Thank you, Natali World, for sponsoring this post, The Importance of Tummy Time with Natali World. I was selected for this opportunity by Natali World; the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Milestones with babies are so important. Every baby develops at his or her own rate; however, noticing if your little one is on track with their milestones helps you understand if your child may need additional assistance to sit up, eat, walk, talk, etc. With our little Lillie, we are keeping track of her milestones more than we did with Ollie. Not because we didn't care if Ollie hit his milestones or not (because we definitely did), but we are paying more attention to our little girl as we know she may need some additional assistance along the way.
Our first milestones with Lillie was to ensure that she could breath and eat on her own. Thankfully, our little girl came out of the gate screaming (and breathing) and hungry. So now we are onto looking for things like neck strength, holding herself up, and moving from side-to-side. This is where the importance of tummy time comes into play.
Tummy time is exactly what it sounds like, which is, any amount of time Lillie spends in a belly-down position while awake. Babies who do not spend enough time on their tummies can miss out on the important practice like lifting their heads against gravity and bearing weight with their arms which are activities that strengthen the muscles of the neck, shoulders, arms, and belly. This physical development will eventually become super important for babies to sit, roll, push up, and crawl. Additionally, placing Lillie on her belly for play will provide her with the opportunity to move from side-to-side, which can help with coordination, balance and body control. As she gains these new motor skills and perspectives, she can become more confident and curious, which will encourage her to move and explore the world around her not to mention, prepare herself for crawling.
Knowing that tummy time itself is super important for all babies, and especially for miss Lillie, I wanted to make sure that we provided her a safe and clean environment to be on the floor. Floors are super gross, and with a toddler, there is not enough time in a day to clean the messes that Ollie makes. Regardless of the messes, Lillie still needs her tummy time and the space has to be clean. I looked high and low for not only a great solution for our home in functionality, but also something that looked amazing as well. That's when I found Natali World on Etsy.
Natali World is an adorable small shop ran by owners, Natalia and Marcin, from Poland and have been making children's items since 2014. For them, it all started when their friends' baby was born, and when they had trouble finding the perfect gift, they decided to create something themselves. Their gift was such a great success that they began making gifts for their friends and for everybody interested within their community. Eventually, they decided to open up their own shop and I am so thankful they did! Their shop is full of beautiful textile goods as well as wooden items. From baby blankets to loungers, play mats, and pillows, all of Natali World's products are beautiful.
When I received Natali World's mint bunny round activity play mat, I knew it would be perfect for Lillie's tummy time. The play mat itself is so soft, and can be used as an activity mat or decorative rug for a nursery or playroom. The mat is stitched in 6 sections so the soft cotton filling does not move and you can fold it into smaller piece. Measuring at 39" in diameter, the large play mat has a delicate pattern of bunnies and birds with pink pompons and the other side is smooth mint. I love the colors so much because they match perfectly to Lillie's room decor and can be left out even when we are not using it for her tummy time activities.
Having Natali World's play mat in our home has been perfect thus far. It really has been great to know that when we are placing her on the floor, the area that she is laying on is clean and free of dirt from shoes and feet (big and little). If you are in the market for your own play mat or looking for another solution for your new baby or gift that you may have to give, I highly suggest looking into this small shop.
Natali World also is offering you a 10% coupon not through the end of May using the code "BAHORICHABODE"! How amazing is that!?
Here is a little bit more about Natali, owner of Natali World:
How did you get your shop started?
Inspiration was my friend who was pregnant and I wanted to do something nice and for her baby. I took my mother's old machine and sewn the bedding. She was delighted with the gift, so I thought why not make other moms happy 🙂
What is the hardest part of owning a shop?
Definitely that you do not done your work after 8 hours. In addition to sewing, there is always something to do: reply to an emails, searching and order materials, take pictures and process them, add new products to the store website, search for new inspirations, marketing, etc. A lot of that 😉
What is one thing unique about you?
I like original things, not typical. I like interiors that have a unique charm and I want my products to be such. I want to bring small children and adults into a beautiful land of dreams.
My motto is: "For love to originality".
I also try to support local producers so that our products are 100% Polish.
What is the best part of owning a shop?
The best thing about owning your shop is that people buying your products appreciate your hard work. Someone is buying something that is 100% made by your hands and considers it to be a value in itself.
The second equally important thing is that you have the opportunity to make a kid happy and make the most beautiful smile on his face. Priceless <3
How did you get your shop name?
We wanted the name to be simple. That's why my husband suggested that it was just connected to my name ... Natalia.
What is one way that you keep organized?
Only systematic. Do not put off anything for later.
How do you balance family life and work life?
Running your own business is not easy at all, that's why my husband supports me and helps me with this as much as I can. But if you share one passion together and have a lot of heart for it, everything is possible!
