Sidelying Play with your Newborn

Everyone has heard how important tummy time is for gross motor development in babies. And we put babies down on their backs to play because it’s natural and most babies don’t mind. But have you tried playing with your baby in sidelying?

What is Sidelying Play?

As the term suggests, sidelying is the position halfway between lying on your back (supine) and your tummy (prone) and is equally important for motor development. We want babies to play in a variety of positions throughout their day - on their back, their tummy and on both sides.

Play in sidelying should alternate between left and right sides as much as possible to keep things even, but you don’t have to stress over getting the exact same number of minutes on both sides. It will even out in the long run as long as your baby isn’t always playing on the same side.

Sidelying can start from the day you bring your baby home! Since babies have very short wake windows as newborns, sidelying may only happen in very short bursts at the beginning.

The easiest way to do it is to aim for 10-15 seconds per side after each diaper change.

You can also sneak in a little tummy time since your baby is already halfway there. As your baby grows and wake windows increase, there will be more time for real playtime in sidelying.

You can lay baby just like this on their side!

If baby likes to roll on to their back, roll up some towels behind them to keep them in sidelying position.

Why Should Baby be on their Side?

Sidelying is crucial to development for a number of reasons. It helps babies bring their hands together at midline more easily because they don’t have to work against gravity like they do when they’re lying on their back. It gives your baby a different view of the world and helps with visual convergence - eyes moving together and turning in to focus on objects close to us. 

Sidelying is another great position that keeps pressure off the back of your baby’s head during those critical early months when the skull is soft.

We know that staying in one position for too long can cause flat spots on babies’ heads. Playing and lying in different positions helps to even out the shape of your baby’s skull when it is so soft. It is also a great position to start to work on rolling - if your baby can roll side to back, back to side and side to belly, they are well on their way to rolling all the way over by themselves.

How to Play in Sidelying

1. Grab a book! Find a simple picture book (these are our top picks for baby) and lay it next to your baby at eye level. Help your baby roll over onto one side. At first, you may need to roll up a small blanket or towel behind your baby for support. Point to the pictures and talk to your baby about what you see or just let them look at it.

2. Take sidelying for a walk! Hold your baby in your arms on their side - head and neck in the crook of your elbow, back against your chest and forearm supporting your baby’s trunk. Walk around the house talking about what you see, hear, and smell. Stop to look in the mirror, say hi to the dog, or look out the window. Don’t forget to switch sides! One side will typically be easier for both you and your baby, but more practice will make it easier for both of you.

3. Engage in ribbon play. Hang brightly colored ribbons (or toys) from an activity gym - or even the underside of a table - so that your baby can lie on their side and bat at them with their hands. At first, they may just like to look at them so you can bat at them with your fingers or use a fan to get them moving. If your baby still needs support while sidelying, you can place them up against your leg while you sit behind them. 

4. Make funny faces. Grab a mirror and prop it up so your baby can see themself in the mirror when lying on their side. Practice blowing raspberries, sticking out your tongue, puffing your cheeks, saying hi to the baby in the mirror or just singing! If you don’t have a mirror, you can lay down across from your baby and do the same thing.

5. Take advantage of your teething baby! Grab a couple teethers and let your baby work on grasping them and bringing them to their mouth. Other toys that may grab your baby’s interest include balls, rattles and even their own fingers and toes. Help your baby grab their toes and rock from side to back and back to side - both directions!

Check out our toy favorites for

0-3 months here, as these toys can help motivate your baby to move on their tummy and side!

While you’re working on sidelying, it never hurts to work on a little rolling too! When they are lying on their side, get your baby’s interest with a toy right at eye level then move the toy up toward the top of their head to encourage them to reach up with their arms and lift their chin. This motion will encourage rolling all the way over to their belly for some tummy time! Rolling to the back is a little easier but it doesn’t hurt to work on that too.

Lastly, if you’re noticing that your baby isn’t loving being on their side, or one side is favorable to the other, check out our other blog called “What is Torticollis” for more support.

This resource helps baby meet their milestones!

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