Tummy time, the practice of placing infants on their stomachs while awake and supervised, is not merely a routine but a crucial developmental activity. This simple practice plays a significant role in enhancing motor skills and fostering healthy physical development in babies.
Motor Skill Development Begins Early
From the moment they are born, infants begin to explore their environment through movement. Motor skills, which encompass both gross motor skills (like rolling over, crawling, and eventually walking) and fine motor skills (such as grasping objects), develop progressively. Tummy time is pivotal in laying the foundation for these skills.
Benefits of Tummy Time
1. Strengthens Muscles: When placed on their tummies, babies engage their neck, shoulder, arm, and core muscles to lift and turn their heads. This action builds strength in these crucial areas, essential for later milestones like sitting and crawling.
2. Enhances Motor Skills: As babies push up and shift their weight during tummy time, they improve their balance and coordination. These movements are fundamental for learning to roll over, sit up, and eventually crawl.
3. Prevents Developmental Delays: Regular tummy time sessions can help prevent conditions like flat spots on the back of the head (plagiocephaly) and tight neck muscles (torticollis), which can impact motor skill development.
4. Encourages Exploration: Being on their tummies allows babies to visually explore their surroundings from a new perspective, stimulating cognitive development alongside physical growth.
5. Aids Digestion and Comfort: Tummy time can alleviate discomfort from gas and reflux by gently compressing the stomach. It also supports digestion, contributing to overall well-being.
Tips for Successful Tummy Time
Start Early: Begin tummy time sessions as soon as your baby is comfortable after birth, aiming for short sessions several times a day.
Use Encouragement: Engage your baby with toys, mirrors, or your voice during tummy time to keep them motivated and interested.
Gradually Increase Time: Increase tummy time duration as your baby grows more accustomed and gains strength. Aim for at least 30 minutes spread throughout the day by the time your baby is three to four months old.
Supervision is Key: Always supervise your baby during tummy time to ensure safety and provide support as needed.
Conclusion
In conclusion, tummy time is not just a developmental milestone but a crucial aspect of early childhood development. By promoting muscle strength, coordination, and sensory exploration, tummy time sets the stage for future motor skills and overall physical well-being. Encouraging regular tummy time sessions from infancy helps babies reach their developmental milestones with confidence and prepares them for the exciting stages of movement and exploration ahead.
What matters most to parents? Our most-read articles:
Reading & talking to infants
Playgrounds in Singapore
Must-have child products
Changing diapers
Unforgettable moments
Family-friendly things to do
Angry child
Stop baby from crying
Genesis Tampines Childcare 1989 is one of the best preschool and childcare in Tampines. Our Preschool Tampines have over 30 years of experience in nurturing thousands of infants, toddlers and preschoolers. At our Tampines Childcare, we advocate that every child is unique and precious who needs to be loved and cherished.
As a leading early childhood centre in Singapore since 1989, we are committed to nurturing our early learners holistically through various learning areas and positive learning dispositions. We place a strong emphasis on the way our teachers facilitate and interact with the children.
Our Childcare Tampines believe that every child is unique and precious who needs to be loved and cherished. Hence, our holistic curriculum aims to create meaningful learning experiences for each and every one of them!
Our Playgroup Tampines provides parents with the confidence that their children are in the good hands of our trained and caring teachers.
Our professional team of preschool teachers has a good understanding of child development and learning principles. We apply them efficiently and set the stage to create a meaningful learning experience that supports your child's discovery.
We consistently create a positive and cozy environment that will give your child a sense of security which builds their self-confidence to explore the world around them.
If you are looking for a good Tampines infant care or Tampines preschool or Tampines childcare near Tampines Central, do consider Nurture Infant House or Genesis Childcare 1989.
Located alongside our childcare in Tampines is our Nurture Infant House. If you are looking for Tampines infant care or infant care in Tampines, do visit Nurture Infant House. It is for infants aged 2 months to 18 months old. You can learn more about our infant care Tampines here.
Lastly, would you like to visit our Genesis Childcare 1989 to find out more about our environment and setup as well as understand our operations by talking to our teachers and supervisor?
Genesis Childcare 1989 (Playgroup to Kindergarten 2)
Blk 433 Tampines Street 43 #01-63/65 S(520433)
Nurture Infant House (2 to 18 months Infants)
Blk 433 Tampines Street 43 #01-61 S(520433)
Opening hours: Monday to Friday (7am to 7pm) & Saturday (7am to 2pm)
Public Bus services: 8 / 21 / 28 / 29 / 293
Tel: 96664141
Comments