Why is it so important for infants to explore movements while lying on their backs?
When you look at new born babies, doesn’t it always amaze you how they love to curl their little bodies into a bundle, tucking their arms and legs together as if they are hugging themselves.
This flexion pattern which is prominent at birth allows babies to bring their hands to their mouth. You can see this in action in this 4D ultrasound video of a fetus sucking its thumb while inside the mother’s womb. (at 0:50)
Nature dictates that mature babies are born with a more prominent muscle tone in their flexors, the muscles used to curl their body up and bend their arms and legs, and for good reason.
This flexion pattern supports infants to develop the ability over time to:
- bend their head towards their chest to look into their parent’s eyes and eventually lift their head up
- bring their arms in front of their body
- hold a toy in their hands
- play with toys with both hands
- touch their feet with their hands
- bring their feet towards their mouth
These movement activities enable infants to feel how different parts of their back come into contact with the floor. In the process, they learn how to pivot themselves on their back which prepares infants for developing the skills needed to roll over.
When an infant gains enough control of their abdominal muscles with the practice of wriggling their body while on their back, they eventually figure out how to roll onto their sides.
Rolling is initially a (positive) mistake that happens as a result of an infant losing their balance on their backs while exploring movement, or reaching for a toy just slightly out of reach.
As infants continue to develop, they gradually learn to push with their legs to lift their buttocks up thereby connecting the muscular action of their legs with that of their lower back, preparing them for walking later on.
Now that you understand some of the benefits of leaving babies on their backs and how it provides the opportunity for infants to explore and develop their problem solving skills, this will offer you a slightly different perspective.
Hopefully this will challenge you to re-examine the common recommendation of ‘Tummy Time’ for babies to strengthen their back muscles!
What about children who are faced with special challenges as a result of cerebral palsy, stroke and other illness that affect their ability to do what typical healthy babies do?
In my next issue, we will discuss the effects of ‘Tummy Time’ on these children along with some practical tools that will help support them to bridge this gap.
Until next time,
