Early and regular home visits to first-time mothers that encourage breastfeeding and “tummy time” during their child’s first year of life improve the likelihood of their children growing up being a healthy weight, according to research published in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
A total of 667 first-time mothers were visited at the antenatal period and at one, three, five, nine and 12 months by an early childhood health nurse as part of the research trial.
The nurses supported the mothers to continue breastfeeding and encouraged regular “tummy time”, where infants lie on their stomachs, which helps to strengthen their’ neck and back muscle motor movement. These are crucial for more complicated movements such as sitting, rolling over and crawling.
Read more at University of Sydney