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A Longitudinal Analysis Examining the Associations of Tummy Time With Active Playtime, Screen Time, and Sleep Time
Insights
Early and frequent tummy time is linked to better sleep and more active play in young children. This practice is associated with increased outdoor activity and reduced screen time by 24 months of age.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Developmental Psychology
- Sleep Science
Background:
- Tummy time (awake prone positioning) is linked to infant gross motor and overall development.
- Associations between early tummy time and later movement/sleep behaviors are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine if early introduction and practice of tummy time (within 6 months) correlate with active play, outdoor play, screen time, and nocturnal sleep at 12 and 24 months.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal analysis of data from an Australian trial.
- Telephone surveys collected maternal, demographic, and tummy time data (at 6 months).
- Playtime, screen time, and sleep data collected at 12 and 24 months; analyzed using logistic regression.
Main Results:
- Starting tummy time within 4 weeks associated with >10 hours nocturnal sleep at 12 months.
- Early tummy time linked to >3 hours outdoor play and <1 hour screen time at 24 months.
- Daily tummy time associated with >2 hours active play at 12 months and <1 hour screen time at 24 months.
Conclusions:
- Early and frequent tummy time is associated with improved movement and sleep outcomes in children at 12 and 24 months.
- Promoting tummy time may positively influence child development beyond motor skills.
Background:
Evidence links tummy time (ie, the time spent in awake prone positioning that is encouraged and supervised by an adult) to infants' health outcomes such as gross motor and total development. However, the associations between tummy time and other movement and sleep behaviors as the child develops remain unknown. The aim of this study was to examine whether early introduction and practice of tummy time within the first 6 months of age were associated with active and outdoor playtime, screen time, and nocturnal sleep time of children when they were 12 and 24 months old.
Methods:
A longitudinal analysis was conducted using data extracted from an Australian trial. Using telephone surveys with mothers, demographic data were collected from third trimester of pregnancy and tummy time data were collected at 6 months of age. Data on playtime, screen time, and nocturnal sleep duration as dependent variables were collected at 12 and 24 months of age. Multiple logistic regression models were built to investigate the associations.
Results:
Children who started tummy time within 4 weeks of age were more likely to have >10 hours sleep at night at 12 months (adjusted odds ratio 1.54, 95% confidence interval, 1.08-2.19). They were more likely to have >3 hours per day of outdoor play and have <1 hour per day of screen time at 24 months. Children who practiced tummy time every day were more likely to have >2 hours per day of active play at 12 months and have <1 hour per day of screen time at 24 months.
Conclusions:
Starting tummy time earlier and frequently was associated with more favorable movement and sleep of young children at 12 and 24 months of age.
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