Products That Make Tummy Time Fun

Tummy time is placing your baby on their stomach each day to spend time off the back of their head. Tummy time helps your baby develop the strength they need to look up, hold their own head, and eventually roll over and crawl.

Since you should be putting your baby down to sleep on their back until they can roll over by themselves, tummy time is important to balance out all the time spent sleeping on their back.

When should we start tummy time?

Start with placing your newborn on their tummy on a flat surface for 15 minutes per day with your newborn as soon as you can. Your baby may not like being on her tummy, but try to stick with it for as long as they can handle. Your baby won’t be able to hold their head up on their own for very long at first, so even starting with 5 minutes at a time, 3 times per day will be helpful.

Make sure you sit with your baby and play with them, try to make it fun for them. Never leave your baby by themselves during tummy time and make sure the surface is flat and sturdy.

What other kind of tummy time activities can we do?

Tummy time is not only good for your baby’s developing strength, but it also keeps them off the back of their head. Any activity you do that gets them off their back is good for their development.

Some suggestions besides simply laying them on their stomach to play:

Let your baby sleep chest to chest with you.
Cuddle and carry them in upright positions.
Let them nap in a baby carrier.
When they start turning their head, alternate which way their head lies when they sleep.
Try to avoid prolonged use of devices that puts weight on the back of their head such as rockers, swings, and carseats.
Adjust your feeding position so that you’re not letting them lie their preferred way each time.

The Best Tummy Time Products

It is not necessary to buy any special products for tummy time, but a play mat can make tummy time more fun and interesting for your baby.

You can find pillows, entertaining mats, activity centers and toys all geared towards making your baby enjoy the time they spend on their tummy every day.

Tummy Time Pillows

Tummy time pillows make it easy to support your baby and prop them up so they’re not lying on the back of their head.

Boppy Sea Explorers Tummy Time Pillow

Support your baby on their tummy with the fun baby-size version of the very popular Boppy nursing pillow.

Perfect size for tummy propping.
Comes with 2 removable toys.
The toy attachment rings let you place and attach toys and move them.

Comfort & Harmony Lounge Buddies Owl Infant Positioner

A cute owl to cradle your baby in a soft, comfy place to lounge.

Made of plush fabric and textures for your baby to interact with.
Perfect for infant lounging, tummy time, and then sitting up.
Machine washable.

Fisher-Price Playtime Tummy Wedge

A comfy and entertaining crescent-shaped wedge to help position and support your baby’s tummy.

It has a large crinkly elephant face and ears to play with on the top.
Includes 3 colorful activity toys that can be removed or linked.
Machine washable.

Tummy Time Mats

A lot of tummy time mats have tummy time pillows built in to them, as part of the full centre of activities to get them playing on their tummies.

Mamas & Papas Babyplay Tummy Time Play Mat

This brightly coloured cushion helps to encourage baby to lift their head, strengthen their neck, upper arm and chest muscles.

Packed full of fun activities including a peek-a-boo mirror and a baby safe mirror.
Features rattles, crinkles, hidden squeaker, teether, ribbon tags and textured fabric.
Easy to pack away and keep clean in a compact PVC bag.

Tiny Love Tummy Time Fun Activity Mat (Frog)

A soft, padded mat with plenty of attached toys, sounds, and sights to keep your baby entertained during tummy time.

The mat includes a built in tummy time pillow.
Attached toys inlcude a teether, a squeeze horn, and unbreakable mirror.
Adorable frog design.

Sassy Tummy Time Playmat

A soft, poly-filled mat that is machine washable and provides a soft surface for your baby to play.

Tummy time pillow included to prop baby up as they lay on their tummy.
Baby-safe mirror attached for your baby to gaze at themselves.
Attached toys to entertain your baby during tummy time.

Bright Starts Tummy Cruiser Play Mat

This soft, padded, car-shaped mat encourages tummy time play.

Removable prop pillow features fun ring rattle and teether key.
Activity dashboard features Steering wheel that clicks when turned, Baby safe mirror for self discovery and Crinkly glove box flap.

Activity Mats

Activity Mats are made for both tummy and back activities. Since they have more than one purpose, they last longer and hold your baby’s interest as they grow.

Fisher-Price 3-in-1 Convertible Car Gym

This convertible car themed gym encourages tummy play, and as your baby grows it converts to sit and drive.

8 movable activity toys: key clackers, hula hippo, jingling fuzzy die, lion rattle, toucan teether, skunk air freshener (vanilla scented), and steering wheel with music, lights and sounds and a mirror in the middle.
20 minutes of music and lights.

Infantino Twist and Fold Activity Gym (Vintage Boy)

This activity mat has a great vintage look, lots for your baby to look at, and a great design for packing up and porting.

Includes a plush prop-up pillow to support your baby during tummy time.
Includes 4 linkable plush toys.
Easy to fold and store with a twist.

Skip Hop Treetop Friends Activity Gym

This very popular activity gym has a lot of sights and textures and beautiful treetop themed color scheme.

Nature-inspired graphics and textures.
Multiple fabrics plus activities on the mat: crinkle leaves, squeaker flower and tree trunk baby safe mirror.
13 loops to hang toys low or high or on the mat.

Tiny Love Lights and Music Gymini Activity Gym

A bright colored made with interesting textures, music, and light-up flower petals.

Plays Classical music (Mozart)
Large mirror for tummy time play.
Plays music and lights when activated by you or your baby playing on the mat.

Toys for Tummy Time

The best toys for tummy time are toys that are designed to face your baby and hold their attention while they lie on their tummy. These are some ideas of popular toys that parents find useful to make tummy time fun.

Infantino Pat and Play Water Mat

A very cute and affordable fish tank to entertain during tummy time.

Six floating ocean creatures to pat around.
Fill with water and let the fun begin.
Characters float and move as baby bats and presses the mat.

Bright Starts Sit and See Floor Mirror (Safari)

This large baby-safe mirror is perfect for self-discovery during tummy time.

Colorful fabric frame with sweet characters.
Fun crinkle leaves.
Folds flat for easy storage and transport.

Lamaze Musical Inchworm

A very popular baby toy with bright colors that your baby can play with and lie on.

The head plays music when squeezed.
Includes ringing bells in the body and crinkly textures to explore and entertain.
Ruler lines on the stomach of the worm to measure your baby’s length.

Giantsuper Tummy Time Playboard with Art Cards

A flip and stand playboard with beautiful high-contrast illustrations of animals.

Stand has magnetic stops acts as an easel.
A reflective side on the back of the stand for your baby to gaze at their reflection.
Contains additional black-and-white art of everyday objects.

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