Baby’s Tummy Time And A Few Life Lessons For Me

Tummy time for babies: What can it possibly teach? A lot more than one can imagine! A mother recounts her lessons.

One of the things that you hear from your new born’s pediatrician most probably during your first visit is to give the baby some tummy time daily. To elaborate, tummy time refers to placing the baby on its tummy for some time and has numerous benefits. It gives the baby a new view. In fact, to make it more effective, you can lie down beside the little one with your face pressed against the bed so that the baby can see your face in proximity. This also helps bonding.

Apart from this, it helps strengthens the baby’s muscles at the back which will help the baby roll over, crawl and sit at a later stage.  Of course, this entire activity has to be done under adult supervision at all times.

I recalled how anxious she was when we placed her on her tummy for the first time. It was something new for her, the view she was so used to, lying on her back was now different. She looked a bit scared and confused but slowly got used to it and then started enjoying it for short periods at least. Finally, she mustered enough energy to turn herself on her tummy one fine day. And lo and behold! Wasn’t she thrilled about it?

Now that she had emerged victorious in the first lap, she became confident to try something new, let’s raise our head and get a better view of what’s around us. She did that too after some struggling and now she coolly lifts her head and amuses herself with different sights each day. I’m certain she’ll try out the next stage of sitting/crawling very soon. It is said that all these are milestones which all babies naturally progress through. It set me thinking, what about us adults?

Isn’t our story so similar to baby’s tummy time? We become so comfortable in our little cocoon that we hesitate to get out of it. Be it our job, our set of friends, family life, hobbies or anything else; over time, we get so complacent that we do not want to step out of this comfort zone. Just like the baby was happy lying on its back, remember!

How willing are we to take risks which may dynamically alter our life’s course?

Never miss real stories from India's women.

Register Now

Comments