Baby Rolling Back to Belly First? Here’s What You Need To Know
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(spoiler: it’s usually absolutely okay, but there IS some things to consider!)
Variations of ‘is it okay if my baby is rolling from their back to their tummy FIRST if belly to back is expected to happen before that?’ Are probably some of the most common questions I get related to rolling, so let’s talk about it!
What’s the Typical Rolling Timeline?
Belly to back rolling IS technically expected to emerge first, around 3-5 months of age, with back to belly rolling following closely behind, emerging around 4-6 months of age. For a Motor Milestone Breakdown, download my FREE Motor Milestone Checklist!
However, it is certainly not uncommon to see back to belly rolling happening FIRST now a days, as compared to when many of us were babies.
And most interestingly? A lot of that has to do societal shifts over the last few decades. 👀
WHAT?! Why would that be??
What Changed? The Impact of 'Back to Sleep'
Let’s back up quickly and answer why ‘tummy time’ as we know it is even a thing, so we can get into what it has to do with this? (Because I promise - it does!)
Tummy time became a formal recommendation by medical professionals after the implementation of the ‘Back to Sleep’ campaign - which I'm NOT knocking, it was necessary- but while necessary, it was also the catalyst for massive societal shifts that would in turn, impact our baby's development for generations to come.
The reason that our parents didn’t “do tummy time” was because prior to the BTS campaign, most people laid their baby on their belly to sleep. This meant as soon as we woke up belly down, we immediately started pressing up & working our neck, back and arm muscles- just like when on the floor doing tummy time. This meant in general, milestones emerged much sooner than they currently do.
Now, as time passed after the implementation of the BTS campaign, although it was a massive success for its intended purposes, there unfortunately were repercussions on many other areas of baby development, gross motor being one of the biggest.
As time spent in tummy time decreased for so many reasons (parental fear, lack of education, lack of support and resources, the explosion of the baby container market (you can read all about baby containers & ‘container baby syndrome’ etc. here) there were concurrent sharp INCREASES reported in referrals related to things like flat spots on the skull, torticollis, ‘container baby syndrome’, and overall developmental delays in milestone acquisition.
All of this led to more & more research being gathered and ultimately the development of an adjacent program- 'tummy to play' which aimed to help combat these findings and support what we KNEW to be true related to both the benefits of tummy time and the impact of babies doing less and less tummy time that was clearly playing out right in front of us.
SO, the shifts in tummy time approach really STARTED from the BTS campaign.
But let’s quickly talk about human nature, because it ties into this and is pretty dang amazing if you ask me!
Why Tummy Time Matters for Rolling (& just about all other milestones!)
Now, we know WHERE 'tummy time' as we currently know it came from, but WHY does it ACTUALLY matter?
To keep this brief (but be sure to check out my FREE workshop alllll about navigating tummy time & the fourth trimester HERE) - tummy time is truly what lays the foundation for all the higher level, more complex milestones to come. And the really amazing part of development & why tummy time is so important is actually related to human anatomy….let’s talk about it!
When baby is all flexed up in the womb in the ‘in utero’ position, it acts to lengthen the muscles along the back of their body, which prepares them to be ready to strengthen first.... DURING TUMMY TIME!
Then, when baby is belly down & begins lifting their head and pressing up onto forearms & hands, it serves to lengthen the muscles along the front of their body in preparation for strengthening & the emergence of milestones we expect around months 3-4 of life. That includes skills like bringing hands together at the middle of their body, beginning to reach for toys above them, improving head control, and ultimately - back to tummy rolling.
So - baby is born ready to work on their belly, they put in all that awesome tummy time effort and finally, they roll off their belly to their back FIRST!
Now they’ve rolled and are playing on their BACK- and because those FRONT muscles were prepped to work during tummy time, they transition right into the next skill- ultimately leading to mastering the roll from BACK to BELLY, where they’ll then start to explore pre-crawling skills that lead into crawling and pulling to stand and awesome upright skills like walking!
INCREDIBLE RIGHT?! 🤯
Final Thoughts from a Pediatric PT
Ultimately, whether your baby rolls belly to back first or back to belly first, what matters MOST is that they CAN roll both ways and have quality time spent on the floor on back and tummy (and sidelying!). I know it can be challenging to get caught in the comparison & worry spiral, but I promise - continuing to encourage exploration and movement is what matters most. Remember to celebrate the milestones - no matter the order - because they ALL show that baby is motivated, growing, & learning to explore the big world ahead of them!
Looking for more on rolling? Check out these info packed resources!
☀️ If baby is only rolling one way, this ones for you! Baby Only Rolls One Way
😴 Is flipping to belly & flipping out leaving you (both) exhausted? Learn how to support baby through this & get back to sleep filled nights here.
🥳 Never a need, but sometimes a want - if you’re looking for tried & true fun AND developmentally friendly toy ideas for your ready to roll babe, I got you covered!
🤩 Baby rolling both ways….now what? Learn what’s next AND how to support it here.
The Complete Roadmap to Support Rolling + Sitting: So you can confidently help your baby hit these key milestones without the stress, second-guessing, or “is this normal?” Googling.
Still in the tummy time stage? Here’s some resources you may need!
🌪️ Baby seeming to unintentionally roll out of tummy time, but you know they need a bit more time to work? This blog has the tips you need!
🤝 Ministones Starting at Month 3, here you come! Check out these fun & developmentally friendly activities & tips for your 0-3 Month old!
💦Looking for a fun way to mix up tummy time?! You can’t miss with a water mat, but don’t go it alone - I’ve got lots of fun ways to build them into floor play right here!
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