Do babies need tummy time? - Part 2

In part 1 we discussed what tummy time is and what tummy time isn't so we could clarify the misinterpretation of what tummy time actually is and why tummy time is needed.

In this blog we will discuss the evidence based research side to do with tummy time. 

Research has shown that while most parents adhere to the back to sleep guidelines (which is VERY important), almost half of the parents who don't sleep their children on their stomach have over interpreted the back to sleep guidelines from "don't put your baby on their stomach to sleep" to "don't put your baby on their stomach EVER."

So why does the above matter?

Research has shown us that babies of parents who are following the back to sleep guidelines and NOT doing any tummy time increases the prevalence of  plagiocephaly (an severely uneven headshape) in the baby by 50%. 

Why does this matter?

Plagiocephaly (a severely uneven headshape), can create significant delays in both mental and psychomotor development, and a lack of positions other than being on their back increases plagiocephaly risk. 

This research shows us that the handling of our children impacts their structure significantly, and we know that with severe structural shifts comes development shifts as well.

Why does this matter?

​In changing the handling of our babies (over the last 30 years), they are no longer getting positions other than being on their back. This is where people often say "don't put babies in positions they can't get themselves into," and normally I agree with that statement, but not when it comes to tummy time, and here is why, this is my main motivation to advocate for safe, appropriate, age graded tummy time in many different positions throughout a day.

​Babies have things called primitive reflexes, these are automatic stereotyped movements that occur without cortical involvement, this means they are not voluntary motions. The brain is wired to move that part of the body in a particular manner when a particular stimulus is applied, with the purpose of doing it enough times that it builds up neural connections in the brain which in turn allows cortical involvement (voluntary movement.) It is through repetition that these movements move from involuntary to voluntary, & they are setting some of the foundations for total brain development.

Some of these primitive reflexes require an infant to be on their stomach to allow full movement of the reflex to occur. If the reflex isn't able to be activated because they aren't given time on their stomach then that reflex cannot integrate adequately and the brain development hierarchy is compromised. This doesn't necessarily impact motor milestones, but the retention of primitive reflexes can impact movement and learning later on in life. 

A baby doing the breast crawl after birth to it's mother's breast is a prime example of primitive reflexes in full swing and nature in full force, this is a primal movement that is only able to occur if the baby is on it's stomach. So don't try to tell me that babies being on their stomach is unnatural, because nothing is more natural, primal or nature intended than the breast crawl. 

​If you don't agree with tummy time, that's cool, but The Tummy Time Project is more than that. We discuss many other ways for your child to get "modified tummy time" that will allow them to be able to develop their brain and structure in the way that is optimal for them.

This is just a taster of all the fun stuff we run through more in depth in The Tummy Time Project.