Tummy time without the tears: The impact of parent positioning and play
Chest-to-chest tummy time with a toy lets moms cut infant crying and boost head lift without extra equipment.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked moms to do chest-to-chest tummy time while holding a small toy near their face.
Each mom tried the new hold during normal play at home.
Researchers counted how often the baby cried and how long the baby lifted its head.
What they found
Most babies cried less and held their head up longer when mom used the chest-to-chest hold with a toy.
Moms said the method felt easy and helpful.
The study shows a simple parent trick can replace fancy equipment.
How this fits with other research
Hickey et al. (2024) later showed a 20-minute online video can teach parents a different infant skill, proving parent training can be digital.
Pelaez et al. (2011) first showed that when moms copy baby sounds right away, babies vocalize more; the tummy-time study uses the same quick-response idea but targets motor skills instead of sounds.
Neimy et al. (2020) also had moms play at home and saw big gains in at-risk babies, matching the positive home-based results seen here.
Why it matters
You can teach parents to cut crying and boost head control with zero extra gear.
Show caregivers the chest-to-chest hold plus toy prompt during your next visit.
One small change in how they place the baby gives two gains: happier tummy time and stronger neck muscles.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that infants spend supervised time in the prone (tummy) position to foster motor development and prevent cranial deformities. However, infants may not tolerate the position, and consequently, caregivers may avoid placing their infants in the prone position. The AAP recommends that caregivers provide toys or interaction during tummy time. We evaluated the individual and combined effects of a play mat and experimenter interaction on negative vocalizations and head elevation during tummy time-positive effects were limited. Next, we evaluated a parent-led intervention wherein mothers interacted with their infants, using a toy, while lying chest-to-chest. This intervention was associated with a reduction in negative vocalizations and an increase in head elevation for the majority of infants. Additionally, mothers rated the effectiveness of the parent-led intervention more favorably than the experimenter-led intervention, suggesting the effects of the parent-led intervention were also socially valid.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2020 · doi:10.1002/jaba.715