Over the course of my career, I’ve witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of newborns and infants coming into our clinic with developmental delays and diagnoses such as plagiocephaly (aka “flat head syndrome”) and torticollis, a condition in which an infant’s neck is twisted and it’s head is tilted to one side). I’ve also received a rise in referrals for toddlers and school-aged children with developmental coordination disorder, sensory processing issues and poor handwriting skills.

Can a lack of tummy time really be blamed for so much? Yes. From my perspective, and that of many of my colleagues, it’s clear that many of the patients we now treat did not receive early, consistent tummy time. In an American Physical Therapy Association survey two-thirds of the 400 professionals noted an increased frequency of delay in motor skill acquisition in infants less than 6 months of age. When asked to identify a cause, I, along with more than 80% of others surveyed, cited a lack of tummy time as the primary reason.