Baby’s Body Movement: The Rolling (Mile)Stone

Baby’s Body Movement: The Rolling (Mile)Stone


Being able to roll over is an exciting milestone for your baby, involving the strength and coordination of many major muscles. But this is not the only movement milestone he may reach at this age. At 3-6 months, your baby is becoming increasingly active as he builds strength, gains more control of his various body parts, and is able to make different small motions.

He is experimenting more with his Body Movement, using various large muscles to increase mobility and explore new actions. You may find him pushing his upper body off the floor by using his hands or forearms as he gets more comfortable with tummy time and gains upper back and neck strength.1 He may also begin to lift his arms and legs while rocking on his tummy. In general, your baby will become increasingly active as he builds strength, gains more control of his various body parts, and is able to make different small movements.

As he develops these gross motor skills, he will also begin attempting to roll over by kicking himself over.2 Eventually, your baby will be able to roll successfully from front to back and back to front.3 This is an exciting development as this is a step towards the ability to crawl and walk. As exciting as these skills are, it is also time to be vigilant about his safety! Do not leave him alone on the bed or changing table at this point because he may roll right off and fall onto the floor.4

As a parent, you may worry about your baby’s new ability to roll over. Up until now, you’ve been able to leave him sleeping on his back, in order to prevent SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), but what if he rolls over onto his belly during the night? Don’t worry! If you find him in this position, you should still turn him on to his back. But find confidence in knowing that your baby’s growing ability to roll over on his own means that his neck, shoulder, and torso muscles are growing stronger, which will enable him to lift his head to breathe or roll back onto his back.5,6 Continue to keep his crib bare, however, as the extra movement could tangle him in a blanket or pillow.7

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Play Tips:

Do you want to know how you can support your baby’s development of these Body Movement skills at this age? It’s easy! Read on for some simple tips to incorporate into your daily play time together.

  1. Consider doing baby yoga and light stretches with your baby.Baby yoga is great for developing his range of movements with full body exercises that are gentle and easy on the joints and muscles. Be sure to seek instruction and guidance from a qualified instructor or author.
  2. Offer a variety of novel toys and place it just beyond his reach to encourage movement. Capture your baby’s attention by showing him an interesting toy or object. Place it just beyond his reach and encourage him to grab the toy. Rotate toys often, as the novelty of different toys will encourage his curiosity and initiative.9 Do not use toys or objects that are choking hazards.
  3. Encourage your baby to roll over. Rolling is another good way for your baby to exercise his large motor muscles. Start by placing him on his back on a padded surface on the floor as you kneel to one side. Catch his attention with a favorite toy. As he grabs for it, move the toy to the side opposite the grabbing hand, encouraging him to roll his body. Over time, he’ll be able to roll over onto his tummy.
  4. Minimize the use of seats and swings that limit mobility.10 Children today are less physically active at infancy compared to their parents when they were babies,11 due to more time spent in car seats, baby swings, and high chairs. While you may need to use these types of gear occasionally to keep your baby safe while you shower or cook dinner, try to limit his time in them to periods of fifteen minutes or less. You should also consider avoiding walkers, jumpers, and exersaucers, as these toys may cause injury as well as restrict muscle development and cause strain to his hip, knee, and ankle joints, where an unnatural position can cause too much pressure.

Developmental Milestones:

Has your baby achieved the following Body Movement developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) he has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

  • Rolls over from back to tummy and tummy to back.

(SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up for Playful Bee’s Bee Well developmental learning program to give your baby the best start in life. The first 10,000 children enroll for FREE! Sign up today.)

Sources:

1Maryland State Department of Education (2010). Healthy Beginnings: Supporting Development and Learning from Birth through Three Years of Age.

2Mayo Clinic Staff. Infant Development: Milestones from 4 to 6 Months. Mayo Clinic.Retrieved January 27, 2014, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/infant-development/art-20048178.

3California Department of Education (2009). California Infant/Toddler Learning and Development Foundations.

4Kidsafe (2013). Change Table Safety. Kidsafe: Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia. Retrieved January 27, 2014, from http://www.kidsafensw.org/information-sheets/home-and-community-safety/.

5Sokal-Gutierrez, Karen. If Baby’s Rolling Over, Is She at Risk for SIDS? Fisher-Price: Parenting Topics. Retrieved January 27, 2014, from http://www.fisher-price.com/en_US/playtime/parenting/articlesandadvice/articledetail.html?article=tcm:169-18786.

6Livingston Jr., Floyd R. (2011) Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Kids Health.Retrieved January 27, 2014, from http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/sleep/sids.html#.

7Consumer Reports News (2012). What to Do When Baby Starts Rolling Over. Consumer Reports. Retrieved January 27, 2014, from http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2012/01/what-to-do-when-baby-starts-rolling-over/index.htm.

8Stone, Amy. Yoga to Bolster Baby Development. Yoga Journal. Retrieved January 23, 2014, from http://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/1648.

9Stamm, Jill, Ph.D., and Spencer, Paula (2007). Bright from the Start. New York, NY: Gotham Books.

10Gellens, Suzanne R. (2013). Building Brains. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.

11Doheny, Kathleen (2004). It’s Never Too Early to Teach Kids the Activity Habit. USA Today. Retrieved February 13, 2014, from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-11-05-active_x.htm.

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