As a result of the latest research into SIDS, it is recommended that babies are placed on their backs when sleeping. The consequence of this is that babies are not spending as much time on their tummies, which can lead to slower development of gross motor skills.

A baby develops head control from learning to lift and turn his head. When a baby learns to push up on his elbows, he begins to develop the muscles of the shoulders and arms. The higher the baby lifts his head and pushes up with his arms, the more the back muscles are strengthened which develops spinal extension. In addition, body weight is shifted toward the hips when a baby pushes up on straight arms. This begins the development of the hip muscles.

There is an abundance of baby equipment such as swings, walkers and baby rockers which have their place in baby's life but do not allow baby to play and develop from very natural, healthy positions. When a baby learns to lean on one arm while reaching for a toy with the other, he not only learns to isolate motor control of the arms and hands but also to balance by adjusting his body when he shifts his weight.

Babies do get bored quickly when placed on their tummies but you can encourage tummy time by placing a favourite toy in front of him, sit on the floor with him and sing, talk or make funny noises, prop a safety mirror or colourful picture in front of him. Initially baby can be propped up on with a pillow placed under his chest. Tummy time does not need to last for a long time, start with short stints and as baby grows stronger he can be left for longer periods of time.

Remember, sleeping on the tummy is not recommended, however it is necessary for play to allow the baby to develop muscle and balance skills. Movement skills learned while placed on their tummies provide the foundation for the development of more advanced motor skills such as rolling and crawling.

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