Importance of Tummy Time
Until recent years, doctors used to ok the practice of placing babies on their bellies to sleep. Having so much time on their bellies, babies would learn easily to lift their heads, push themselves up, and roll over. All which are the basics of later actions such as sitting, crawling and standing.

However, when it was discovered that having a baby sleeping on his back reduced the occurrence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in babies, tummy sleeping became a no-no, and tummy time became very popular. It is important that a baby has time on his belly in order to strengthen his neck muscles, and work on the essential developmental milestones. 

Enjoying Tummy Time
Unfortunately, not all babies enjoy tummy time. Many times your baby will cry as soon as you place him on his belly, fighting this time when he is supposed to learn. He won’t embrace the concept of playing, and will instead just want to be held. This time may get frustrating for you as a parent, but it is important to not let your frustrations show.

First, let your baby think it is no big deal. Introduce tummy time as a new game; something fun that your baby can do. Remember that your baby’s attention span is very short, so as soon as he starts fussing, showing he is bored, pick him up cuddle him.

Second, get down on the floor with your baby. You can sit on one side of him, opposite of his face and call to him, encouraging him to turn his head to face you. You can even lie down on your belly next to your baby and talk to him, keeping your face between 8 and 12 inches away so you know he can see you.

Third, applaud when your baby reaches a milestone. Children, even this young, thrive on praise. Whether your baby is lifting and turning his head, or rolling over for the first time, let him know you are proud of his accomplishment.

The best time to start getting your child accustomed to tummy time is when they are first home from the hospital. Before they get too used to any one way of “being”, whether that be in a swing, on their backs, or in your arms. Starting your baby with even 15 minutes of tummy time a day when you bring them home is sure to make both of your lives easier down the road.

The diaper changing battles generally start not because your baby doesn’t want his butt cleaned or doesn’t want you to change his diaper, but because he is getting bigger and there are bigger and better things he can be doing. Your baby isn’t just lying there anymore, he can now roll, sit and possibly crawl which have all opened up a whole new world to him. He has toys and things to do that are much more exciting than a diaper change, so he figures there is no reason to take a time out!

Diaper changing battles however can become very frustrating for mom and dad. It adds a whole new factor to diapering as now you have to try to use one hand to hold your baby down, leaving you just one hand to do all the dirty work. At times you may have to use both hands to keep your baby from rolling and to lie still so that you can do what should be a 10 second job.

Since your baby is moving so much, it is very important that you stay right there with your baby and keep a hand on him at all times. Your baby could easily fall off the table at this point and it would happen faster than you could react. You may want to start changing your baby’s diapers on a pad on the floor so that you know your baby will be safe and won’t be able to get hurt.

To encourage your baby to lay still and let you change his diaper, offer him a special toy that he can play with during diaper time, or bring his favorite toy, that he is playing with already, with you when possible. Sometimes a little distraction is all you need in order to quickly and smoothly get through the diaper change.

If worse comes to worse and you just can’t get your baby to lie still, let him have a little freedom. Five minutes of sitting, crawling, walking or even running around in his birthday suit will not hurt your baby. This amount of freedom to do what he wants may help him settle down easier when you do decide to put the diaper back on. Just stay near him so if he has an accident you can quickly clean it up, or if you can tell he is about to go that you can quickly lie him on a diaper.

Remember, the diaper changing battles won’t last forever. After a while your baby will realize that all he has to do is lay still and let you do your job and he will be back up and playing with his favorite toys faster than when he fights you. Eventually your nice, easy and quiet diaper changes will come back and the battles will be fewer and farer in between.

Your Baby Is Lifting His Head!
Some baby’s are born with neck muscles strong enough to lift from birth. Many times you will first notice your baby lifting his neck when you cradle him on your chest in your hospital room. If your baby can not lift his head from birth, your pediatrician will probably not be concerned as it isn’t something that a baby SHOULD be able to do from the time they are born.

In order for your baby to strengthen those neck muscles he will need lost of tummy time. Whether he gets it on the floor or on your chest, tummy time is essential to your baby learning to lift his head. He will want to move and look around, and he will quickly learn that the way to do that is through turning his head. This is a great accomplishment that should be celebrated for your baby.

He Can Roll!
A baby’s first sense of independence is rolling over. At first he will only be able to roll over from one side to the other, but eventually he will be able to roll from front to back, and back to the front again. In most cases your baby will probably get bored with rolling over before he discovers that he can get somewhere by doing it, but once your baby is rolling easily, you should always be sure to be within arms reach so that he doesn’t get into something that could be dangerous for him.

Pushups!
At some point during time it will look like your baby is doing pushups. This may start in the first 3 months, however in many cases it doesn’t start till after your babies three month birthday. Your baby will discover his arms, and strengthen them during tummy time, eventually getting into a push up position where he looks like he is ready to go.

Pushups are an important step in your baby’s effort to learn to crawl which will come later. Your baby will also discover that they can roll over from a pushup position and may think that this is a blast. If your baby laughs, laugh along with him!

Toothless Grins
At some point during the first three months your baby’s gassy grins should lead way to full on, intentional smiles. These smiles will probably range from curved up lips to mouth wide-open grins that will melt your heart. For babies that have dimples, this is the time when they will really become noticeable.

Parents often wait for this, and consider it the biggest milestone of the first part of their baby’s life. You will notice recognition from your baby when he looks at you and grins so big that even the worst of days are made ok for mom and dad.

Belly Laughs
Shortly after your baby starts to smile, you should start to hear another noise coming from your baby. Following the grins come the giggles. The little chuckles that occur when you are playing with your baby, or when your baby hears you laugh is music to most parents’ ears. Even hearing mom or dad laugh can bring laughter to your baby’s mouth. As your baby perfects the giggling, it will turn into belly laughs that will be impossible to resist by anyone nearby. After all, laughter is contagious.

Coo Coo
It isn’t a bird outside of your window, it is your baby! Until now your baby’s only form of communication was to cry. Normally, during these first three months of life you baby will begin to make other noises that sound an awful lot like coos. Your baby will make these sounds when he is happy or wants your attention when you are near, hopefully cutting down on the crying that you hear everyday. When you respond to these sounds it will show your baby that they are doing something good, and your babies language will continue to develop over the next few months and years.

These milestones are generally done in the first three months, however it is best to remember that every baby is different and every baby reaches milestones at a different rate. If your baby seems ahead or behind his peers and you are concerned about it, be sure to ask his pediatrician during his next well-check.