13 activities to make Tummy Time super Fun (Even for mom!)

Tummy time is super important for development, but what do you do if your baby doesn’t seem to like it? What if you are bored of just laying him on a blanket?

Everyone tells you you have to do tummy time but no one tells you how to make it fun.

If they put your face down on a blanket all day long, would you get bored too? Right! Me too!

Tummy time activities don’t have to be boring… and I’m going to show you how.

So it’s about time someone shares fun and creative ways to make this important activity fun for both you and baby.

Read on and scroll to the end to get the Tummy Time Guide for free and get even more tips and ideas to implement tummy time throughout your daily routine, find out how much tummy time your baby should be doing and more…

let’s get started!

tummy time activities Even Mom will Enjoy

tummy Time Doesn’t Always have to be On the floor

That’s right, mama! There are many ways you can do tummy time besides the floor. Tummy time activities can also be done while out of the home.

Chin up butterfly

Sit on a recliner and put your baby on your set, just far enough low that she will need to lift her head to see your beautiful face.

That my dear is probably your baby’s favorite tummy time position.

you can also put the baby in your forearm and support their body to keep them balanced and secure. They will love to lift their head and explore what is going on in the room around them.

little caterpillar

Sit on the floor and extend your one of your legs out. Put your baby over the leg so she is propped up. She will still want to know what’s going on around her so she will try to lift her head to see what’s going on. That movement is tummy time!

Shake around few toys or rattles she can play with as she practices this time.

another variation of this position is to bend your knees and out your baby over them with their legs on your belly. They are going to want to move around and lift their head to see what’s going on in the room, explore sounds and shadows and be part of what is happening in the house.

beach baby

Next time you go to the dollar store grab a beach ball! Prop your baby right over it, with the beach ball a little bit deflated for better support.
Rock your baby front to back and side to side, she not only will love this position but it also helps out with colic. ( Tummy Time Fun Activities can be found on Fun Under 1 Activity book for babies)

Blanket Support

This was my son’s favorite position. Roll up a blanket under the armpits to prop your baby off the floor. This will be way more comfortable and still allow the opportunity to practice tummy time.

Sensory Play ideas For Tummy Time

I know you are sleep deprived but this is great for those days where you have more energy to prepare activities. Sensory play is a fun way to practice tummy time.

Prepare a few activities you can lay on the floor to work on eye tracking, eye-hand coordination, hearing stimulation, sensory tactile stimulation and more.

Here are a few ideas we have used to give you some inspiration.

Water Play

Use a shallow tray with some colored water (we used two drops of food coloring to make this blue water). Add some bath toys and let your little one splash.

The photo shows the water in a separate container as we were preparing the material but dump the water on the tray for playtime.

Easter Basket

During this class we were in spring so Easter was just around the corner. I decided to prepare an Easter egg hunt with some egg maracas and crinkled paper usually found in the gift packaging isle.

Shake the eggs in front of your baby and let her explore the sounds, colors and texture in front of her.

Sound discovery Basket

this sensory tray wa a made up of things that were colorful and made noises. We had colored rice leftover from a Valentines activity in a mason jar, colored buttons sensory bottle, wooden egg maraca, rainbow wand with bells.

Show your baby each of the items and show her how different sounds each one make. let her explore the objects by rolling and tracking as they move.

Texture Discovery Basket

this basket was created using objects found around the house. A silk scarf with a teething wood ring, a wooden duck, a teething ring, and some large pom-poms.

The objective was to find different objects that had different textures when touched. They also have bright purple colors to call baby’s attention to the tray.

Offer the tray and let your baby explore each one. Take the silk scar out of the ring and play peek-a-boo.

Holiday themed Discovery baskets

babies don’t have to miss out on the holidays. You can go to your local dollar store or superstore like Walmart or Target and find baby safe items to make a holiday basket.

This basket was a Valentine’s basket and it had a lot of shiny objects. I found a sequence pillow to play with textures and a shiny garland with hearts.The metal rings from the garland made a nose when tapped against the tray. I just made sure those were not put in their mouth.

I also added a sensory bottle to work on eye and visual tracking and another one with rocks and hearts made out of felt to work on some sounds play.

so next time when you have a holiday go see what you fun items you can find for a holiday themed basket.

Hello hello I see me

Around 2 months baby start being very attracted to facial expressions. A mirror is a fun activity to use and start practicing body parts.

Point to different parts of his body and face as he plays around with the mirror. Also, let him have some independent play as he analyzes and explore what he sees.

Texture Boardwalk

Create a series of tummy time bags and secure them to the floor with duct tape. Let your little one explore each one.

You should aim for each bag to have a different texture. Our busy bags here had:

• colored rice – for a hard and colorful texture
• shaving cream with paint – so it could get mixed as being pressed and moved around
• pom-poms – enough to be able to move around safely- as some could be too small if players without the bag.

DIY shakers and Sensory Bottles

just like the discovery theme baskets you can also do a theme when creating shakers and Sensory bottles.

sensory bottles are usually any time inside full of water and glue or soap so that the elements inside slowly move around when tipped.

As you can see tummy time can be a lot of fun! Now you can get creative ideas and make this important exercise a fun one. If you haven’t yet already done so, go ahead and download the free Tummy Time Guide for even more ideas and tips to make this an enjoyable experience