complain of pain not only when they experience real pain, but also with flatulence (increased gas formation) and nausea and rumbling in the stomach and discomfort in the stomach. When a child says “I can’t do it any more, my stomach hurts” while eating, do not rush to scold him. He cannot say “I have a feeling of early satiety”, but most likely he has this particular pathological symptom, which occurs with gastritis, functional dyspepsia and other diseases.
If your child complains of abdominal pain in the morning, it may not be due to a desire to stay at home, but he or she has so-called “fasting pains”, one of the signs of gastroduodenitis, peptic ulcer.
Or maybe he just doesn't want to have breakfast, and not because he's stubborn, but because his enzymes haven't "woken up" yet. Feeding such children a "full" breakfast is not possible, and it is not necessary. Let the child eat a portion of yogurt with tea, and in kindergarten or at school (i.e. 2 hours after waking up) he will have a second breakfast.
The child may complain about the stomach when he wants to go to the toilet. More often this happens with constipation, when the process of emptying the intestines is painful. It may be that at present defecation in such children is already painless, but earlier, the stool was accompanied by severe pain and the child REMEMBERED this! Now the little (but not necessarily the little) little man has a fear - "it will hurt now."
What is abdominal pain and when does it appear. The sensation of pain is the body's response to irritation of pain receptors located in the walls of internal organs (stomach, intestines) or a capsule covering an organ, such as the liver.
When stretching the wall, capsule, inflammation, we experience pain. With spasm of the muscular organs, with pain in the abdomen, it is primarily the intestines, the receptors are also irritated and we feel pain. Abdominal pain may be due to irritation of the peritoneum - a sheet of tissue covering the internal organs of the abdomen. This is more often observed in acute surgical pathology, such as appendicitis.
The pain can be acute, when a person feels a "prick", such pain is often compared with a "dagger pain" or dull - aching pain, of medium intensity.
Pain can be chronic, when a person complains day after day, but not necessarily all the time. The pain can let go and return again, while the degree of intensity can be different from acute cramping to dull, barely distinguishable.
By localization, the pain can be diffuse - when the pain is the whole abdomen and localized, when you can specify the painful point.
Pain may be associated not with a disease of the internal organ, but with damage to the nervous system, both central and peripheral.
With a tumor in the brain, pain can be in different places, incl. and in the abdomen, with pain often accompanied by vomiting. With autonomic dysfunction, abdominal pain may be accompanied by pallor of the skin, nausea, vomiting, and cold sweat.
What to do if your child complains of abdominal pain. Firstly, do not panic, talk to the child about how it hurts, where, while not forgetting that young children cannot localize the pain and will often point to the navel, even if they have pain under the ribs. Do not demonstratively neglect the complaint, even if you think that this is an invention of the baby. Talk to him, promise to give a pill, go to the doctor, do an examination. Never frighten a child with a visit to a doctor or any examination, in the future the child may be afraid of medical institutions and will hide complaints from you, which will lead to late diagnosis of the disease.
If the child complains of abdominal pain, ask when the child last pooped, maybe he is constipated.
Parents should daily monitor the defecation of the child, not only the preschooler, but also the younger schoolchild, and at an older age, you should regularly ask your child if he had stool today, what consistency, if there were any impurities (blood, mucus, not digested food). Often parents do not pay attention to such an IMPORTANT physiological process as defecation, but given the frequency, consistency of stool, the presence of impurities, the doctor will be able to prescribe NECESSARY examinations (and not all that are in the arsenal of modern medicine), which will allow you to quickly diagnose and prescribe treatment.
Of the drugs on your own without a doctor's prescription, with the first pain syndrome, you can only enveloping agents and sorbents. If you give your child painkillers, an antibacterial drug or an antispasmodic (no-shpu), then you can blur the picture, and the doctor will not be able to make a diagnosis, which is very dangerous, for example, with appendicitis.
It is better to call a doctor, let him look at the child, if necessary, prescribe tests and examinations.
In conclusion, I will emphasize once again. The child's complaints of pain are always an alarming symptom. Consult a doctor, undergo an examination and you will not have to think that this is “inflammation of the abdomen or tricks”. Be healthy!
