You know it’s important, but you’re too tired to fight the tummy time fight! Our tips, below.
Does your baby cry every time you put him down on his stomach? Do you give it a half-hearted attempt before scooping him back up? You know he needs tummy time…but maybe you’ll try again tomorrow.

Why babies need tummy time
Poor things are doing enough, just eating, sleeping and getting used to the world! For a new baby, tummy time is a full-body and completely exhausting workout. Why make them suffer through tummy time?
- Tummy time allows babies to develop head stability, neck and motor strength, which in turn will help them learn to roll over, crawl, and sit.
- Tummy time can help prevent plagiocephaly (flat heads).
- Tummy time promotes play and sensory development.

So how do I get my baby to stop crying?!?
Remember how tummy time is a workout? Sometimes, I kind of want to cry through those too. So start small. Two minutes of tummy time is a successful two minutes! And success breeds success: two minutes leads to five, which leads to ten. Eventually, you want your baby doing at least a few minutes of tummy time during every wake window. As he gets older, he’ll be able to tolerate more and more.

Put your baby on a comfortable but firm surface, like a play mat or blanket on the carpet. You can surround him with high-contrast toys (check out some that I love, below) for him to look at, or you can lay on your belly right next to him and join in the play. Make it fun, even newborns can be calmed by your voice and your touch.
If your baby is having a really hard time tolerating staying on his belly, you can try propping him up on a Boppy nursing pillow, or even putting a rolled up cloth diaper under his chest to give him a boost. You can sit like a pretzel and prop him on your thigh. You can lay down and put him on your chest. You can even wear your baby in a baby wrap when he’s awake and looking around. All tummy time counts, and each successful tummy time will help your baby learn, grow, and get stronger.
Some of my favorite tummy time toys, below.
thanks this is so helpful
I just ordered the crawling bee for my 7 month old who I am trying to encourage to sit and crawl. Hopefully this will keep him entertained and distracted while he practices. Thank you!!
My pediatrician told me to do tummy time after every diaper change. This way it’s consistent and occuring multiple times. I would change the baby on the bed, place them on their tummy, and I would crouch right near the bed so that baby is eye to eye with me.
With your legs out, place baby over both legs so they use their arms to balance themselves. Put toys in front of him to motivate him. Really helps upper body strength and helps with crawling skills.
Thanks for this informative article. I try to get my baby to do tummy time but she keeps getting up and running away! Do you have any suggestions?
I think if your baby is old enough to get up and run away, they do not need tummy time :).
Just throwing it out there that not everyone agrees that yummy time is necessary or positive for babies. (Dont yell at me, I didn’t make this up). If you’re interested in learning more you can research the Feldenkrais approach. I didn’t do tummy time with my babies and bH they developed beautifully.
I know this sounds unconventional but an ABM/ Feldenkraiz practitioner once told me that babies should NOT have tummy time.
What a baby should have instead is lots and lots of floor time with exciting toys around him NO bouncers NO exersaucers. Just lots and lots of floor time on his back. The child will learn FIRST to turn over and THEN lift the head and neck. Which is the natural order that Hashem intended for it.
She explained to me that while tummy time does strengthen the muscles in the neck the back is not strong enough yet. And the neck is lifting itself in stress. So in the long run it is actually detrimental to the spine/neck muscles.
After I heard this my next children I have never put on tummy time till they knew how to roll over on to the tummy on their own. And my children have these incredible postures. In thier class pictures they are the only toddler not slouched over. I am thankful I heard this information and was able to give my children the correct muscle strength.
I hope I explained this clearly. You can understand it better by looking into the ABM method.