Products I love -- Biddy Belly

I saw an article in Advance for Physical Therapy and Rehab Medicine that featured a terrific new product to help facilitate tummy time for infants.  I love the idea and wish that I had thought of it myself!

photo from http://www.biddybelly.com/

Why do I like the Biddy Belly so much?

• It makes tummy time fun and we know that tummy time has many benefits, including developing the strength and motor control necessary for rolling/sitting/crawling and decreasing the risk of a child developing plagiocephaly (flat-head syndrome)
• It encourages infants to push up using their hands, which increases strength in the shoulder girdle, upper extremities, neck, and trunk
• Since it has side supports, it is safer than using a bolster or towel roll since baby can't roll or fall off quite so easily
• The toy loops open so that the toys can be changed to whatever your baby is most interested in playing with.  For clinicians, this is great so that toys can either be cleaned, or you can use your patient's own toys every time to prevent the spread of germs with multiple users.
• It's machine washable!

I will also have older infants assume an all-fours position perpendicular to the giraffe's neck so that the neck can give a bit of support at the trunk, but still allow them to bear their own weight.


You can also sit the Biddy Belly on its "bottom" to have infants practice reaching in sitting as they try to play with the dangling toys and the giraffe's crinkly nose and ears.  This helps them develop trunk control and balance.


You can order a Biddy Belly direct at http://www.biddybelly.com/ or click on the picture below to order from amazon.com