17 Jun Did you know that babies can start tummy time and play time right from Day 1 

Did you know that babies can start tummy time and play time right from Day 1 

At birth babies, don’t have body awareness and don’t know that their arms and legs belong to them. It is important to help baby learn that their ams and legs belong to them so that baby learns to move their arm and leg across their body’s midline to roll, bring their hands to midline to clap, move their arms and legs alternately to learn to crawl and walk.

A great way to help your baby learn about their arms and legs is to place wrist wraps and rattle socks on their hands and feet while they are propped on their back with 45 degrees head up. Initially you will have to help baby  by bringing their hands with the wrist wraps towards their midline and in front of them for baby to notice them. All you are encouraging is for baby to look  at the wrist wraps and follow their hands as you move it in front of their line of vision. Same with their feet, bend their hips to show baby their feet with the rattle socks on them to catch baby’s attention and have baby follow their feet with their eyes.Eventually baby will learn to wave and kick their arms and feet,  grab the wrist wraps on one hand with the other, bring their hand to their mouths, grab their feet and socks with their hands and put their feet into their mouth.

The best time to carry out play time is after baby is awake and before they feed. This is because baby will be working their tummy muscles hard in reaching and kicking their legs and feet, which may cause baby to throw up if they have just had a feed. Start with frequent short 10-15mins of play time throughout the day and slowly increase play time to 1 hour twice a day. During play time, have baby also lay on their tummy to play and baby will learn to reach and play with their wrist wraps on their arms.

Tummy Time and Play Time should be fun for baby and you. If baby is struggling to tolerate Tummy Time and Play Time, reach out to speak to one of our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists at My Favourite Physio on (02) 9790 4233 or DM us @myfavouritephysio.

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