Apparently in order to be a Good Mother I really should give my baby 'tummy time' on a daily basis. This is where they lie on their tummies, say on a mat on the floor, and this encourages them to hold up their head, thus developing good neck/back muscles. To encourage them you lie down beside them so they can see your face or hold up rattles etc for them to look at if they lift up their heads.
And obviously letting my baby watch TV would make me a Bad Mother.
So: we dutifully prepared a nice soft mat, popped our baby down on the mat and dangled toys, made faces etc. He lay there, whimpering sadly to himself, face flat to the floor. We persevered, day after day, always rescuing him after a short while as he seemed so unhappy. We worried about the lack of muscles - surely tummy time was sorely needed if all the experts said so?
Meanwhile, any time he caught a glimpse of the telly being on he turned his head towards it while we, of course, hastily turned it off or tried to find other things for him to look at. To a baby, bright lights and flickering colours and movement = fascinating. So a telly, of course, is great fun to them.
Then one of the women in my NCT group suggested combining it. Her baby had seen the 'Baby TV' channel and her tummy time had improved no end.
I tried it out. Instant success. He lifted his head and shoulders fully off the bed, stared at Masterchef - The Professionals and stayed, steadily upright, as whole minutes went by. He smiled at the trembling contestants and laughed at Michel Roux Junior's horrified expressions as they went about ruining classic French dishes.
So: there you have it. Tummy time is not the only exercise to build those muscles as they've obviously been building up some other way, and TV- well, it's not that bad for your baby.
Meanwhile I hope my baby's been picking up some Michelin star rated cooking tips....
And obviously letting my baby watch TV would make me a Bad Mother.
So: we dutifully prepared a nice soft mat, popped our baby down on the mat and dangled toys, made faces etc. He lay there, whimpering sadly to himself, face flat to the floor. We persevered, day after day, always rescuing him after a short while as he seemed so unhappy. We worried about the lack of muscles - surely tummy time was sorely needed if all the experts said so?
Meanwhile, any time he caught a glimpse of the telly being on he turned his head towards it while we, of course, hastily turned it off or tried to find other things for him to look at. To a baby, bright lights and flickering colours and movement = fascinating. So a telly, of course, is great fun to them.
Then one of the women in my NCT group suggested combining it. Her baby had seen the 'Baby TV' channel and her tummy time had improved no end.
I tried it out. Instant success. He lifted his head and shoulders fully off the bed, stared at Masterchef - The Professionals and stayed, steadily upright, as whole minutes went by. He smiled at the trembling contestants and laughed at Michel Roux Junior's horrified expressions as they went about ruining classic French dishes.
So: there you have it. Tummy time is not the only exercise to build those muscles as they've obviously been building up some other way, and TV- well, it's not that bad for your baby.
Meanwhile I hope my baby's been picking up some Michelin star rated cooking tips....
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