When baby lies on their tummy they have a chance to exercise the muscles needed for crawling,rolling over and walking.
Tummy time is also important for the development of the neck, back and trunk muscles.
According to most experts , you should let your baby spend short periods of time on their tummies from birth.
You can start by lying baby on your chest and move to short periods on the bed and finally on the floor to allow more movement.
Some parents find placing a pillow under baby or a wedge makes baby more comfortable during tummy time.
At about 1 month baby should be able to lit his head and move it from side to side when on tummy time.
Start with a minute or two and work your way up for as long as baby is comfortable after each nap, nappy change and feed.
At about 3 months baby should spend a total of about an hour doing tummy time throughout the day.