Cape Town's Sneaker Culture is Unlike Anywhere Else in the World
Why does the child have a stomach ache? Causes, symptoms, first aid :: Clinician
14 11.2017
-
Abdominal pain in infants
-
Abdominal pain in preschool children
-
Abdominal pain in schoolchildren
-
First aid for abdominal pain
Abdominal pain in young children is often the first symptom of any onset of the disease, as in the area of the solar plexus concentrated pain associated with virtually all organs.
In most cases, the child's stomach hurts due to indigestion, from overeating. But, despite the seeming frivolity of such complaints, they can be very dangerous and require emergency medical intervention.
Abdominal pain in infants
Newborn babies often suffer from colic caused by poor maternal nutrition or changes in the weather. The true cause of these infantile pains lies in the unstable work of the infant's digestive system and adaptation to new conditions of existence. By two months, the situation in most families has stabilized, the child no longer cries from colic as often as before.
Congenital disorders of the digestive system, such as gallbladder dyskinesia, can cause pain in newborns and preschool children. In this case, the child not only experiences pain, he develops diarrhea. Treatment is prescribed by a pediatrician after examining the baby.
A symptom of intussusception, which occurs predominantly in infants between four and nine months of age, is acute pain in the child's abdomen, which is expressed in the child's sudden restlessness, crying and unwillingness to eat.
After a while, the attack also stops abruptly, but then resumes again, and then the baby's condition becomes very difficult. There is vomiting, blood instead of feces during bowel movements, vomit with a fecal odor. Hospitalization is mandatory - call an ambulance at the first sign!
Intestinal volvulus and gastric volvulus are also found mainly in newborns. Acute pains in the abdomen, vomiting are characteristic, the motor function of the intestine is practically absent, as is the stool. The child rushes about, the tummy swells asymmetrically. The treatment is surgical, be sure to call an ambulance.
Constipation in an infant causes abdominal pain and absence of going to the pot for more than three days, this condition often occurs after a high temperature. The child's anxiety can be eliminated by giving him an enema, after which the intestines are released in the form of copious stools and the baby calms down.
Abdominal pain in preschool children
The most common cause of abdominal pain in preschool children is gastritis, which occurs when the stomach is full or when the child eats coarse food.
The disease can be provoked by prolonged stress or a viral infection. Gastritis is manifested by pain in the stomach, that is, in the upper abdomen, which accompany the following symptoms:
- bloating;
- loss of appetite;
- nausea.
Treatment consists of diet, enzyme preparations and herbal medicine. Of the plants that most favorably affect the gastric mucosa, plantain can be called fresh or dried. In pharmacies, there is a freeze-dried extract from plantain called Plantaglucid.
Intestinal infections cause the most irritating effects:
- cramping abdominal pain;
- diarrhea;
- nausea;
- vomiting;
- temperature increase;
- weakness.
Pain is most often localized in the upper abdomen, but in older children pain in the intestines can be observed. This group of infections is treated only with antibacterial drugs prescribed by a doctor.
Appendicitis is such a serious cause of acute abdominal pain that children with suspected appendicitis are immediately admitted to the surgical department of the hospital.
There are acute and catarrhal appendicitis, both are characterized by the occurrence of dull, aching pain in the right lower lobe of the abdomen. A child at the very beginning of the development of the disease may feel slight nausea, weakness and a slight rise in temperature. After some time, the pain becomes acute, unbearable, the baby cannot move, the abdominal muscles are tense. All these symptoms serve as an indication for an emergency, urgent operation that does not pose a threat to the health of the child.
Worms are also the cause of abdominal pain in a child of any age, as they cause intestinal obstruction and inflammation of the appendix. The pain is paroxysmal, there may be diarrhea and vomiting, as well as a deterioration in the general well-being of the baby. Treatment consists of eliminating intestinal obstruction and taking medications that destroy parasites.
Inflammation of the lungs causes acute pain in the abdomen when breathing, and the more often the baby breathes, the more painful it is.
