How to Make Tummy Time Fun for your Baby

If you’ve ever put your baby down on their tummy and watched their face crumple within about four seconds, you’re in very good company. Tummy time has a bit of a reputation, and for a lot of babies, it starts out as one of the least popular parts of the day. That doesn’t mean you should skip it. It means it’s worth understanding why babies find it tricky, and what actually helps.

Why tummy time matters

Tummy time is the time your baby spends on their front, awake and supervised, rather than on their back. Health visitors and paediatricians recommend it because it works muscles that lying on the back simply doesn’t reach: the neck, shoulders, upper back and core. These are exactly the muscles your baby needs to lift their head, push up on their arms, roll, and eventually crawl.

It also matters for head shape. Babies spend a lot of time on their backs (which is correct and safe for sleep, more on that below), and a lot of time in car seats, bouncers and carriers where the back of the head rests against something firm. All of that pressure in the same spot can lead to a flattened area, known as positional plagiocephaly. Giving your baby varied positions during awake time, including time on their tummy, helps take the pressure off and gives their head a chance to round out naturally.

Why babies often protest

It’s not really a mystery why so many babies dislike it at first. Think about what’s being asked of them:

• They can’t lift their own head and turn away, so their view is suddenly limited.
• Gravity is working against muscles that haven’t built up any strength yet.
• It’s a new sensation, and new sensations that involve effort are rarely a baby’s favourite thing.

None of this means tummy time is harmful or that your baby “isn’t ready.” It’s normal for a newborn to only manage a minute or two before getting fed up. That’s fine. The goal isn’t to force a long session, it’s to build up little bits of practice over weeks.

When to start, and how much

You can start tummy time from the first days, as soon as your baby’s umbilical stump has healed if that’s a concern for you (check with your midwife or health visitor if you’re unsure). In the early weeks, a few short sessions a day of just a minute or two is plenty. As your baby gets stronger, usually somewhere between six and sixteen weeks, you can build up gradually to longer stretches, aiming for something like 20 to 30 minutes total across the day by three or four months, spread out rather than all at once.

Every baby is different, so treat these as rough guides rather than targets to hit exactly. If your baby was born early, your health visitor may suggest adjusting the timing based on their corrected age.

How to make it fun (or at least tolerable)

A few small changes to how and when you do tummy time make a real difference to how well it goes.

Start on you, not on the floor

Before you put your baby on a mat, try tummy time on your chest instead. Lie back at a slight recline, put your baby tummy-down on your chest, and let them lift their head to look at your face. It’s the same muscle work, but far less intimidating because they’re close to you, warm, and can smell and hear you. This is sometimes called “chest time” and it’s a gentle way in for younger or more sensitive babies.

Get down on their level

Lie on the floor facing your baby so the first thing they see when they lift their head is you. Talk to them, make silly faces, sing something daft. Babies are far more motivated to lift their heads for a familiar face than for a toy.

Use a rolled towel for support

A small rolled-up towel or muslin placed under your baby’s chest and armpits can take some of the strain off in the early weeks, making the position feel less overwhelming while they build strength.

Bring in mirrors and high-contrast toys

An unbreakable baby mirror propped just in front of them is often a hit, since young babies are fascinated by faces, including their own. High-contrast black and white cards or simple toys placed just out of reach can also encourage them to lift, look and eventually reach.

Time it well

Avoid doing tummy time straight after a feed, since lying on a full tummy is uncomfortable for anyone, let alone a baby who might spit up. A good window is after a nappy change, once they’ve had a bit of a nap and are alert but not overtired.

Keep sessions short and frequent

Several short bursts spread through the day work far better than one long, miserable session. If your baby cries, pick them up. There’s no benefit in pushing through real distress. Try again a bit later.

Change the scenery as they grow

Once your baby has a bit more head and shoulder strength, you can try tummy time on different surfaces (a play mat, a textured blanket, even the grass outside on a warm day, supervised), or over your lap facing outward so they get a different view of the room.

Tummy time and flat head, in plain terms

It’s worth being clear about one thing: back sleeping is not the enemy here, and you should always put your baby down on their back to sleep, every sleep, for the first year. This is one of the most well-established ways to reduce the risk of SIDS, and it isn’t something to change because of concerns about head shape.

What helps with head shape is varying your baby’s position during their awake time. That means plenty of supervised tummy time, not leaving them for long stretches in car seats, bouncy chairs or carriers when they’re not travelling, and alternating which end of the cot you place them at so they’re not always turning their head the same way to look into the room. If you notice a flat patch developing, or a strong preference for turning the head one way, mention it to your health visitor or GP. Mild flattening often improves on its own with more varied positioning, but persistent or worsening asymmetry is worth having checked, since occasionally it’s linked to tightness in the neck muscles (torticollis) that benefits from physiotherapy.

A word on safety

Tummy time should always happen while your baby is awake and supervised, on a firm, flat surface, never on a soft surface like a sofa cushion or an adult bed where their face could sink in. It’s not a sleep position. If you ever feel unsure about how much tummy time is right for your baby, especially if they were premature, have low muscle tone, or you have any concerns about their development, it’s always worth asking your health visitor, midwife or GP rather than guessing.

The bottom line

Tummy time doesn’t need to be a daily battle. Start small, do it often, get down on the floor with them, and let your face be the reward for lifting their head. Most babies go from tolerating it to genuinely enjoying it once they’ve built a bit of strength, usually somewhere around three to four months. Until then, a minute here and a minute there, done with patience, is doing exactly what it’s meant to do.

If you enjoyed this article, read our other guide: “How to Encourage Your Baby to Talk“