Article
There are many benefits of back lying for your baby, as well as fun activities that you can do to offer stimulation and development.
Back lying encourages midline control of your baby’s body. Baby’s head, hands and feet are able to come actively to the centre of her body. By lifting feet up and touching them, your baby activates her tummy muscles – which is important for rolling, sitting and crawling. By reaching hands to feet, your baby becomes aware of her body parts, she learns to reach actively and this stimulates her tummy muscles.
Here are a few fun activities you can do with your baby during back lying:
- Sit on the floor with your back resting against a wall or couch. Lift your knees up and place baby, on her back, in your lap with her head against your knees. Kiss her hands, clap them together, touch them against your clothing or against her own hair or tummy. Play with her feet in the same way, encouraging sensory and body awareness.
- Place baby on the floor in back lying and encourage her to reach up towards your face or a favourite toy. This encourages midline control of the head and eye-hand coordination.
- Place your baby (from 4 months) on her back on the floor and attach a rattle to her foot. Encourage her to lift her legs up off the ground and reach for her feet.
- While lying on her back in the cot, let her kick at a few objects attached to a bungee cord which has been strung across her cot.
When changing your baby’s nappy, massage her feet and legs. In this back lying position, encourage her to take hold of one of her feet in her hands.
