The Importance Of Putting The Baby Face Down

The face-down position of the baby improves his fitness and helps him gain the skills he needs to become more independent. Read on to learn more.

The face-down baby grows stronger

When your child wakes up, lay him face down. This position will help him to strengthen the muscles of the shoulders, neck, arms and back.

Thanks to this posture, he will have the opportunity to obtain head control that will allow him to lift his head by himself. After that, he will use his hands to lift his chest up to get on all fours and crawl.

A position that allows him to observe the world

Lying face up, your child will have a very limited view of their surroundings. This way he will only be able to see what is in front of him and above his head.

On the other hand, when you lay the baby face down, he becomes stronger and stronger and has the possibility to broaden his field of vision.

He will observe everything around him and turn his head in any direction he wishes. In addition, he will turn around to place his head where his feet used to be and be able to see the things that were behind him before.

The face-down position of the baby stimulates him to be independent

If your baby can’t move on his own, he barely lifts his head and when you lift him you have to support him from behind the armpits like a baby, he will continue to depend on you.

Conversely, when he can hold himself face down for a while, he will learn that he doesn’t need you to reach out and grab the dolls that are away from him. This will be the beginning of its independence.

It stimulates the development of his gross motor skills

Place your child face down whenever you can to help develop their basic psychomotor skills. They are those that include the locomotion and mobility of the lower body and, specifically, of the legs.

By lying face down, your child will learn that by pushing lightly with his feet and making an effort with his forearms, he is able to drag himself as far as he wants. Then he will also understand that he can sit and crawl.

The importance of putting the baby face down

Place your baby face down several times a day. To prevent him from getting tired, lay him face down and sideways, and pick him up alternately.

As soon as he lifts his head, set three exercise times and spread them out throughout the day. Spend about 10 minutes on each of them.

The surface on which you lay it must be hard. The floor is the ideal place, because there is no danger of falling.

Place a blanket on the floor to avoid the cold, and put it on it for the time it will exercise.

But be careful: the moments dedicated to the activity must not represent a punishment for him.

If you put the baby upside down without paying attention to him, he will start crying disconsolately. For this reason, whenever the time comes to strengthen his little body, place toys and dolls of all kinds in front of him, in order to stimulate him.

You too will have to lie down and talk to him animatedly: so he will not feel under pressure and will be more motivated to raise his head.

At intervals, you can also lie face up and put it on your stomach. Being closer to you, he will complain less and, even if he may feel a little uncomfortable, he will smile at you.

Latest tips

If your baby starts crying when you put him face down and doesn’t stop until you pick him up, don’t lift him immediately. Even if it may seem cruel to you, you absolutely must not get used to maintaining this posture.

Wait at least a minute, take him in your arms to comfort him, stretch him out another minute and continue in this way until he stops crying. At this point, lengthen the time a little.

We believe it is important to tell you that  the moments dedicated to exercise should be kept away from feedings. This will prevent your child from regurgitating the food he has just ingested.

It is also recommended not to lie down when he is hungry, because in this case his discomfort will be very great. Find intermediate moments between the various times and make sure that these moments of exercise are useful and enjoyable.