Tummy time by age: a 0 to 6 month chart, and what to do if your baby hates it

At least 30 minutes a day, spread across the day while your baby is awake. That's the Australian guideline for babies who aren't yet moving around on their own.¹ It doesn't happen in one go. The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne suggests starting with 1 to 2 minutes at a time, then building up to 10 to 15 minutes at least three times a day by around 4 months.²

The minutes add up faster than you'd think, because tummy time doesn't have to happen on the floor. Tummy-down on your chest counts, and so does across your lap or over your arm.²

Many babies build up to 10 to 15 minutes at a time somewhere between 2 and 4 months.²⁵ Use the chart as a guide, not a test: every baby builds up at their own pace, and some days go better than others.

From birth. The Royal Children's Hospital says tummy time can safely start from birth,² and Red Nose Australia agrees, as long as your baby is awake, not too tired and watched by an adult.⁴ In the first weeks, the easiest place to start is on you.

Start somewhere easier than the floor, keep each go short, and do it often. It's normal for young babies to be unhappy on their tummy: their heads are heavy, and lifting them is hard work.² Babies born early, and babies with bigger heads, often find it harder still.² These all help:

• Use your body: chest to chest, across your lap and tummy-down over your arm all count as tummy time.²
• Roll up a towel: a small rolled towel under the chest, with the arms forward, takes some of the load.² Only use it while your baby is awake and you're watching.⁵
• Lend a hand: gently pressing down on your baby's bottom makes it easier for them to lift their head.²
• Get down to their level: babies love watching your face, so lie down in front of them.⁵
• Give them something to look at: a baby-safe mirror or a rattle in front of them works well.²³
• Pick the time: after a nappy change, bath or nap, and not straight after a feed.²⁵ With reflux, leave 20 to 30 minutes after a feed, and keep going with tummy time.²
• Stop before the tears: when your baby gets tired, roll them onto their back for a break and try again later.⁸ Little and often adds up.

If your baby still isn't getting better at tummy time after 6 to 8 weeks of age, or keeps bringing up milk on their tummy, see your GP or child and family health nurse.²⁸ If they always turn their head the same way when lying on their back, the Royal Children's Hospital suggests seeing a children's physiotherapist, your nurse or a doctor.⁹ A favourite side often means a tight neck, and a paediatric physio can help with that.⁹ Our guide to why babies always turn their head to one side covers the signs.

Yes. In a review of 16 studies with 4,237 babies, tummy time was linked with better motor development and with preventing a flat back of the head (brachycephaly). The link with a flat spot on one side was less clear.¹⁰ In a New Zealand study, babies with a flat spot were more likely to have had less than 5 minutes of tummy time a day in their first 6 weeks.¹¹ A Dutch study of babies at 7 weeks found the same pattern: tummy time fewer than three times a day was one of eight factors linked with flattening.¹² If the flattening is right across the back of the head, our guide to brachycephaly covers what helps most, and when.

No, not on its own. Tummy time takes the pressure off the back of the head while your baby is on their tummy. But most of your baby's day is spent asleep, on their back, with the weight on the back of the head.

Back sleeping is right for every baby, and babies sleep a lot: 14 to 17 hours a day at 0 to 3 months, and 12 to 16 hours at 4 to 11 months, including naps.¹ Even with every waking minute off the back of the head, a baby under 3 months still spends 14 to 17 hours a day lying on it. That's more than half of every day.

In real life, the waking hours aren't all pressure-free either. The guideline is at least 30 minutes of tummy time a day,¹ which leaves 6.5 to 9.5 waking hours for a baby under 3 months. Plenty of those are spent lying back as well: in the capsule, the bouncer, the pram or on the play mat.

That's why a flat spot that's already showing needs more than tummy time. Flat spots usually get more obvious until about 4 months,¹³ so if you can see one now, don't wait to see whether tummy time sorts it out. Keep tummy time going for strength and for the neck, book a paediatric physio, especially if there's a favourite side, and take the pressure off the flat spot where your baby spends the most hours: in the cot.

That's what the Perfect Noggin is for.

The Perfect Noggin is a contoured head shaping surface designed by paediatric craniofacial surgeon Dr Gary Rogers. It's shaped with a recessed cup for the back of the head, which takes the weight off the flat spot, so your baby's head naturally grows back into that space. It works whichever way your baby turns, with no repositioning, so it doesn't fight a favourite side. Your physio works on the neck. The Perfect Noggin keeps working overnight and through day sleeps.

Safety comes first in the design. It's firm and near flat, with no loose parts and nothing strapped in, so your baby is free to move their head. A version designed for premature babies was found feasible and safe in a hospital study, with no device-related adverse events reported.¹⁴ Once your baby starts rolling from back to tummy, or reaches an adjusted age of 6 months, use it supervised only (watching on a video monitor counts), and stop once they're rolling regularly. It isn't suitable for babies with craniosynostosis. If your baby has severe reflux, breathing or heart problems, or bone or joint abnormalities, check with your paediatrician first.

Most parents see a visible difference within 6 to 8 weeks of consistent use. Results vary. Count back from rolling and the maths is simple: most babies start rolling between 4 and 6 months, so every week of waiting is a week less of use. For babies 1 to 3 months, the 12-week hire ($360, about $30 a week) covers the weeks that count most. For babies 4 to 6 months, the 6-week hire ($270) takes a 4-month-old to about 5.5 months, and you can extend in 2 or 4-week blocks if you need longer. Both include free delivery and return in Australia. Or buy new for $450 and it's yours to keep.