Your Baby's Tummy Time Milestones

Before your baby learns to roll, crawl, and walk, they’ll begin with tummy time! Tummy time plays an important role in your baby’s development because it lays the foundation for these gross motor milestones. You can think of it as your baby’s first exercise, and love it or hate it, they need plenty of tummy time for healthy growth and development.

What is tummy time?

Tummy time is the time that your baby spends on their tummy when they’re awake and supervised. It became popular after the American Academy of Pediatric (AAP) launched its “Back to Sleep” campaign in 1994. Although the campaign was hugely successful in reducing the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in the United States, it was associated with an increase in delayed gross motor development due to babies spending much less time on their belly. As a result, the AAP began recommending more tummy time for babies while awake to strengthen their head, neck, and trunk muscles.

What are the benefits of tummy time?

Tummy time has many benefits for babies, including:

• strengthening their neck, shoulder, back, and arm muscles

• improving trunk stability and head control

• improving their ability to move and control their muscles for motor milestones

• preventing conditions like flat head syndrome (positional plagiocephaly) and twisted neck (positional torticollis)

• promoting physical, emotional, social, and neurological development

When should my baby start doing tummy time?

Your baby can begin doing tummy time from birth! Unless your baby’s doctor says otherwise, there’s no need to wait for their umbilical cord stump to fall off. Tummy time generally does not irritate the stump, and the earlier your baby gets used to spending time on their tummy, the better. 

How long should tummy time be?

Tummy time for a newborn looks very different than it does for a 6-month-old. In the early days, you can aim for just a few minutes at a time, several times a day. As your baby grows stronger, lengthen the duration of the tummy time sessions, and work up to a total of 60 minutes by 4 months of age. This can be broken up into 10-minute or 15-minute sessions, or as long as your little one can tolerate. There’s no such thing as too much tummy time!

Tummy time milestones by month

0-1 month:

In the first few days, your newborn will only briefly lift their head just to turn it from one side to the other. Their body will still be scrunched in the fetal position from the womb, with a rounded back, knees tucked in under their hips, and arms bent close to their body. 

As the weeks pass, they’ll begin to practice stretching out their limbs, although they’ll mostly remain cheek-down for the majority of the tummy time session.

Aim for a few minutes of tummy time a few times a day for a total of 15 minutes. Get in the habit of practicing tummy time whenever they’re awake! You can also lay your baby on your chest for face-to-face tummy time that also promotes bonding. 

2-3 months:

By this age, your baby’s head control will have improved noticeably, and they should be able to do most of—if not all—their tummy time on the floor. Lay them on a soft, comfortable play mat and observe your little one turn their head from side to side with more ease than before. 

Your baby can lift their head higher (45 to 90 degrees) and hold it up longer now, and they may also begin to push up on their arms. Their legs are also beginning to straighten out so that their lower belly is touching the floor.

Aim for a total of 20 to 30 minutes a day, broken up in 5-minute sessions. You can use props like a nursing pillow or a support pillow to elevate their head and chest and make it easier. 

4-5 months:

Your little one is a tummy time master by now, and they’re even pushing their chest off the floor and shifting their weight from one arm to the other.Their elbows are under their shoulders and they can look down at their hands while keeping their chest lifted.

With more neck and trunk strength, your baby is likely much more tolerant of tummy time now. They may even lift their arms and legs off the floor in a “swimming” or “flying” position! Rolling typically occurs around this age, so be extra mindful when they’re on the bed or the changing table.

Aim for a total of 60 to 90 minutes a day, broken up into as many sessions as your baby needs. Use toys to keep the session engaging and work on other skills, like reaching. Motor development is picking up pace now, so give them as much floor time as possible to practice these skills.

When can my baby stop doing tummy time?

Around 6 months of age, when your baby can roll in both directions and get in and out of the belly-down position on their own, you can stop doing reps of tummy time. However, you should still prioritize floor play to give them plenty of opportunity to work on gross motor development . By this time, your baby should enjoy spending time on the floor, where they can practice sitting, rolling, and exploring with their newfound skills!