Who's Side Are You On?

Everyone talks about Tummy Time. I'm a pediatric PT and I hear it come out of my mouth a million times each day. So let's talk about another important but less talked about position and that's Sidelying. There are so many benefits to sidelying and its a great option to give your Little a break from the dreaded tummy time.

Tummy time is great and you can read my other blogs to review the benefits but just like every thing else there can be too much of good thing. Too much tummy time can lead to overuse of the back extensor muscles (the muscles of the back). I call this extensor thrusting which is when your baby flings back in sitting or swims on his belly instead of pushing up on his arms. Sidelying is a great answer to correcting this asymmetry.

Here's the first thing about sidelying. It can be strategically used to round out your baby's head if he has developed a flat spot on one side. If your baby is under 4 months old you have the opportunity to change their head shape without a helmet by putting pressure on an area that is bulging. It is often helpful to have an experienced PT make recommendations on positioning and which side needs rounding.

You may not know that one of the benefits of tummy time is bringing the hands to the midline in front of the face. Newborn infants have reflexes that keep their hands out to the sides. Over time these reflexes go away and baby is able to bring hands together. Then baby can hold toys or a bottle and play patty cake. This can also be achieved in sidelying. This position naturally brings the hands together and allows baby to play without having to lift his head.

You can also work on rolling back to side which will work the abdominals and counteract the extensor thrusting. Use the legs as the starting point for rolling to the side. (Leg lifts work the abs!) In sidelying, bring the legs forward so the body is in an L shape - this also keeps the core more active than the back extensors.

Lastly, sidelying is a comfortable position to help calm baby in between tummy time sessions and gives some relief from back lying which is recommended when sleeping. Babies benefit from observing their environments in all different positions. Give sidelying a try in your rotation and see all the new things your baby can do when their hands are in midline.