What’s a baby push up?
A baby push up is when, during tummy time, your baby uses their forearms or hands to prop up their chest and head. Pushing up this way can help babies hold their head up higher and get a better look around.
Using their arms to push up helps your baby prepare to roll over from their tummy to their back. This push-up position also strengthens your baby’s upper body muscles, which are important for sitting up, crawling, and walking.
When do babies push up on their hands?
Most babies will push up onto their forearms while on their tummy by 4 months old. Some babies will start doing this earlier, around 2 months old. Your baby will master this skill at their own pace, but there’s a general timeline babies follow.
Typically, your baby will start holding their head up briefly at about 1 month old, just long enough to move their head from side to side when lying on their tummy. By the time they’re 2 months old, your baby will be able to hold their head up more steadily, and for longer periods of time, while on their tummy. And soon after that, they may start trying to push up.
How to encourage your baby to push up
Babies develop strength and coordination during tummy time, so giving your baby plenty of time on their stomach while awake and supervised is the best way to help them learn to push up. Here are some other things you can do:
- Make tummy time more fun by sitting or lying on the floor next to your baby and interacting with them.
- Hold a toy just above their line of vision so they need to look up to see it.
- Help your baby move their hands into position so they can push up.
- An activity mat or tummy time mat with lights and toys can also help make tummy time more appealing, and encourage your little one to push up to see or grab for toys.
- Praise and congratulate your baby when they start pushing up.
What to do if your baby doesn’t push up
If your baby isn’t pushing up by 4 months old, don’t worry too much – every baby develops at their own pace. First, make sure that they’re getting a good amount of tummy time each day.
For tummy time, lie a blanket on the floor and place your baby on their stomach. (Or, place them on an activity mat.) At first, have your baby stay on their tummy for just a few minutes, four or five times a day.
It’s very common for babies to get fussy while they’re doing their tummy time exercises. If your baby starts to cry at the beginning of the session, resist the urge to pick them up right away. Instead, try comforting them with back rubs and soothing, encouraging words.
As your baby gets used to tummy time, have them work up to sessions of three to five minutes. By 3 months old, aim to have your baby doing 30 minutes of tummy time a day, broken into shorter sessions. (Be sure that your baby is supervised and awake while on their tummy.)
Tummy time is important because it gives your baby an opportunity to develop their back, neck, arm, shoulder, and stomach muscles. Babies who spend time on their tummy develop motor skills more quickly.
Avoid having your baby sit in a swing, bouncer, or car seat for more than an hour at a time when you’re at home. You want to give them plenty of opportunities to learn to move their body in different ways.
Remember that every baby develops differently, and premature babies may reach milestones later. If you have concerns, ask your baby’s doctor to check for a development delay.
After your baby can push up, what’s next?
Tummy time and pushing up with their hands will help your baby gain head control. That head control is crucial for development and mobility, and will lead to mastering other milestones. Head control is also necessary for eating solid foods and sitting in a highchair.
Once your baby can push up with their arms, they’ll figure out how roll to one side, from their belly to their back. Rolling from their back to their tummy usually takes a bit more work and time to learn.
After your baby can roll both ways, they’ll get increasingly mobile. Milestones may seem to come quickly after that. While you can, enjoy (and encourage) these early accomplishments.
Once your baby develops their leg, neck, back, abdominal, and arm muscles, they’ll put those muscles to work by learning to sit independently. Then most likely they’ll get on all fours and crawl. Baby push ups might not help your little one get around, but they lead to some exciting developments!
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