Carly Budd Developmental Play Academy

20/11/2025

Sometimes I think I need to show up with something shiny or perfectly crafted…
but really, I’m just here to share what matters to me.

And what matters is this: helping children feel confident in their little bodies, so they can do the things they need and want to do, through play, movement and connection.

That’s the heart of my work as an OT.
Play that builds strong bodies.
Play that supports development.
Play that brings parents closer to their children.
Play that helps families feel hopeful again.
Environments that enable children to play.

So here I am, just being me sharing a few quiet moments in nature.
Because if I’m not on the floor with little ones, supporting their development through play…
Or with my own children, soaking up the joy of these fleeting years (despite the sibling battles!)…
You’ll find me outside, grounding myself, breathing deeply, and remembering why I do what I do.

This is me.
This is my work.
And this is what I care about. xx

19/11/2025

13/11/2025

12/11/2025

11/11/2025

Tummy time does not need to be a struggle!

Cheek down counts! 💛 When babies start on their tummy this way, they are mapping their little bodies, learning where they are in space and how to start pushing up against gravity.

This is the foundation for rolling, crawling, sitting and everything that comes next. Research shows tummy time really supports motor development and learning.

My approach is all about building up with your baby. We start close, finding comfort and connection, then make it playful, meaningful and fun.

I have yet to meet a baby or family who do not feel more confident once they try this ✨

👉🏼 Practitioners I have trained are bringing tummy time into hundreds of families’ lives every year, through workshops, programmes or stand alone courses.

Because this is never “just” about tummy time. It is about connection, confidence and growing together 💛

✨ Learn more about my Tummy Time Practitioner training and bring this science backed magic into your practice!

www.carlybudd.co.uk

06/11/2025

Movement matters. Not just for today, but for building bodies your baby can rely on. Every push, reach and roll strengthens arms, hands, core and balance - the foundation for everything they will do today and everyday after.

Tummy time is one position in a what I call a Play Diet and it isn’t only about developing neck strength. On their tummies, babies build shoulder and hand strength, sitting balance, visual coordination, hip dissociation, and confidence in movement and their bodies.

When you are confident in your body, you are confident to explore the world. When you feel that confidence and have experienced playful, connected moments with your caregivers, you carry curiosity, belonging, and joy into everything you do.

www.carlybudd.co.uk

05/11/2025

So grateful for my wonderful practitioners xx

And that's the last Tummy Time Tribe workshops of the year done! I've just looked back, and I have delivered this incredible workshop to 127 families in 2025 alone - wow! 😍

That's 127 more local families empowered in tummy time play to support their little one's development 💛

I want to just give a little shout out to the amazing Paediatric Occupational Therapist who created this course to enable those of us working on the ground with families to ripple her knowledge and passion for play out into our own communities. Her developmental play training has also allowed me to support the families of little ones with additional needs to access the same classes and opportunities as their peers, to work 1-2-1 alongside families who are unable to access groups, and to allow every single one of my classes to be rooted in the deepest of knowledge and OT Approved ✨️

The next workshops are in the diary for February and I have just made them live on the website for any early birds hoping to nab a spot!

Enjoy, little tummy timers! xx

04/11/2025

Tummy Time Is Safe and Beneficial From Birth 💖

When I first started supporting families as an Occupational Therapist, I noticed how many parents were told “wait until your baby’s stronger” before starting tummy time.

But here’s the truth: tummy time is what helps make your baby stronger, especially as part of a varied play diet.

We don’t just plonk babies on the floor and let them get on with it. My ✨Tummy Time Practitioner Training✨ debunks common tummy time myths and focuses on floor-based positions for play. We explore the impact of these small, intentional movements on developing bodies and brains and show practitioners how to empower parents to continue this at home, with parents as scaffolds in those early stages.

My approach moves gently with each baby’s ability and nervous system. Nothing is forced. Every movement is graded and responsive, helping babies build strength, regulation and confidence.

As always, my work supports babies with additional needs and complex medical conditions. Developmental delays and complex medical needs are my clinical specialism I work clinically three days a week, bringing that real-world expertise directly into my training.

Or, if you’d like to go deeper and save money, you can enrol on my Advanced Practitioner in Developmental Play 0–3 Programme, which contains all of my trainings, including tummy time and so much more.

✨ Safe from birth
✨ Myth-busting and evidence based
✨ Heart led and inclusive

When we start early and start safely, we set the foundation for lifelong movement, play, connection and confidence.

I have many perinatal and postnatal Practitoner’s training with me at the moment, particularly from the third sector, as well as my usual group of OTs, physios, Baby and parent wellbeing activity providers… people totally new to the field as well!!

🚼 Find out more www.carlybudd.co.uk

03/11/2025

03/11/2025

👶🏽👶🏻👶🏿 It’s .rcot OT Week 2025 and the theme is right time right support 💚💖💜

This is exactly why I created Tummy Time Practitioner Training ✨

So many people know tummy time is important but don’t know how to make it work. I am yet to meet a baby who doesn’t enjoy tummy time once my techniques are used 👶🏽💖

Tummy time is my passion because it affects everything a baby does later on. It’s part of a baby’s play diet 🚼 – floor based positions that help babies develop motor skills, cognition, perception, language and more

My training gives you the theory and evidence base plus over 50 practical ways to use tummy time in everyday routines ✨ It empowers parents and gives babies vital time to develop their bodies and brains 👶🏻💚

The PLUS masterclasses support babies with developmental delays, medical conditions, neurological differences, genetic syndromes and neurotypical babies 👶🏿💜 so every practitioner can feel confident meeting each child’s unique needs

These sessions work whether you’re using them in OT therapy sessions or as parent education, running stand alone workshops, full programmes, or embedding them into baby massage classes 👶🏽💖

Right time, right support is exactly what early intervention is about ✨ This course gives you the knowledge and confidence to do that from the very start 👶🏻💚

Find out more about Tummy Time Practitioner Training plus masterclasses included 👶🏿💜 link in bio or visit my website www.carlybudd.co.uk