Unintentionally Rolling Out of Tummy Time
“My baby unintentionally rolls out of tummy time - should I leave him or put him back into tummy time?”
ANSWER - This is such a common question, and a great one - let’s talk about it!
The reality is, the goal of tummy time is really to lay the foundation and work on all the pre-cursor skills needed to be able to work through so many exciting milestones, first and foremost, rolling belly to back successfully (with intention)!
Once they nail that roll down, the really exciting milestones while laying on their backs start to occur. Those are things like bringing hands to midline, engaging with toys more intentionally, grabbing knees & feet, rolling back to side, and eventually the full back to belly roll.
THEN, once baby is on their belly again, those pre-crawling skills start to take off (and you may even see them pause rolling belly to back while they do!).
What should you do if babe is unintentionally rolling off their tummy?!
If you definitely feel it's unintentional, for example due to the weight of their head, I typically just gently roll them back into tummy time, easy peasy! If it's more of a one sided unintentional roll, you can even just put your leg or a small blanket roll on the side of them to stop that from happening, which is often more than enough for them to work through it and figure it all out!
Hope that helps!
Want More?
For developmental questions, tips and guidance related to milestones about tummy time, rolling & sitting, crawling and walking, check out KC’s developmental Masterclasses linked here.
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KC is a pediatric doctor of physical therapy, wife and mom of three! She has spent her career working with children and young adults of all ability levels, and currently specializes in birth to three years.
