Check out a few of our favorite toys for tummy time!
*This post may contain affiliate links. Read more.
These days, babies are spending lots of time on their backs and not enough time on their tummies! Modern families are usually on the go, toting baby along for the ride in a carrier, car seat, or stroller. Because of this, we see many children in physical and occupational therapy who spent little or no time on their tummies as babies. Tummy Time is unbelievably important in supporting healthy child development.
Why is tummy time important?
Allowing your little one to spend time playing on his tummy promotes upper body strengthening, laying the foundation for the development of strong fine motor skills.
Tummy Time contributes to the development of healthy sensory processing by providing tactile and proprioceptive input. Babies also get the benefits of looking and reaching for desired items that are positioned out in front of them when they are positioned on their tummies – early practice with eye hand coordination.
No doubt about it, pediatric therapists LOVE Tummy Time! But babies? Not so much. Many babies resist being placed in this position for the same reason many adults resist going to the gym – it’s hard work!! Never fear, there are lots of awesome toys and products on the market that can make Tummy Time a whole lot more bearable – and even fun! – for babies. Here are just a few of our favorites!
5 Awesome Toys for Tummy Time
1 || Biddy Belly Giraffe
We love that this awesome toy was developed by a physical therapist! The cute giraffe gets your baby in the perfect anatomical position and alignment for tummy time and for promoting that all important baby “push-up” that you see the little one doing in this picture! It also has interchangeable toys that squeak, rattle and crinkle!
2 || Baby Einstein Activity Center
What baby wouldn’t be fascinated by this cool musical toy? With it’s flashing lights and fun music, this toy is the perfect way to distract your little one from the work she is doing to strengthen those postural muscles!
This gem by Neurosmith has over a million different musical combinations and will definitely be a toy that can grow with your child. For tummy time, place it in front of him and press the blocks to make sounds while he enjoys the colorful blocks. The blocks are removable so your kiddo can also rearrange them to create different sounds. As your child gets bigger, this is also a fabulous toy to reinforce shapes, colors, and sequencing.
4 || Tiny Love Tummy Time Fun Activity Mat
This play mat combines a cushion similar to the Boppy Pillow with lots of fun and distracting things to look at! Babies will love looking at and reaching for the mirror and teethers that come with the mat as they get all of the amazing benefits of Tummy Time!
5 || Boppy Pillow Tummy Time Pillow
Nursing moms can’t live without it and neither can we pediatric physical therapists! It truly is one of most versatile baby items on the market. Position your baby with his chest propped up on the pillow and place one of the fantastic toys described above in front of him. Or get yourself down on the floor at his eye level and talk or sing to him. This one is great for encouraging head and back extension!
We’re so excited to be collaborating with a big group of therapy bloggers on this Tummy Time Blog Hop! Below you will find all the posts in the hop. So many great ideas and thoughts on tummy time from Occupational Therapists and Physical Therapists. Check them all out and read on to hear about 5 of our favorite toys to use during tummy time!
The Importance of Tummy Time for Babies – Golden Reflections Blog
Tummy Time & Baby’s First Year – The Recycling OT
5 Awesome Toys for Tummy Time! – The Inspired Treehouse
Terrific Tummy Time Positions – Your Kids OT
Tips For Tummy Time From A Physical Therapist – Pink Oatmeal
Tummy Time : The Basics – Therapy Fun Zone
Tummy Time: Developmental Consequences & Future Implications – Tools to Grow, Inc.
Tummy Time Tips – Pedatric OT Tips
Tummy Time Isn’t Just For Babies – Your Therapy Source
Tummy Time – More Than Just A Buzz Word – Starfish Therapies
Tummy Time Never Gets Old – Playapy Platform
Latest posts by Lauren Drobnjak (see all)
- Signs of Weak Core Muscles in Babies and Toddlers - September 22, 2023
- What Causes Poor Core Strength in Kids? - September 11, 2023
- 12, 15, & 18 Month Old Milestones Red Flags (& Free Checklist) - September 5, 2023
With havin so much content do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright infringement?
My blog has a lot of unique content I’ve either authored myself or outsourced but it looks like
a lot of it is popping it up all over the web without my authorization.
Do you know any techniques to help protect against content
from being stolen? I’d definitely appreciate it.
Great ideas about child development. I really appreciate it.I hope kids are enjoying this. I will apply it on my kid. Thanks for the sharing such a great ideas.
You are right, educational and interesting games at this age are very important. I think it is very important not to overload the child with an abundance of such things. After all, now the market offers us 100 games and gadgets that can help your child in development, but sometimes it just needs to be left alone:))
Incredible post. I am impressed a lot with your child development ideas. I am sure that it can be helpful for parents to take control of their kids at early ages. Thanks for these great ideas.
It’s really hard to choose the best toy for baby. But this article is really a great helping for me. Thank you for sharing it.
Outstanding stuff written for the parents whos want to buy toys for babies. Highly recommended this article before buying toys for the babies.
Love this great reading of Child development. These are really awesome toys of baby to keep them busy. Thank you for sharing this idea.
Beautiful choice! I always try to read the reviews before buying something. You too? Perfect, with lots of information, for me expert.bestazy site, everything fits my requirements, whether it’s products for children or home appliances!
this is very interesting and useful article for all new mother,s .all children very happy and enjoy these tummy toys.. i really enjoy to this article thanks for sharing this useful article.. this article is very useful for me
These toys are too good for babies . world demand for these ,because many mother go for jobs so i think their babies feel comfortable by using this .
Thanks sharing this article
Thanks sharing this article
this is a very interesting and useful article for all new mothers,s .all children are very happy and enjoy these tummy toys. I really enjoy this article thanks for sharing this useful article..
This looks so cute and is a lovely music toy for a child. I like it.
this is a very interesting and useful article for all new mothers,s .all children are very happy and enjoy these tummy toys. I enjoy this article thanks for sharing this useful article.
this is really a good article for those who are going to buy toys for their baby, highly recommended this article before going to buy toys. thanks for sharing its really helpful.