Tummy time

When your baby is born and you take them home, a maternal and child health nurse visits you at your house after about a week to weigh and measure the baby and to ensure your house is set up for a baby.

The nurse explained to me that ‘tummy time’ is very important for all babies, as it helps them strengthen the muscles they need to sit up. Romily hated being placed on her tummy so I tended not to put her there very often or for long.

At her next check-up, the nurse asked how tummy time was going. I said Romily didn’t like it and the nurse suggested I get down on the floor with Romy so she could see me when she lifted up her head. I tried it and Romily liked it much better.

I also bought her a stand-up mirror so that she could look at herself when she lifted her big noggin up. She now thinks she’s pretty clever being able to see herself in the mirror!

I can now see why tummy time is so important. There’s no way Romily is strong enough to sit up at this stage but she gets so frustrated lying on her back all the time. So we’re doing a lot more tummy time now and she’s getting much stronger and better at it. You will have seen from the previous update that she has worked out how to roll from tummy to back. I think learning to roll from back to tummy is some time off yet!