Newborn Doesn't Want to Have Tummy Time: The Various Reasons
“My newborn doesn’t want to do tummy time anymore !” This sentence has been told to me several times in a worried way by parents who know the importance of this activity for the motor and postural development of their child.
There may be times when the prone position seems to be rejected by the child. In this article I reveal the 3 main reasons why this can happen.
1. What is Tummy Time?
Tummy Time is time spent lying on your tummy . This is a real exercise for your baby that aims to entertain him, but also to promote his postural and motor development .
In fact, tummy time is the key to developing muscle tone and coordination.
This position should be proposed from the first weeks of the baby's life . In fact, a few minutes several times a day will be enough in the early stages, to gradually increase the times as the newborn grows.
Perhaps at first the little one will not like to find himself looking at the ground, but little by little he will fall in love with this position and will find it really fun and stimulating.
There may be times when it seems that the newborn no longer wants to do tummy time, but before telling you about these moments, I will tell you the advantages of this fantastic activity!
Why is it important?
Tummy Time certainly allows the child to improve his motor and postural development, but let's look in detail at some of the main benefits of this activity:
- Strengthens back and shoulder muscles to help your baby reach the next stages of rolling and crawling in the future;
- Strengthens the neck muscles, promoting correct rotation of the baby's head and support;
- It promotes vision thanks to hand-eye-mouth coordination;
- Improve fine motor skills through toy manipulation and gross motor skills through experimentation and reaching key milestones;
- Promotes cognitive development through play;
- Improves emotional and relational development with the parent who interacts with him;
- Improves the perception of one's limbs, which is essential for the subsequent stages;
- Strengthens abdominal muscles and pelvic stability, which are essential for crawling and walking independently;
- It promotes balance.
2. #1 Newborn Doesn't Want to Have Tummy Time Due to Gastrointestinal Problems
The first problem that can lead the newborn to no longer want to stay in the prone position can be the presence of gastrointestinal problems in the little one.
In fact, colic and reflux cause pain and a swollen belly in the baby; therefore, if he is placed on this belly, he may complain and refuse the position.
Gastrointestinal problems do not only create discomfort and irritability in the child, but also slow down his motor and postural development as the child will not feel like playing and doing activities.