Thursday, April 19, 2012

Book Review: The Truth About Tummy Time

I don't know which of the following I want to say first:
HOORAY!!!!
At last . . . .
Amen and Halelujah!
I told you so!
Please listen!
I think I will settle for all of the above!  

Author, Stephanie Pruitt, is a physical therapist and the mother of three sons.  She began to question some of the advice given to her during the infancy of her first child when he developed some conditions that required intervention.  She did her research, and combined with her experience, she began to blow away the fog of professional advice given to young mothers.

Stephanie gives us a good foundation of physical development milestones of infants from a PT perspective----PLUS the added bonus of appropriate respect for reflexes.  She explains in everyday terms the importance of these things and the potential consequences of the lack of tummy time.  Stephanie makes the subject understandable but doesn't condescend---artfully done!  She recommends some good preventative measures to avoid plagiocephaly and other consequences of insufficient time in the prone position.

SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is correctly defined, and the statistics are explained and put into their appropriate context---this one item alone makes the book worth its weight in gold! 

Below are some of my favorite excerpts from the book:

There is a direct relationship between the amount of physical activity engaged in and whether a child will meet motor milestones on schedule. (I feel another AMEN coming on!)

...many reflexes can only be accessed from the prone position.  In other words, they require that the baby be placed on his stomach to utilize them.

It is possible that there may not be a single cause of sudden infant death syndrome, but rather, many different causes.  As researchers are learning more by investigating infants who died unexpectedly, we are possibly getting closer to explaining most if not all sudden infant deaths.

The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) policy statement reveals that because of this change in infant mortality diagnostics, the "true SIDS rate" since 1999 may remain the same. (This is VERY significant because many pediatricians teach their patients that SIDS was reduced by 53% because of the advent of the "back to sleep" campaign.  Mrs. Pruitt goes into much more depth to explain the real meaning behind the statistics.)

Since the inception of the Back to Sleep program, the incidence of torticollis has increased by 84%.

The incidence of plagiocephaly has increased by 48% since the introduction of the Back to Sleep program.

Parents have told me that the doctor assured them the head deformation will go away on its own over time. This cannot be further from the truth.  Plagiocephaly will not resolve by itself if nothing changes about the way the infant is cared for.  If he continues to lie in the favored position, the plagiocephaly---and torticollis---will get worse.

I recommend this book and will be giving it as a baby gift when I am invited to showers.  Stephanie Pruitt has done the world a great service by writing The Truth About Tummy Time.  


3 comments:

  1. Thanks for the book review. As a pediatric therapist I am glad one of us wrote a book on this. I treat torticollis and plagiocephaly every day. All of the babies I treat need more tummy time, and parents need instruction to put their babies in prone on the floor.... out of the containers. Babies do not "grow out" of torticollis. Their little necks need stretching many times a day. It is hard for me to see toddlers walking and even running around with their head tilted to the side from a tight neck. This has so many implications, not just orthopedic and structural, but neurological in how their eyes and brain see and process the world. And after around 5 months old plagiocephaly does NOT "round out" on it's own. Some plagiocephaly occurs from in-uterine constraint and can't be prevented, but most are developed after birth with positioning in carriers, swings and bouncy seats.

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  2. I bought this book after reading this review and I have to say I was disappointed. It seemed like 70 pages of common sense to me. At least I can be glad I bought the $8 ebook and not the $20 hard copy. It was a waste of money IMO.

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  3. Anna, I thought it was "lean", but what I did say was worth it is the research Stephanie did to blow away the fog the so many pediatricians put out there away the Back to Sleep campaign. I found the statistics worth the money to me. I'm sorry you were disappointed. I, however, will be giving this book to all the pregnant mothers I know. Arming them with this information against the pressure of sleeping their babies on their backs exerted by the pediatricians is priceless to me.

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