Although children can learn to stomach on their own, training them on their stomach can increase their muscle strength. That way, the risk of children experiencing motor development delays will be lower. Come on, Mother, read this article to find out how to train a child on his stomach.
Stomach is an early stage of the child's growth and development process before he can sit, crawl, and walk on his own. If properly trained, a child's muscles will become stable and strong faster, so that his motor skills, including on his stomach, will develop well. However, Mothers need to know and learn how to train children on their stomachs that are safe and effective so as not to harm the Little One.
When Should You Apply How to Train a Child on the Stomach?
Stomach exercises can be done from a very early age, even when a newborn is born. In a day, Mother is enough to do 2-3 sessions for 3-5 minutes. Ideally, it is after a nap or during a diaper change.
After the age of 3-4 months, the child's muscle strength has begun to increase. Mothers can train the child on his stomach more often or increase the duration of the exercise each session, which is about 20-30 minutes a day.
At this age, usually the child is able to lift his chest off the floor and rest on his elbows with his head held high. Not only that, some children can even roll over from prone to supine position.
Get to know 5 ways to train a child on his stomach
Here are 5 ways to train a child on his stomach that you can apply at home:
1. Organize the place with a soft and safe base
Before starting the prone exercise, prepare a soft base such as a cloth, blanket, rug, or mat. Also try to do it in a place that is safe from dangerous items, such as glass cups.
2. Do it slowly at the beginning of the exercise
At the beginning of the training process, not all children are happy when they are in the prone position, not even a few end up crying, and this condition is normal. To overcome this, Mother can reduce the time on her stomach. So, there's no need to force your little one to be able to lie on his stomach for 3 minutes, right, Bun.
In addition, Mother can also calm the Little One by rubbing his back while comforting him. If he's still fussy, try doing it skin to skin in a lower position so that he is accustomed to being comfortable in a prone position.
3. Use a mirror
In between exercises, try to move the mirror in front of your little one until he follows his reflection. When the movement has started to run smoothly, you can move the mirror slowly up to practice your ability to lift your head.
4. Place the toy near the baby
So that the child remains comfortable while on his stomach, you can also put baby toys in front of him. Next, you can move your little one's toys to distract him. How to train a child on his stomach like this is considered useful in training the neck and arm muscles that move in the direction of the toy.
5. Provide tools
To train the child on his stomach himself, Mother can provide assistive devices, such as placing his bolster or small pillow under his chest. But make sure the pillow does not cover his mouth and nose.
Of the several ways to train a child on his stomach above, the important thing that you need to do is always invite your little one to interact, either by looking into each other's eyes, greeting, making sounds and expressions, or singing songs to make the atmosphere feel more comfortable and exciting.
Mothers should also always supervise the child when he is on his stomach. Never leave him on his stomach alone as this can increase the risk of SIDS or sudden infant death syndrome.
Training a child on their stomach takes time and may be a slow process. So, you need to be patient. However, if the child is 6 months old but cannot lie on his stomach on his own despite frequent training, you should consult a doctor so that an examination can be carried out and treatment is given if necessary.
