How To Do Tummy Time

Last Updated on March 20, 2026 by Jordyn Koveleski Gorman

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Tummy time.

The term we all hear and throw around, but secretly have so many questions about. What exactly is ‘tummy time’? Why does my baby need it? When should I do it? How long should we do it? And, truly, the one most of us struggle with daily: How do I get my baby to enjoy it?

I hear you! 

Consulting with the Eat Play Say developmental team, we have broken it all down for you. Everything you need to know about tummy time in one convenient place. We’ll call that a win!

What is tummy time?

Tummy time is exactly what it sounds like: placing your baby on their stomach while they are awake and supervised.

Tummy time is an active play position and should be utilized during baby’s wake windows. The purpose of tummy time is to help strengthen baby’s muscles. This gets them ready to meet developmental milestones like lifting their head, rolling, sitting, crawling, and even walking. (1)

When placing your baby in tummy time, you are first and foremost helping them learn and develop head control (lifting their head up). While it seems like such a simple position, it is actually incredibly dynamic. It causes baby to utilize their back, stomach/core, neck, shoulder, and arm muscles all at the same time!

So, if the initial goal is to help them learn how to lift that head up and see the world…how do we get them on board?

Let’s try something. 

Pause what you are doing and look up at the ceiling. Most likely, as your eyes shifted up to the ceiling, your head tilted up as well. Maybe, if you’re sitting at a table, you even put some weight through your forearms or straightened to help you look up.

What does this tell us? Our body moves with our eyes! Helping your baby engage in tummy time is all about how you interact with them and what you encourage them to look at. 

Newborns and tummy time

Currently, the AAP recommends doing tummy time 2-3 times per day for 3-5 minutes each time. As baby gets older and stronger, the time begins to increase. (2)

This is a great goal, but we have to remember that all babies are different. Tummy time is not going to look this way for everyone, and that’s okay!

When thinking about tummy time, think quality over quantity. One minute of tummy time with a happy, engaged baby is going to be more beneficial than a forced 5 minutes with an unhappy baby screaming and crying.

Would you be excited to do something that you cried all the way through the day before? Probably not. Think about your own exercise. If you are not a runner, you cannot expect to go out and run a mile easily on the first day. It takes practice to build those muscles and stamina. The same is true for babies.

Start small and build up! If your baby tolerates tummy time for 30 seconds, great! Start with 30 seconds one day and aim for 45 seconds to 1 minute the next day. You will be amazed what just a short amount of successful tummy time can do for your baby’s strength, coordination, and confidence.

When to start tummy time

You can actually start practicing tummy time as soon as you get home from the hospital.

When bringing home your newborn, tummy time can be as simple as laying your baby flat on the floor with their head turned to the side. You can use a soft blanket or play gym mat for this!

The first step in developing good tummy time practices is getting baby used to being on their stomach when awake. That sweet baby has been curled up in a cozy belly for the last 9 months and is not used to having any pressure or contact on their belly. Just having baby practice laying on their belly is a perfect start!

By 2–3 months, as baby gets more comfortable on their belly, they will begin to explore lifting their head. You might see them try to push through their arms as they are trying out this new motion. You can help by placing them on their elbows to show them how to use their arms for support. When doing this, make sure to keep their elbows aligned directly under their shoulders.

Placing high contrast visuals and toys directly in front of baby will help them continue to lift their head and keep it up for longer periods of time. Eventually, you will start seeing baby shift weight on their elbows. They may even try to reach an arm out to whatever cool thing is in front of them. This is not only amazing, it’s actually the very first step of your baby figuring out how to roll. Go baby!

How to do tummy time with a newborn

Fun fact: tummy time doesn’t always have to be laying your baby on the floor. You might be wondering where on earth your stationary, squishy baby might get tummy time if not on the floor? Below are a few of our favorite tummy time activities, including options that get your little one off the floor!

Babywearing your newborn

Babywearing is not only an amazing way to bond with your baby, it is also a great workout for their tummy time muscles! This is most beneficial as a tummy time activity when baby is awake and looking around.

Try talking to your baby to get their attention, and know that as they look up at you, you’re also engaging them in tummy time practice.

Not sure where to start with babywearing? See our favorite baby carriers and wraps here! And check out our free Baby Registry Guide for more of our favorites for baby and mom.

Tummy time mat

You can’t go wrong with a tummy time mat. The best play mats have a place to dangle toys overhead, which helps babies meet milestones as they grow out of their newborn era. The best ways to utilize a tummy time mat for your newborn include practicing sidelying, exploring different high contrast toys, and even staring right at your face!

We recently teamed up with Lalo for the launch of a brand new tummy time mat! You can check out The Play Gym II here. This play gym will grow with your child long after they outgrow their newborn clothes, with a sit up play panel and tons of attachments your little one will love to play with!

Tummy time pillow

For this variation, position baby on their knees with their stomach laying on a tummy time pillow, like a Boppy. Place their elbows on top of the pillow to help prop their head/neck. Place high contrast toys at eye level or above to help them start to lift their head up.

If you don’t have a Boppy, a rolled up blanket or towel will have the same effect! 

Laying on your chest

This tummy time trick feels like therapy, it’s so sweet. Simply place baby on your chest while in a reclined position, such as on the couch or in bed. Talk, sing, and smile at your baby. They will love trying to look up at you.

Be aware that this position can be so cozy that it may make you sleepy. If you find yourself getting drowsy, it’s safest to move!

Use a yoga ball

This is an all time favorite!

While sitting on the floor, place your baby on their belly on top of the yoga ball. Continue to hold them in place as you lightly rock them front to back and side to side. This gentle sensory input helps simulate the movements in the womb and should help calm baby while still getting great tummy time.

More newborn support

I know that tummy time can be intimidating. Remember that the sooner you start practicing, the sooner your baby will be happy on their stomach.

If you have gone through these ideas and still feel like your baby is struggling with tummy time, that’s okay! There is more troubleshooting that you can do to try to make them more comfortable. You can read our tips on tummy time struggles here, including info on when we recommend calling in reinforcements.

There’s a whole lot of adventures ahead of you in parenthood, and it’s important that you know you’re not alone! Eat Play Say was created for moments like these.

Browse our blogs on feeding your newborn, catching their hunger cues, or even our favorite pacifiers for newborns. 

Need more support? We’re here for you. Chat with one of our child development experts in days, or check out our collection of handbooks created by our experts!

Sources

1. Anne H. Zachry, Katherine M. Kitzmann; Caregiver Awareness of Prone Play Recommendations. Am J Occup Ther January/February 2011, Vol. 65(1), 101–105. doi: https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2011.09100
2. Back to Sleep, Tummy to Play. Pediatric Patient Education 2022; 10.1542/peo_document285