Side and Back Time are Important Too!
Most of this website speaks to "tummy time" because it's a popular instruction given to parents, and indeed it is important. But let's reframe it. Comfort lying on all four "sides" (back, tummy, and both sides) is what's ultimately important! Movement (in other words, life) is 3-dimensional and dynamic!
It is greatly important to experience all sides--for midline, balance, proprioception ("where I am in relation to gravity"), spatial awareness, preparation for falling, and milestones like independent sitting. The back, tummy, and both sides are all important surfaces to know.
"From birth it is important to lay infants in all positions in relation to gravity, including on their belly, on their back, and on each side. On their belly as with all animals, infants develop a deep sense of their relationship to the earth and the strength and knowledge of how to move in response to gravity. On their back they discover their relationship to the endless space of heaven and the ability to reach and take hold of that which is beyond their immediate world of existence. Sidelying forms the bridge between the front and back of the body--between the awareness of gravity and space."
--Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen/SBMC
Tummy Time? Yes, it is important. But there's something even more important: comfort lying on all four sides (tummy, back, and both sides).
Wgt shift
(More coming soon!)
