How much are we actually aiming for?

Two to three short sessions a day from the very beginning, three to five minutes each, building to fifteen to thirty minutes a day in total by around seven weeks. Total across the day — not in one go.

They scream after thirty seconds. Are we failing?

No. Newborns are working genuinely hard in that position, and thirty seconds repeated through the day counts as much as any other arrangement. Change the surface — your chest rather than the floor — before deciding it is not working.

Does time in a carrier or on my chest count?

It works the same muscles and takes pressure off the back of the head, so it is useful and worth doing. Do not rely on it alone in place of any floor time, but a day where most of it happened on you is a good day, not a failed one.

When should I mention it to the doctor?

If your baby consistently turns their head to only one side, if you notice flattening on one part of the head, or if head control seems to be going backwards rather than forwards. Those are worth raising — pushing harder is not the answer to any of them.

Newborn days · 4 min read

Tummy time, when they hate it

You put them down on their front, they last about ninety seconds, and it ends in screaming for both of you.

Almost every parent has this experience, and almost every parent is aiming at a target much larger than the one actually recommended.

Last updated August 20, 2026

The actual numbers

The AAP's guidance is more modest than the folklore. You can start the day your baby gets home from the hospital, with two to three sessions each day of three to five minutes.

From there, work up to fifteen to thirty minutes a day by around seven weeks — spread across the day, not achieved in one heroic stretch.

So a newborn managing three minutes twice a day is doing exactly what is being asked. The sense of failure most parents carry here comes from comparing against a number that was never the recommendation.

Why it helps

It builds the neck, shoulder and trunk strength that everything later is stacked on. The AAP frames it as preparing babies to slide on their bellies and crawl, and helping them develop strong muscles.

It also takes pressure off the back of the head, which is the other half of why it exists — back sleeping is unambiguously right for safety, and awake time on the front balances the load.

What to do when they hate it

Change the surface before you change the plan. The floor is a hard, unfamiliar place to be stuck face-down; lying your baby on your own chest while you are reclined counts and is usually far better tolerated.

Get down to their eye level. The AAP's suggestion is to place yourself or a toy in reach for them to play with — a face at floor level is the most interesting thing available to a newborn, and it turns the position into something worth staying in.

Time it well. Their advice is that just after a nappy change or after waking from a nap works well. Straight after a feed is the worst moment, for reasons that will be obvious.

Go little and often. Six ninety-second bursts beat one four-minute struggle, and they add up to the same thing.

Carrying counts too. Time spent upright against you, or held along your forearm, works the same muscles without the confrontation. The goal is off the back of the head and working, not a specific floor position.

The rules that do not bend

Tummy time is for babies who are awake and being watched. Not in another room, not while you answer the door.

It is never sleep. If they fall asleep on their front, move them onto their back — healthy babies are safest sleeping that way, and this is the point where a tired parent is most tempted to make an exception.

Common questions

How much are we actually aiming for?: Two to three short sessions a day from the very beginning, three to five minutes each, building to fifteen to thirty minutes a day in total by around seven weeks. Total across the day — not in one go.
They scream after thirty seconds. Are we failing?: No. Newborns are working genuinely hard in that position, and thirty seconds repeated through the day counts as much as any other arrangement. Change the surface — your chest rather than the floor — before deciding it is not working.
Does time in a carrier or on my chest count?: It works the same muscles and takes pressure off the back of the head, so it is useful and worth doing. Do not rely on it alone in place of any floor time, but a day where most of it happened on you is a good day, not a failed one.
When should I mention it to the doctor?: If your baby consistently turns their head to only one side, if you notice flattening on one part of the head, or if head control seems to be going backwards rather than forwards. Those are worth raising — pushing harder is not the answer to any of them.

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Where this comes from

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