Cierra Cain, OTR/L



It seems as if babies either love tummy time or hate it. If your baby hates lying on their belly during tummy time, try using a bag of rice. Wait…a bag of rice? During tummy time? Yes! Check out this post for a unique tip that could be a game changer for your infant during tummy time!

What is tummy time?

Tummy time is a term used for placing infant children in the prone position (on belly) while awake and supervised to encourage the development of the neck and trunk muscles and prevent deformations. Typically a lot of weight is shifted toward the baby’s upper chest and head and not much weight is in the belly and pelvis, especially when babies are very young and just beginning tummy time. Some babies are fine with this and will lay with their cheek down, briefly and occasionally lifting and turning the head to the other side, but generally content for a few minutes.

However, there are babies who are less “at ease” when lying on the belly.

There are many ways to modify tummy time to make it more tolerable for some babies. One way is to shift some of that weight down the baby’s body toward the belly and pelvis so that not as much weight is resting on the upper chest and head. You can do this by gently anchoring baby’s hips/pelvis (placing both thumbs together with hands around hips and giving slight pressure). This is also a great way to encourage babies older than 3-4 weeks old who don’t lift the head during tummy time.

How can you use a bag of rice?

For many babies who struggle to find comfort in tummy time your gentle, responsive hands work best at anchoring them to shift the weight. In some cases, though, a bag of rice can be used to guide you in how much anchoring to provide. It’s as simple as placing a small bag of rice on your baby’s hips/pelvis (like in the anchoring method mentioned above). Using a bag of rice for anchoring allows you to have a few minutes in a face-to-face position with your baby, which may also make tummy time more enjoyable for your little one.

This activity is helpful for babies older than 3-4 weeks (be sure to adjust for prematurity) who aren’t yet lifting their heads regularly during tummy time or are struggling to find ease and comfort in the belly-down position.

Using a bag of rice is fine to continue until the baby starts to roll and pivot during tummy time, but the benefits are lessened as the baby learns to press into his/her arms to lift the chest. Naturally, at this point, weight shifts back to the pelvis so your help isn’t needed.

If you have questions or concerns about your baby during tummy time or otherwise, our therapists would be glad to help! To set up an evaluation, you can contact our office by phone at 859-353-3666, and you can find more information about the services we offer on our website.