July 20, 2023
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“Guidance/goals for tummy time once belly to back rolling?”

ANSWER- This is a REALLY common (& great!) question – so the purpose of tummy time is really to strengthen their back muscles, which will let them work through belly to back rolling…THEN once they’re on their back, they’ll work through the next set of skills that will lead to back to belly rolling…then once they’re on their belly again (with intention), they’ll start to work those next belly down ministones that will ultimately lead to crawling!
SO – once they roll off their belly, certainly still lay them on their belly for tummy time- but once they roll off consistently, it’s okay to let them explore there!
Hope this helps!
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.