Playing with your baby
Let me just preface this that my drive to do more exercises with Val kinda stems from being an All-American athlete and bilateral hip replacement recipient.
And I guess a lot of it also stems from the 6 1/2 years of infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss too! I want to do everything I can for him since it's been a hellacious roller coaster to get here.
I have spent years working out, participating, and excelling at sports as well as years in physical therapy before and after my 4 hip surgeries.
Not that I expect Val to be this amazing athlete, but if I know a lot on the subject and have the time to research more and apply it, why not?
Who knows he might hate sports! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Just kidding! He can do what he wants!
You already know that you need to interact with your baby: talking, singing, playing, experiencing different sights and sounds. Babies love you and you can bond more by interacting with them during play and tummy time.
What is tummy time and why do babies need it? Here's a great explanation! Basically, babies spend so much time sleeping on their backs in cribs, pack n plays, swings, and in arms that they NEED time on their tummies to strengthen neck muscles, avoiding flat spots on heads, and delayed gross motor skills. Not necessarily tummy time, but to also avoid the misshapen head, you can do exercises where your child lays on their side with you laying behind them and supporting them, or use a pillow to support their back while you interact with them from the front.
So since I have all day and night with Val and breastfeed often, I have time to look up different tummy time exercises online while he is breastfeeding.
Many babies despise tummy time and often, people quit doing it instead of varying up the exercises! Just think of what you like to do when working out: hate the treadmill? Well, try the elliptical or walk/run outside.
Since I am not a physical or occupational therapist, I am just doing things I feel comfortable with from what I've read and seen on PT and OT blogs and websites.
And if you're still thinking little babies are too young to do exercises, well, check out this site and this one!
I really look to professionals with specialized training and schooling like pediatric PT and OT's. None of these exercises are original: I have used their original ideas or adapted them.
I look on Pinterest or Google of course...here's the specific sites where I get my ideas:
Nation Wide Children's hospital Tummy time exercises and information
Tummy Time art: literally the cost of one piece of cardstock!
One of my favorite sites is Mama OT: as a pediatric OT, she has great tips and photos.
Here's a great video on 5 Essential Tummy Time Moves.
The site Pink Oatmeal has a variety of things to do with your child.
CanDo Kiddo has awesome stuff like sensory bags.
PT: Play Time has photos as well!
And I guess a lot of it also stems from the 6 1/2 years of infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss too! I want to do everything I can for him since it's been a hellacious roller coaster to get here.
I have spent years working out, participating, and excelling at sports as well as years in physical therapy before and after my 4 hip surgeries.
Not that I expect Val to be this amazing athlete, but if I know a lot on the subject and have the time to research more and apply it, why not?
Who knows he might hate sports! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Just kidding! He can do what he wants!
You already know that you need to interact with your baby: talking, singing, playing, experiencing different sights and sounds. Babies love you and you can bond more by interacting with them during play and tummy time.
What is tummy time and why do babies need it? Here's a great explanation! Basically, babies spend so much time sleeping on their backs in cribs, pack n plays, swings, and in arms that they NEED time on their tummies to strengthen neck muscles, avoiding flat spots on heads, and delayed gross motor skills. Not necessarily tummy time, but to also avoid the misshapen head, you can do exercises where your child lays on their side with you laying behind them and supporting them, or use a pillow to support their back while you interact with them from the front.
So since I have all day and night with Val and breastfeed often, I have time to look up different tummy time exercises online while he is breastfeeding.
Many babies despise tummy time and often, people quit doing it instead of varying up the exercises! Just think of what you like to do when working out: hate the treadmill? Well, try the elliptical or walk/run outside.
Since I am not a physical or occupational therapist, I am just doing things I feel comfortable with from what I've read and seen on PT and OT blogs and websites.
And if you're still thinking little babies are too young to do exercises, well, check out this site and this one!
I really look to professionals with specialized training and schooling like pediatric PT and OT's. None of these exercises are original: I have used their original ideas or adapted them.
I look on Pinterest or Google of course...here's the specific sites where I get my ideas:
Nation Wide Children's hospital Tummy time exercises and information
Tummy Time art: literally the cost of one piece of cardstock!
One of my favorite sites is Mama OT: as a pediatric OT, she has great tips and photos.
Here's a great video on 5 Essential Tummy Time Moves.
The site Pink Oatmeal has a variety of things to do with your child.
CanDo Kiddo has awesome stuff like sensory bags.
PT: Play Time has photos as well!
How many minutes of tummy time should I do?
This research article states that 4 month old babies should be getting 90 minutes a day.
