Tummy time

chase  ·  Thu, Aug 27, 2015

For those who don’t know (which included me until recently), tummy time isn’t just about infants being on their bellies and looking cute. It’s actually one important way for them to develop the muscles they need to crawl and to lift their giant heads. It’s like physical therapy.

So I felt only a little bit cruel today when I rolled Milo onto her belly and watched her struggle — as newborns instinctively do, evidently — to writhe her way forward. Where was she going? She certainly did not know, as she currently can’t see objects more than 10 inches away, and in any case she mostly had her eyes closed. But whatever it was, she was determined to get to it, and when I gave her a helping hand under the pads of her feet, she moved!

I’m not embarrassed to say that a few moments later, I had arranged myself in an odd-looking side-lying position with the top of my foot now serving as the backplane for her to kick off of, so that my head and hands could be in front of her, guiding her toward me with snaps and claps and cheers of encouragement. I was starting block, finish line, and coach all in one; Milo was my bulbous, awkward, diapered athlete, and I’m happy to report that she won.