[Source: Mama OT]

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Tummy time is important because the skills learned while on the tummy are essential for later development. Think about it, most of the big milestones in the first year of life involve the prone position in one form or another (e.g., lifting and turning the head, rolling, pushing the chest off the ground, getting up to hands and knees, scooting, crawling). In fact, tummy time is considered the beginning of the “prone progression” that prepares babies for the exciting act of crawling!

Tummy time also takes pressure off the back of baby’s head, which is one component of preventing flat spots (aka- “positional plagiocephaly”).

And, as a pediatric Occupational Therapist, I should also mention that bearing weight through the arms and hands during tummy time contributes to the strength and skill development needed in the upper body, hands, and eye muscles for school-age tasks such as handwriting and cutting!

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