Tummy time is a colloquialism for placing infants in the prone position while awake and supervised to encourage development of the neck and trunk muscles and prevent skull deformations.[1][2][3]
In 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended babies sleep on their backs to prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Although the rate of SIDS has decreased by 50% since the Safe to Sleep campaign started in 1994,[4] an unintended consequence was that babies missed out on the twelve or so hours they used to spend in the prone position while asleep, and there was a sharp increase in plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome) in infants.[2] Along with tummy time, rotating the direction infants lie in their cribs as well as avoiding too much time in car seats, carriers, and bouncers are behaviors recommended to alleviate the associated risks of infants sleeping in a supine position.
- ^ "Babies Need Tummy Time!". Safe to Sleep, US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
- ^ a b Laughlin, J.; Luerssen, T. G.; Dias, M. S.; Committee On Practice Ambulatory Medicine (2011). "Prevention and Management of Positional Skull Deformities in Infants". Pediatrics. 128 (6): 1236–41. doi:10.1542/peds.2011-2220. PMID 22123884.
- ^ "Doctor Finds Success In Treating Infants With Flat-Head Syndrome". CBS Los Angeles. April 30, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2013.
- ^ "Back to Sleep Public Education Campaign". National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. March 23, 2010.