Put a baby on a table?!?! NEVER - they’d roll off!!! Before you join the internet safety police and hunt me down - hear me out:

You probably put your baby on a table multiple times a day - the changing table. So we’re going to use the same rules here that you do there - you keep your eyes on baby and you keep baby within arm’s reach.

You don’t walk away, you don’t answer the phone, you don’t turn your back. See - we know how to do this safely even if we put baby on a coffee table or kitchen table! Now let’s talk about WHY a table can be a great place for Tummy Time.

Face to face helps BABY FEEL CALM & SAFE

Putting baby on her blanket on a tabletop helps you comfortably get face to face with baby - especially in the early days when baby spends a lot of Tummy Time cheek-down. (this blog post details the benefits of cheek-down TT)

Face to face interaction with a parent is one of the best ways to help baby feel calm and safe in any position. Babies rely on us to help them get and stay “regulated” (which I describe to parents as baby feeling okay and being okay in the world…a.k.a. not crying or fussing). Infants don’t have well-developed self-soothing or self-regulation skills yet and so they rely on our calm and pleasant faces, our voices, our touch, our smell, our movement, even our emotional energy to support their regulation.

Some babies are easily (or seemingly immediately) dysregulated in Tummy Time. I teach a method and strategies to help those babies learn to get and stay regulated in Tummy Time (you can learn more about that here). Face to face interaction in Tummy Time is a powerful tool in that process.

MORE TUMMY TIME LESS BABY GEAR

If your infant joins you at the kitchen table for some Tummy Time (and play in other positions) while you eat your meals, that obviously means more Tummy Time!!!!

What might be a little less obvious is that it means less time in baby gear. In many American households when caregivers eat, awake babies are put in baby gear like bouncy seats, infant swings, rockers, etc. Those devices are convenient and are designed to make baby comfortable but they aren’t designed to support healthy development. It is through unrestricted movement in a variety of positions that your baby hones their early motor, sensory and thinking skills.

Before your inner critic envelopes you in a cloud of guilt or you slip your defensive shield on and prepare for battle with me, here’s some additional reading about baby gear.

AT WHAT AGE SHOULD I DO THIS ACTIVITY WITH MY BABY?

Tummy Time on a tabletop with total supervision is a great option for many newborns. Once your baby is:
-getting wiggly in Tummy Time (rolling belly to back or pivoting around on their belly)
-or is reaching in Tummy Time
…he or she has outgrown this activity.

Please read these safety warnings before you try this activity:

Always place at least 12” from the edge of the table.
Make sure that baby’s blanket does NOT hang over the table where it could be tripped on or pulled down by a pet or sibling.
Never walk away from baby on a tabletop. Baby should be within your arm’s reach.
Do not count on your newborn not to roll. Newborns can reflexively roll without warning even in the first days of life.
Keep your eyes on baby.
If there is food on the table, do not put any hot or sharp serving items near baby. Do not put hot beverages or soups on the table with baby.