Marsha,
I have seen this problem since the back to sleep campaign came out. I make a
special point of telling moms/dads to place the baby on his/her tummy *when
baby is awake* to help baby get head control and upper body strength. It is
also important to explain to parents to place baby on his/her side and to
alternate sides, to prevent flat heads.  Parents seem surprised about putting
baby on their tummy since the advice they get is to put baby on back.  I
guess they don't realize *back to sleep* is just that, for sleep.

 Another problem is with baby walkers, this is not good for babies
developmentally. Several reasons for this, first is that once babies see the
world from upright, they are not as eager to get down on their knees to
explore. Another reason, is when they are in the walker, they tend to move on
their tippy toes, and go backwards.  This doesn't teach their muscles to work
properly.  This becomes a real problem with babies that have some muscle
weakness, it can cause even more of a delay for them.

<<<<<<<The explanation is that, thanks to the back-to-sleep campaign, babies
are always put on their backs and don't develop muscle strength in the same
way.>>>>>

Roni M. Chastain, RN, LCCE, FACCE
Visiting Nurse Service of New York
Long Island, New York

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