Effects of access to a stimulating object on infant behavior during tummy time.
Keep a favorite toy within reach during tummy time to cut crying and keep babies lifting their heads longer.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team watched babies during tummy time.
They gave each baby a favorite toy the whole time.
Then they counted how long the baby held his head up and how much he cried.
What they found
When the toy stayed in reach, crying dropped.
Head-lift time grew.
One simple toy made tummy time easier for every baby.
How this fits with other research
Koegel et al. (2014) tried the same free-toy trick at meal-time.
It helped most kids, but one child actually acted worse.
The mixed result warns us that free toys do not always help; the baby’s own needs matter.
Critchfield et al. (2003) gave free food instead of toys and also cut mouthing.
Together these studies show that free, liked stimuli can calm different behaviors across ages, yet the setting and the child can change the outcome.
Why it matters
You can hand a preferred toy to any baby who hates tummy time.
No extra steps, no data sheets.
If crying stops and head lifting grows, the toy is working.
If not, try a different stimulus or check for other causes, just like L et al. found.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Place the baby’s preferred rattle or soft book on the mat before starting tummy time and leave it there for the whole period.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Placing infants in a prone position for "tummy time" often is recommended to ensure appropriate infant development and to combat the effects associated with infants spending extended periods of time in a supine position. However, tummy time may be associated with inappropriate infant behavior such as crying and noncompliance. We provided continuous access to a preferred stimulus to decrease negative vocalizations and to increase the duration of an infant's head being elevated during tummy time.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2012 · doi:10.1901/jaba.2012.45-395