Time on the floor

Giving baby time on the floor is the best way for them to learn about what their body can do and to practise moving.

If a baby has time on the floor early, there’s more likelihood they will enjoy it as the months go by. Giving baby time on the floor is the best way for them to learn about what their body can do and to practise moving.

When they’re on their tummy on the floor, the firm surface gives them something to push against, and they learn to push up, roll over and eventually crawl and stand.

Ask the whānau:

How does baby react when they have time on the floor?
Do they prefer being on their back or front?
Shall we see how they respond now if we put them on the floor?

Suggest that you put a clean rug or mat down, put them on their tummy and see how they like it.

Floor safety

Often we don’t know what choking dangers or sharp objects might be lurking down there on the floor.

There could be dangerous things that baby can reach or things parents wouldn’t want them touching and mouthing.

How about we get down there with them to keep them company, and have a quick safety check while we’re there?

Move any dangerous objects out of reach.

Encourage baby

If they haven’t had a lot of floor time already, they may not like it – especially on their tummy. Parents might need to get down on the floor too and play and talk with them to encourage baby.

Does baby have a favourite game that you play together?
Which one?
What toys does baby have that we could put in front of them to look at?

Have some ideas to share if they don’t offer any:

Stand open books up in front of them, with bright coloured pictures to look at and reach for.
A mirror can be fun for them to check themselves out in. It does need to be in a position where they can see themselves, without it being a safety hazard.
Play tickling games and enjoy singing and rhymes with baby.
Use light scarves or bits of soft material to add to the fun. Gently float them over baby’s skin.

A little regular practice helps baby to get stronger and gain more control over their body.

How does this topic relate to Tākai resources?

Baby wall frieze – Tukuna ahau kia mahi, kia mōhio ai ahau me pēhea te ako – let me do things over and over again

Six things children need – Te tūāpapa mō te tika me te hē – limits and boundaries

Helpful resources for whānau

Tukuna ahau kia mahi, kia mōhio ai ahau me pēhea te ako – let me do things over and over again

Just like big people I need to practise new things.
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Tummy time exercises for your baby: How to do it and when<

Tummy time exercises for your baby: How to do it and when (transcript)

Voiceover:

[Tummy time for your baby]

When you take your baby home from the hospital you will have been given instructions, which are very important, that you put your baby to sleep on his back, in his own bed, it should be in your room, close to your bed. The bed should be flat with no blankets, pillows or any toys, and this will ensure that your baby has a safe sleep environment.

But because of this, we need to then give the baby opportunities to help strengthen his shoulder and abdominal muscles. So a good rule of thumb is that every time you change the diaper, you turn the baby gently over onto his tummy. At this point, when you get the baby over onto his tummy, you'll see that most of the weight is through his face. So you can gently put some pressure on his bum. I do this with my forearm gently pushing down on his bum. Bring his elbows in front of his shoulders and you can keep them there with your hands and this will help encourage him to lift his head.

As you see his head come up you know that he is beginning to use his shoulder and his abdominal muscles. You can do this for one or two minutes and in this way you're ensuring good strength of these muscles which will help his development as we move forward in the future.

Once you've done this with every diaper change for one or two minutes, roll him back onto his back and this begins to give you a good opportunity to begin to make eye contact with your baby.

Around the six week mark the baby can begin to see your face. Your face is becoming more clear. So this becomes a time where you begin to make eye contact. If you keep your face nice and calm you help the baby keep his head in the middle. You can even put your hand on the baby's chest which will also help keep the baby calm and help his head stay in the middle.

By you keeping your face calm, the baby can then begin to look at you and you'll see that you will begin to make eye contact and you may even see a gentle smile. This is the beginning of your baby's thinking skills, the beginnings of language, the beginning of attention and obviously attachment between you and your baby.

[Silence]

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Close transcript

Tummy time exercises for your baby: How to do it and when
Tummy time exercises for your baby - instructions from Sunnybrook's Women & Babies staff.

Email

Floor safety

Encourage baby

How does this topic relate to Tākai resources?

Helpful resources for whānau

Tukuna ahau kia mahi, kia mōhio ai ahau me pēhea te ako – let me do things over and over again

Tummy time exercises for your baby: How to do it and when<

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