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Too little tummy time may delay infants

Physical therapists warn about babies spending all their time on backs

Reuters

updated 3:53 p.m. CT, Thurs., Aug. 14, 2008

Infants who spend too much time on their backs have an increased risk

of developing a misshapen head along with certain developmental

delays, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) warns in a

statement issued this month.

Infants need " tummy time " while they are awake to develop properly,

the APTA notes.

The 1992 " Back to Sleep " campaign, which educated parents on the

importance of putting their infants to sleep on their backs, rather

than their stomachs, led to a dramatic reduction in the number of

deaths from sudden infant death syndrome

" As a result though, new parents were afraid to put their babies on

their bellies at all, even when awake, " Colleen Coulter-O'Berry, a

physical therapist at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta noted in an

interview with Reuters Health.

" I see new parents all the time that, by 4 months of age, have never

put their babies on their bellies because they are afraid the baby is

going to suffocate, " she said.

The combination of babies sleeping on their backs, as well as spending

long periods of time in infant carriers that double as car seats, puts

pressure on the head, which can flatten the skull, she explained.

" As a result, we've seen an alarming increase in skull deformation, "

Coulter-O'Berry said.

Babies who do not get enough time on their tummies can also develop

tight neck muscles or neck muscle imbalance — a condition known as

torticollis. " If a baby doesn't get early tummy time, they don't push

up on their elbows, they don't get their heads up and looking around,

and they don't gain strength in their neck and back muscles, " she

explained.

" Increasing the amount of time your baby lies on his or her tummy

promotes muscle development in the neck and shoulders; helps prevent

tight neck muscles and the development of flat areas on the back of

the baby's head; and helps build the muscles baby needs to roll, sit,

and crawl, " Coulter-O'Berry added.

She said 90 percent of children with torticollis also have changes in

their head shape.

Her message to new parents: " Don't be afraid to put your baby on their

tummy for short periods of time while they are awake. After a nap,

diaper change or feeding, roll the baby onto his or her stomach and

encourage the infant to find, focus, and follow your face or a toy

with their eyes looking up. "

The football hold, where the baby's belly is facing down in the palm

of the hand and the baby is looking up, is another good way to get

extra tummy time, she said.

Coulter-O'Berry is co-author of " Tummy Time Tools " — a brochure that

provides caregivers ideas and activities to ensure that babies get

enough tummy time. It is available on the APTA web site.

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