Although we all know how important tummy time is for babies, it can become quite a struggle, especially at first when your baby’s necessary head, neck and back muscles have yet to be strengthened. This was the case with my son as we found he often just gave up, fussing and resting his head to one side on the floor. But after working with early intervention I learned a few tips that really helped him gain strength and made tummy time a lot less difficult for both of us.
We found that the key for him was to provide a little support so that he was working hard but at a more tolerable level. We started using a rolled up blanket or foam swimming noodle and placing it under his chest. It helped prop him up even more, which gave him the ability to engage his whole body, including his arms and 
hands.
Due to babies’ sensitive skin and strong desire to chew on things I decided to create a cover for the foam noodle to alleviate both of these issues. It was really easy and we highly recommend it! If interested in making something similar for your little one, here’s what you’ll need:
✴ Foam swimming noodle
✴ Knife or scissors
✴ Ruler
✴ Blanket
✴ Hair elastic or string
Measure and cut a piece of the swimming noodle about two feet long (you want it to be long enough so that baby does not roll off to the side easily).
Wrap a thin blanket around the noodle piece (I used a soft organic one). Secure the blanket in place with a hair elastic at each end. You could also use string tied tightly at each end and trim any excess.
Be sure to leave enough blanket slack at each end so that the elastic or string does not come off and become a choking hazard. Take blanket off to wash when needed. We recommend using a solid color so the baby does not become preoccupied by the design.
To use, place your baby on his/her tummy on the floor with the noodle under him/her at chest-level. Place hands on the floor in front of the noodle so that he/she attempts to put weight on them, lifting head using back and shoulder muscles.
It’s very important to only use this tummy time tool under close supervision of an adult.
Sarah