All tummy time does NOT look the same! In fact, tummy time for a 1 month old looks very different than the same activity at 3 months old. But most parents aren’t educated about this when told that they need to be doing tummy time with their infants. If they aren’t aware of the expectations of their baby for each stage, then it’s hard to know if the tummy time is successful or if their child is on track with their development.

Well friends, read ahead to find out what to look for at each stage!

TUMMY TIME TIMELINE: 

• Newborn: Baby is very flexed with their booty up. May fall asleep in this position on your chest. Their head will turn to one side and they will lie with their cheek on the surface.

• 1 Month: Baby can momentarily lift their head to turn to the other side. Starting to stretch out/aren’t as flexed. Tummy time is important for babies to counteract all of the flexion they retained from being in the womb.

• 2 Months: Baby is more flexible. Their pelvis has dropped down (aka no more booty in the air). They can lift their head to 45 degrees above the surface. Their elbows are out to their sides.

• 3 Months: Baby fully lifts head to 90 degrees. They can turn their head to either side and might roll themselves over (I call this accidental rolling when baby’s body follows their relatively heavy head and plops over from tummy to back)

• 4 Months: Baby lifts their chest up off the ground with their head lifted 90 degrees. They begin to weight shift, sometimes one arm straightens. Elbows are under their shoulders. 

• 5 Months: Baby begins to push both arms straight. May start scooting themselves backwards

• 6 Months: Baby pushes up on straight arms with hands under shoulders. They can pivot in a circle (a great pre-crawling skill). Reaches for toys. Lifts arms and legs at the same time in a “swimming” motion.

• 7 Months: Begins pushing up onto hands and knees. Rocks forward and back while in that position. Belly/army crawls. 

• 8 Months: Transitions from hands and knees to sitting and vice versa. Reaches for toys while on hands and knees.

• 9 Months+: Crawls forward. Begins climbing over things. 

Remember, all children are not created equally. Each child follows their own developmental pathway so not all babies will reach these inchstones at the same time. If you find your child struggling with tummy time or falling behind in their milestones then please reach out to me! My virtual wellness sessions can help support you and your baby to make tummy time fun!