Pneumonia can be disguised as acute appendicitis, therefore, if such a pathology is suspected, an x-ray examination is mandatory. Treatment of pneumonia is always long, in a hospital, the recovery period is quite long.
Acute bronchitis, tracheitis and especially whooping cough, which causes a debilitating cough, the day after the attack can give pain in the abdomen with laughter, coughing and any physical exertion. This is not dangerous, because the pains are muscular and do not require treatment.
Abdominal pain in schoolchildren
Almost all children after a long run experience abdominal pain, as well as muscle pain in the abdominal press the next day after intensive training. This is absolutely normal and does not require medical attention.
Girls with the onset of the menstrual cycle may experience severe nagging pain in the lower abdomen in the first days of menstruation, most often after sitting at a desk for a long time at school.
This symptom indicates the physiological features of the structure and location of the uterus, such as bending. A distinctive feature of such pains is their sudden cessation after a few minutes of walking. Treatment is not required, but with painful periods, a consultation with a gynecologist is required.
Children of primary school age and adolescents who are prone to hysteria and have increased emotionality often disturb parents and doctors with bouts of sharp or muted abdominal pain. Especially often they occur before the start of events that are unpleasant for the child - a test at school or classes with a tutor. But this is not fiction, children actually experience pain, nausea, they may vomit or have diarrhea. Psychosomatic diseases are a child's response to too high loads, most often children with a fine nervous organization, prone to self-hypnosis, suffer from this. Treatment in this case is only symptomatic, consultation of a psychologist or psychiatrist is required.
Hepatitis is a serious disease in which the liver becomes inflamed and enlarged, stretching the capsule in which it is located, thereby causing dull, aching pain in the right hypochondrium. In addition, symptoms of hepatitis can be:
- rash;
- temperature increase;
- nausea;
- vomiting.
Treatment is always inpatient, since hepatitis is transmitted mainly by contact, with the exception of some blood-borne forms.
Girdle pain, radiating to the back and of a prolonged nature, with loss of appetite, vomiting and nausea, signs of intoxication are characteristic of acute pancreatitis. This is inflammation of the pancreas, which is most often caused by a complication after an infectious or viral disease. With pancreatitis, children lie on their left side, trying not to move, as this aggravates the pain. The pediatrician prescribes treatment depending on the stage of the disease, and surgical intervention is also possible.
Pain throughout the abdomen, radiating to the back or groin, may occur in children with any urological syndrome. So, in acute pyelonephritis, the pain is not strong, dull, there is a feeling of discomfort, the child tries to take a more comfortable position. Acute pyelonephritis is always accompanied by high fever.
Renal colic due to prolapse of the kidney or nephrolithiasis gives the most severe and unbearable pain, comparable only to the pain of appendicitis. The child's abdomen is very tense, there may be signs of bloating, nausea and vomiting appear, and there may be chills. With renal colic, children must be taken to the urology department.
Injuries to the abdomen can be very dangerous for a child, as they can lead to rupture of internal organs. Complaints of a child about abdominal pain after a fall from a height or a fight, not to mention car accidents, should definitely alert parents. A visit to the hospital with such complaints is necessary in any case, especially if the child feels worse and worse.
Internal bleeding is extremely dangerous for children.
First aid for abdominal pain
When a child develops abdominal pain, especially if it is acute and aggravated by other warning symptoms, the first thing to do is to call an ambulance. The child should be put to bed, do not give any pain medication until the doctor arrives, as this can smooth out or distort the picture of the disease. Self-treatment of acute pain with antibiotics is unacceptable, since the cause of the disease may be completely different.
The importance of going to the doctor in the first hours of the onset of pain is that if the situation requires emergency surgical intervention, for example, in case of a strangulated hernia or acute appendicitis, then delay will lead to tragic consequences for the health, and possibly the life of the child. Newborn and adolescence children are especially dangerous in this respect. The clinical picture of the disease in infants often suffers from the absence of reliable symptoms or their smoothness, and adolescents tend to hush up the manifestations of pain, fearing medical intervention and the collapse of their plans.
