Benefits of Tummy Time – What Does the Research Say?
A large research study was recently published on the benefits of tummy time. As pediatric occupational and physical therapists, we have spent countless hours educating new parents on this topic. The good news is now there is strong research to support the importance of babies spending time on their tummies.
What is Tummy Time?
A baby positioned in prone is participating in tummy time. The World Health Organization recommends that babies who are not yet mobile should spend at least 30 minutes in prone position (tummy time) spread throughout the day while awake. 
What Does the Research Say About the Benefits of Tummy Time?
Pediatrics published a research review on this topic. The researchers included 16 peer-reviewed English-language articles that investigated a population of 4237 healthy infants (0 to 12 months) for 8 countries, using an observational or experimental study design containing an objective or subjective measure of tummy time which examined the association with a health outcome (adiposity, motor development, psychosocial health, cognitive development, fitness, cardiometabolic health, or risks/harms).
Following data extraction the researchers determined that tummy time was positively associated with:
- gross motor development and overall total development.
- a reduction in the BMI-z score.
- prevention of brachycephaly (flat head with shortened skull)
- the ability to move while prone, supine, crawling, and rolling.
An indeterminate association was discovered for social and cognitive domains, plagiocephaly (one area of the skull is flat), walking, standing, and sitting.
There were no associations between tummy time for fine motor development and communication.
The researchers concluded that it is important to prioritize interventions that help parents meet the global and national physical activity guidelines.
Reference: Tummy Time and Infant Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review.
Resources for Infant and Toddler Development
Developmental Milestones Handout Pack, written by Lauren Drobnjak PT and Claire Heffron MS, OTR/L, is the ideal resource for sharing information about baby, toddler, and preschool development with parents and caregivers.
The Infant and Toddler Handbook, written by Lauren Drobnjak PT and Claire Heffron MS, OTR/L, is a 30-page downloadable ebook packed with reader-friendly information about the developmental motor milestones you can expect in kids ages 0 through 5.
The second half of the book is full of development-boosting fine motor, gross motor, and sensory activities divided by age range so you can find exactly what you’re looking for depending on the ages of the kids in your therapy practice, classroom, or home.
