42 | April 2020 |motherandb
T U M M Y
TIMESpecialLyingwithhis tummy on thefloorhelps
yourbaby to buildthe muscleshe needs
to dev elopstrength,coordinationand
head control. It’s a chance tomakea
different range of movementsfrom
the ones he can make when he’s
lying on his back. When babiesare
on their tummies, lifting their
head, limbs or torso means
working against gravity, which
takes greater strength than
working with gravity.
‘It might look as though babies
are n’t doing much when they’re
having tummy time, but
appearances are deceptive,’ says
Clare. ‘During their early monthsbabies
make lots of small movements,which
gradually build their musclesandteach
them about their body – whatit cando, how
it feels to move their limbs, andhow it feels
to hold them still.’ These movementshappen
instinctively, as a response to thestimulus
of lying in different positions, andthey are
critical for prepping their body to be able
to roll, crawl and walk.
‘Time spent on the tummy is also critical
for establishing postural control – your ability
to hold yourself upright,’ says Clare. And
this ability doesn’t just let you gaze at far
horizons, it also makes it easier for you to
think. ‘Children who don’t have good postural
control still reach a point where they can stand
up and walk and run,’ says Clare. ‘But these
childrenhave to give a lot of theirattention
to maintainingthat posture. It’s harder
for them thanit shouldbe, so they
have to spend energy focusing on
it. This means they have less
mental energy to spend on
learning other skills.’
In other words, giving
babies lots of tummy time
will directly benefit their
concentration and
learning when
they’re in school –
and for the rest of
their lives!Why tummy time matters‘Cillian always
struggled with tummy
time and would start crying
and wanting to move after just a
few seconds – but one day I popped
a baby-safe mirror under him. He
was so intrigued by the baby looking
back at him that he would try and
push himself up to look at it.
It made all the difference!’
Ciara Crofts, 30, from Buxton,
is mum to Cillian,
eight monthsM&B
l ves
Researchers have
found that infant brains a
better at recognising fac
than any other visualimage
get him gazing at thebab
the mirror! Fisher-Price
Monkey Mirror,£21.99,
amazon.co.uk