Tummy time is an important part of your baby's development where a supervised baby is placed on their stomach for short periods of time.
During this time, your baby will strengthen the muscles they need for rolling, sitting and crawling.
Begin with about 3-5 minutes of tummy time a few times a day. As your baby becomes used to tummy time, they will be able to do it for longer periods.
During this time, your baby may look for things to touch and look at, so it’s good to have some baby friendly items within reach of the baby.
A tummy time mat can be in front of your baby where they can feel and see all different colours, shapes and textures. A good idea is to use see-through bags so that any small items cannot be accessed by young babies but they can be felt and seen
as pictured below:
A home made sensory tummy time mat using items found around the house! Different textures, sounds and shapes in here:
You can also experiment with sensory boards for older walking children. The picture below demonstrates the beginnings of a sensory board, grouping similar items together:
Home made (not yet painted) shaker with a clear lid - inside are pebbles and stones which can be painted.
Rough textures - bark, sandpaper, rope and rock
Crinkly crackly sounds - Leaves, thin bark, packetted seeds
Similar shapes - Feathers, feathery leaves
Smells-different flowers
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Try creating some sensory boards at home with whatever you can find around the house and park!