Try to get in at least 15 minutes of tummy time four times per day.
Tummy time also helps avoid flattening on the back of the head. Spending time on their bellies while awake encourages infants to strengthen their neck, shoulder, arm and back muscles, which is necessary for head control and to roll, sit and crawl. Increase tummy time.Īnyone who’s ever been around a young baby is probably familiar with the importance of tummy time. If you notice your child’s head turned to one side or the other when in the car seat or stroller, gently turn it to the center. Once they have good head control, babies can be placed facing away from the adult who’s carrying them. Front carriers can be used for babies who are too small to hold their heads up on their own, with the baby facing inward. If you do use a carrier, change the position often to encourage your baby to look in different directions. It’s also important to give your baby time to move and play freely in a playpen or on a blanket on the floor, with adult supervision. Carrying your baby in your arms or in a sling or carrier whenever you can will give your child more freedom to turn from side to side. Too much time in car seats, swings, strollers and bouncers can restrict a baby’s movement and cause prolonged pressure on the back of the head. HSS pediatric physical therapists Frances Baratta-Ziska and Magdalena Oledzka offer these suggestions for parents and caregivers to try at home to either prevent CMT or to complement physical therapy treatments. But there are gentle range of motion and strengthening exercises parents can do at home to complement the physical therapy routine, along with general guidelines for holding and positioning the baby. In most cases, CMT is successfully treated with physical therapy. Often, there’s also a flattening of the back of the baby’s head on the side he or she prefers to turn to. Babies with CMT typically tilt their heads to one side and prefer to face in the opposite direction. Called congenital muscular torticollis (CMT), this condition is caused by a shortening of the muscle that bends and turns the head and neck.
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