01 Mar 😬Do you place your baby to sleep on their tummy 🤔Have you heard of the “Back To Sleep, Tummy To Play” Rule?

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden, unexplained death of a seemingly healthy baby less than a year old, typically occurring during sleep. It’s cause is unknown, but it’s believed to be associated with factors including sleep environment and genetic vulnerabilities.

“Back to Sleep, Tummy to Play” is a guideline that promotes safe sleep practices to reduce the risk of SIDS while also encouraging adequate tummy time when baby is awake and supervised. Parents are advised to place babies on their “Back to Sleep” for every sleep, night and nap times, as this is the safest sleep position. In many cultures, it is common practice to place babies on their tummy or side to sleep to prevent babies from developing a flat headshape from lying on their back to sleep. Tummy sleeping or side sleeping positions have been found to increase the risks of SIDS. Furthermore, babies who are placed to sleep on their tummies develop the habit of sleeping on their tummy which in adulthood tends to lead to increased incidents of neck pain and neck stiffness. 

To counter the increased risk of developing a flat headshape with “Back to Sleep”, parents are advised to place baby on their “Tummy to Play” to help baby strengthen their neck, shoulder and arm muscles to improve their head control. Tummy time is also crucial for helping baby to develop their gross motor skills. 

If you are struggling with Tummy Time for your baby, reach out to My Favourite Physio on (02) 9790 4233 or DM us @myfavouritephysio to speak to one of our Expert Peadiatric Physiotherapists today!

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