Dr Kerstin Castle has kindly written a guest post for us about how to master tummy time for babies suffering from Plagiocephaly:
If your baby suffers
from plagiocephaly you may feel that you have a race against time on your
hands. During the first few months, your
baby’s head is soft and grows at a phenomenal rate. Sleeping on the same spot
every night means he might develop plagiocephaly or if he was born with it, it
might become worse. After five months,
this growth rate slows significantly and the bones in the head harden. You have been told, that tummy time is the
solution, but you worry, because your baby shows no signs of being happy on his
tummy and the window of time is closing.
Most health visitors and GPs will recommend tummy time,
which has led many parents to attempt putting their young babies on their tummy
with the result that the baby screams at which point many parents stop tummy
time until the baby is “ready”. If your
baby’s head is perfectly shaped waiting for your baby to be ready is fine. But what can you do if time is running out,
and your baby is still not interested in tummy time?
Firstly, tummy time does not need to start on the
tummy. Put your baby on a soft surface,
where you can both be comfortable and just play. Roll your baby gently onto his side and see
if he is happy in that position. If not
roll him back again. See, you have just
managed 15 seconds of time not spent on the flat spot.
The most important part in making tummy time enjoyable for
your baby is your presence. You need to
be physically close to your baby if you want to introduce your baby to tummy
time. Your baby needs to hear your
reassuring voice, see your smiling face and feel your touch to know that
whatever is occurring is intentional.
It is best not to
wait until your baby starts crying on his tummy. Make a game out of rolling about by pulling
funny faces when he is on his tummy and turn him back as soon as his delight at
your face wanes. Over time, you will
find that your baby becomes much more used to being on his tummy and he will
enjoy the new perspective.
Find a surface that is comfortable for both of you. When you start tummy time, you need to be
prepared to spend a lot of time there, so you might as well be
comfortable.
It is true, that all babies develop at their own pace, but
babies, which are encouraged to use their muscles, develop them quicker. Any encouragement will lead to faster
progress. For example, if you lie on
your back on the floor and “fly the baby” above you, you will feel your baby
arching his back, trying to hold up his head.
It is not tummy time in the strictest sense, but it will help to get
your baby to enjoy tummy time more quickly.
You should also consider that carrying your baby in your
arms contributes to strengthening his muscles, because your baby will have to
readjust his position and will try to balance whilst you move. This will help with tummy time, because he
will feel stronger, more coordinated and in control when
placed on his tummy.
Finally remember to relax.
Babies are amazingly sensitive to their parents’ moods and
emotions. You may be anxious to get your
baby to master tummy time quickly, but without you realising it, you transfer
your state of mind to your baby. Make
time every day to play on the floor with your baby and gradually integrate
rolling about into your daily routine. A
comfortable surface for both you and your baby will be helpful, and allow both
of you to be relaxed. A familiar duvet,
blanket or play mat, which is associated with fun and play will be the best
place to introduce new concepts such as tummy time.
This guest post was written by Dr Kerstin Castle, inventor
of the cosyplay baby play mat. Cosyplay
baby play mats are made from memory foam and big enough for you and your baby,
so you can be comfortable and relaxed whilst being part of your baby’s
development. See www.cosyplay.co.uk for more information.
