Tummy Time by Age: The Week-by-Week Truth About Why Your Baby Isn't Meeting Milestones
·17 min read·Andri Peetso
Your 3-month-old screams the moment their belly touches the floor.
You've tried everything - special mats, toys, mirrors. Nothing works. They can barely lift their head for 10 seconds.
Meanwhile, your friend's baby the same age is pushing up on their arms, happily playing for 20 minutes at a time.
Here's the truth: There's a specific week-by-week progression that transforms tummy time from torture to triumph.
Most parents don't know it exists. Pediatricians rarely explain it. And the internet gives you vague advice like "work up to 60 minutes by 3 months" without telling you HOW.
This guide gives you the exact progression - down to the week - that actually works. No more guessing. No more guilt. Just clear, specific milestones your baby should hit each week from birth to 24 months.
Why Your Baby Is Behind (And Why That's Not Your Fault)
Before we dive into the week-by-week progression, you need to understand why your baby might be struggling.
But here's what changes everything: With the right progression, starting from the exact week your baby is at now, you can build their strength systematically. Not through force. Not through crying it out. Through understanding exactly what your baby's muscles can handle at each stage.
Give Your Baby More Movement Time
Practical exercises that fit into your daily routine. No overwhelm, just fun!
The good news? Once you know the specific progression, tummy time transforms from a daily battle into measurable progress. Let's start with what should actually happen, week by week.
Week-by-Week Development: What Should Actually Happen
Before I show you the real timeline, understand this: The "every child develops at their own pace" mantra has become a dangerous excuse for ignoring genuine problems. Yes, there's normal variation. No, waiting until 15 months for first steps isn't part of it.
Birth to 6 Weeks: The Foundation Everyone Ruins
Week 1-2: Your newborn should experience brief prone moments while awake, even if just chest-to-chest contact. Most parents never start this early. That's mistake number one.
Week 3-4: Short sessions on a firm surface, 1-2 minutes, 3-5 times daily. Your infant might just turn their head side to side. That's massive. They're building the foundation for everything else.
Week 5-6: Head lifts briefly, maybe 45 degrees for a second. If using an inclined surface for reflux, keep the angle minimal - just enough to help. The equipment isn't the solution; movement is.
Our son? Started day one. Holding his head strongly by 8 weeks. The pediatrician called him "advanced." He wasn't. He just got what babies used to get naturally before excessive container use became the norm.
2-4 Months: Where Modern Babies Fall Apart
8 weeks: Should push up on forearms briefly, head at 45 degrees consistently. The CDC says this is "advanced" now. It used to be average.
3 months: Pushing up on forearms for extended periods, head at 90 degrees, beginning to push up on hands. Hand placement matters - under shoulders, not splayed wide.
4 months: Rolling back to front. Yes, FOUR months. Not six. International studies show 4 months is typical. Japan maintains 4-month expectations. Only America pretends 6 months is acceptable.
If you're reaching for special equipment or toys, stop. The best motivator? Your face. Get down on their level. Make eye contact. That mirror everyone recommends? Useful, but not if it replaces human interaction.
5-8 Months: The Movement Explosion (Or Stagnation)
5 months: Pushing up on straight arms, rocking back and forth, pivoting in circles on belly. Many modern infants can't do this until 7-8 months.
13 months: Should be walking confidently, beginning to run. Modern reality? Many just starting to walk.
14 months: Running, kicking balls, walking backwards. The CDC's new "normal"? Just walking steadily.
15 months: Climbing, throwing overhand, squatting to pick up toys. What actually happens? Parents celebrating first independent steps.
16 months: Walking up stairs with help, jumping in place. Modern toddlers? Still perfecting walking.
17 months: Should be running well, walking up stairs independently. Reality? Many still unsteady walkers.
18 months: Complex motor planning - pedaling, catching balls, precise throwing. The CDC moved most of these to 24 months or stopped tracking them entirely.
The Hidden Delay Zone: 19-24 Months
Here's where it gets interesting - and why this age range matters more than most realize.
19 months: Should show hand preference, use eating utensils properly, climb playground equipment independently. Most can't because they lack foundational motor skills from missed early milestones.
20 months: Jumping with both feet leaving ground, walking down stairs with rail support, beginning pedaling motions. These markers have disappeared from most tracking charts.
21 months: Building towers of 6+ blocks (requires motor planning developed through crawling), throwing balls overhand with aim, running without falling.
22 months: Your pediatrician's training from 20 years ago said kids this age should navigate playground equipment independently, hop on one foot briefly, and show complex motor planning. Now? We're happy if they can walk without stumbling.
24 months: The new "normal" includes skills that were expected much earlier in previous generations.
The Equipment Debate That Misses the Point
Everyone argues about positioning equipment. Wedge or roll? Special surfaces or regular blankets?
Here's the truth: The equipment doesn't matter if your baby spends excessive hours daily in containers.