This part is most telling:
"Specifically, the results of this study also appear to suggest that those infants who spent slightly more than an hour or more in the prone position while awake per day achieved greater success in acquiring certain prone, supine, and sitting milestones that begin developing incrementally at approximately four months of age. It was beginning at one hour and 21 minutes of time spent in the prone position while awake (for the supine hands to knees milestone) that significant differences began to be seen in infants who achieved specific milestones as opposed to those who did not. In addition, many of the motor milestones achieved by the infants in this study who were placed in the prone position for longer time periods were above the four-month old developmental level. These results although preliminary, seem to offer some support for the literature that has traditionally suggested that prone positioning provides a basis from which more advanced skills are built."
I know you're thinking HOLY SHIT 90 minutes?!?
WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT?
You can frequently do tummy time in short bursts like 1-5 minutes...longer or shorter depending on how your baby is responding!
If they start crying and screaming, quit. You can try again later. If they are enjoying it or doing it without a problem, continue.
I do tummy time after every diaper change during the day and evening. I don't keep him from napping to exercise.
At night when he is asleep and wakes up, I change his diaper and nurse him...it is not a time to start getting active, so I do not do any tummy time at night. He needs to sleep and as do you!
I'm not sure if I'm getting close to 90 minutes, but Val is only 2 months now, so maybe I do 60? I never count and keep track since it's difficult to do that and keep track of diapering and feeding too.
This part is most telling:
"Specifically, the results of this study also appear to suggest that those infants who spent slightly more than an hour or more in the prone position while awake per day achieved greater success in acquiring certain prone, supine, and sitting milestones that begin developing incrementally at approximately four months of age. It was beginning at one hour and 21 minutes of time spent in the prone position while awake (for the supine hands to knees milestone) that significant differences began to be seen in infants who achieved specific milestones as opposed to those who did not. In addition, many of the motor milestones achieved by the infants in this study who were placed in the prone position for longer time periods were above the four-month old developmental level. These results although preliminary, seem to offer some support for the literature that has traditionally suggested that prone positioning provides a basis from which more advanced skills are built."
I know you're thinking HOLY SHIT 90 minutes?!?
WHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT?
You can frequently do tummy time in short bursts like 1-5 minutes...longer or shorter depending on how your baby is responding!
If they start crying and screaming, quit. You can try again later. If they are enjoying it or doing it without a problem, continue.
I do tummy time after every diaper change during the day and evening. I don't keep him from napping to exercise.
At night when he is asleep and wakes up, I change his diaper and nurse him...it is not a time to start getting active, so I do not do any tummy time at night. He needs to sleep and as do you!
I'm not sure if I'm getting close to 90 minutes, but Val is only 2 months now, so maybe I do 60? I never count and keep track since it's difficult to do that and keep track of diapering and feeding too.
So what do I need to play with my child?
The number one thing you need is patience!!
If you don't feel comfortable, start out small with just one minute. You will get more comfortable once you keep doing more tummy time.
Remember: this is supervised time with your child. Please don't leave them alone!
If you don't feel comfortable, start out small with just one minute. You will get more comfortable once you keep doing more tummy time.
Remember: this is supervised time with your child. Please don't leave them alone!
Anyways, here's some of the things I have bought and already had at home to use:
- My body----yes you can use it several ways actually lol
- You might even not realize while you are burping them, they are getting tummy time on your chest.
- My bed
- Full length mirror
- Little mirrors
- Black and white board books (cardboard accordion style ones can stand up on their own)
- Black and white cardstock paper (just make designs like below)
- Christmas lights (I use ones with a battery pack for more portability)
- Toys
- Playmat and arch
- Exercise ball (I had one that I used but it was dirty, so I spent $9 and got a new one.)
- Blanket
- Boppy's: Tummy time, Lounger, and Wedge
Things to remember:
- Don't leave them alone! This is supervised time...not time to get chores done. Young babies cannot pick their heads up and turn over easily, so you leaving to go do something is very dangerous!
- Be patient with yourself and your child. The exercise might not go over well, so stop and then try again later.
- Be careful when turning over your baby to their stomach and back when finished. I must admit it is very strange at first, but do it slowly and watch how you bend their arms. Once he is done, I roll him onto his back then pick him up.
- Keep their arms out and in close to their chest...kinda like a tricep-push up position.
- Talk to your baby the whole time. Touch things that make noise or light.
- Get down on their level and interact. Don't feel stupid! You can say anything and sound great to the baby!
- Just 2-3 minutes at first is great! Then do it again later on!
- Don't do right after feeding: baby will most likely spit up. Wait a little bit.
- Once you get the hang of it, do after every diaper change! You can rack up the minutes!