Inclined surfaces can help babies with reflux. Rolled towels might make it easier initially. Specialized mats could provide comfort. But none replace the fundamental problem: Modern infants don't move enough, period.
Before car seats became cribs, before bouncers became babysitters, before screens became pacifiers, babies spent 18 hours daily in various positions - sleeping prone (yes, before Back to Sleep), playing on floors, being carried in arms (not carriers), exploring freely.
Now? Many infants spend:
Extended time in car seats (even when not in cars)
Hours in bouncers and swings
Prolonged periods in high chairs
Time in walkers/exersaucers
All sleep time in supine position
Minimal actual floor time
That's why arguments about equipment miss the point. Your child needs HOURS of free movement daily, not better equipment for their allocated 15 minutes.
Why RIE and Pikler Methods Need Context in 2025
RIE and Pikler approaches have valuable insights about respectful caregiving and independent play. Their emphasis on not forcing developmental positions makes sense - in their original context.
The Pikler Institute's success with minimal flat head syndrome came from babies having complete movement freedom 24/7. No car seats. No bouncers. No containers. They lived on floors, moving freely from birth.
Today's reality is different. When these methods say "no assisted prone positioning," they assume babies get natural movement opportunities that modern life often eliminates.
Pikler babies who rolled at 8 months developed well because they had:
Zero screen exposure
Natural movement all day
No container restrictions
Constant floor access
Modern babies face different challenges that require adapted approaches.
Join Other Parents
1,000+ families using these exercises. "Finally, tummy time my baby enjoys!"
When someone says "all children develop at their own pace," ask them: Why do African babies still walk at 8-10 months? Why do Japanese infants meet original milestones? Why does Denmark maintain high standards successfully?
The answer: Their babies still move.
Your Baby's Actual Movement Requirements
Forget the CDC's "work up to 60 minutes by 3 months" guidance. That was the bare minimum when infants got movement other ways. Here's what modern babies actually need:
Newborn (0-4 weeks):
10+ brief sessions daily
30-60 seconds each initially
Chest-to-chest contact counts
Total: 20-30 minutes spread throughout waking hours
1 month:
8-10 sessions daily
2-3 minutes each
Include position variations
Total: 30-40 minutes minimum
2 months:
6-8 sessions daily
5-10 minutes each
Focus on pushing up on forearms
Total: 60-80 minutes minimum
3 months:
5-6 sessions daily
10-15 minutes each
Reaching and pivoting practice
Total: 90 minutes minimum
4 months and beyond:
Most waking floor time should be prone or side-lying
2-3 hours minimum of free movement
Sitting only when independently achieved
No containers except car travel
This isn't extreme. This is what infants got naturally before modern life eliminated movement.
But here's the study that should terrify every parent: Davis et al. (1998) found babies who slept prone (before Back to Sleep) achieved ALL motor milestones significantly earlier. We traded SIDS prevention for developmental delays. Nobody wants to admit this trade-off.
Why Insurance Companies Love the New Guidelines
When the CDC says 50 words at 30 months is "normal" but speech pathologists flag concerns at 24 months with fewer than 50 words, guess whose guidelines insurance follows?
Early intervention ends at age 3. If delays aren't identified until 30 months, that leaves 6 months for therapy during the most critical brain development period. Convenient for insurance companies. Devastating for your child.
Forget everything you've heard about "gentle parenting" meaning less intervention. In 2025's anti-movement culture, actively facilitating movement IS the respectful choice.
Our son started prone positioning on day one. Not the RIE way of "when baby chooses." Not the mainstream way of "a few minutes daily." We treated floor time as his natural habitat, containers as necessary evils for transport only.
Result? Head control at 2 months. Rolling at 3.5 months. Crawling at 6 months. Walking at 10 months. The pediatrician called him "gifted." He's not. He just got what every baby deserves: freedom to move.
Here's your actual action plan:
Week 1: Establish prone time as default awake position.
Month 1: Eliminate all unnecessary container time. Car seat for car only. No bouncers, swings, or "baby holding" devices.
Month 2: Create a yes space - entire room where baby can move freely. No containers, no restrictions, no "no."
Month 3: If baby resists floor time, examine YOUR anxiety. Babies read our fear. Get on the floor with them. Make it social, not solitary.
Month 4+: Movement becomes life. Every milestone builds on previous ones. Miss early ones, and later ones become harder or impossible.
When "Wait and See" Becomes Medical Neglect
Red flags that require immediate action, regardless of CDC guidelines:
No head control by 4 months
Not rolling by 6 months (despite new 8-month "normal")
No sitting by 9 months
Not pulling to stand by 12 months
No walking by 18 months (ignore the 15-month "guideline")
Persistent asymmetry in movement
Loss of previously acquired skills
Significant head flattening or tilting
If your pediatrician says "wait and see" for any of these, find a new pediatrician. Your child's brain doesn't care about updated guidelines.
