Why Cant My Baby Roll Back To Belly? Insights From A Pediatric Physical Therapist
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Hello, I'm Dr. Lauren Baker, a pediatric physical therapist with a passion for supporting early childhood development. Today, I want to address a concern many parents share: "Why can't my baby roll from back to belly?"
This question is really common as parents are curious about their baby’s development, but also because they want to make sure their baby has every opportunity to master their milestones.
Rolling is a key developmental milestone that sets the foundation for future movements and it’s important that every baby has a chance to move freely in all four of the rolling directions.
Drawing upon my experience and the insights from my latest book, "Tummy Time and Learning to Roll," I aim to shed light on this topic, providing both explanations and solutions for proactive parents and healthcare providers who want to help babies roll back to belly.
I believe that parents can influence how their children move, with a little bit of knowledge and a whole lot of courage. I am here for the knowledge piece and you’re already mastering the courage, by looking for answers on google from movement experts like pediatric physical therapists.
Understanding the Rolling Back to Belly Milestone
Rolling from back to belly is a significant achievement in a baby's motor skill development, typically occurring between four to six months. It's a complex action that integrates several physical abilities, marking a baby's first foray into dynamic movement.
This milestone is crucial for promoting further developmental skills, such as crawling and sitting up. However, when babies face challenges with rolling, it can be a sign to delve deeper into their motor skills development and help them unlock the things that may be blocking them from rolling.
Exploring the Reasons Behind Rolling Challenges
Head and Neck Mobility
One of the first abilities a baby needs for rolling is the ability to turn their head from side to side while on their back. This movement is often motivated by visual or auditory stimuli that encourage the baby to reach or turn towards something of interest. Limited mobility in the neck can impede this, sometimes indicating conditions like torticollis, where a baby has a preferred side that they rotate to and often an opposite side head tilt.Neck and Upper Body Strength
For a successful roll, babies must have sufficient strength in their neck and upper body to lift and tilt their head and chest (think moving your body in an “I’m a little teapot” motion, but while lying on the floor on your side).
This strength is crucial for transitioning from laying flat to rolling over onto their belly. Weakness in these areas can significantly hinder their ability to roll, because babies have to fight gravity in order to lift their shoulders off the ground to initiate going from back to their side then onto their belly.Crossing the Midline and Arm Coordination
The ability to move arms across the body's midline is essential for rolling and further developmental skills. This action requires coordination and strength, allowing the baby to use their arms to aid in the rolling motion. Delays in this ability can slow down the rolling process.
This motion is really tough, because as babies try to lift their arms to shoulder level, gravity is always pushing their arms back down to the ground. If they haven’t been able to develop enough strength in their arms (usually through spending 5-10 minutes pushing through their elbows in tummy time), they may not be able to start the motion of rolling back to belly.
Another way that babies can begin to use their arms to roll from back to belly, is by grabbing their feet with both hands and then rolling to the side. This requires a lot of strength from their lower bellies and is often seen by the time a baby is 5 months. This is a beginner form of rolling because the babies do not have to lift their arms as high as they do when completing the more advanced version of rolling back to belly (reaching up to shoulder level and then crossing the midline of the body and reaching toward their opposite shoulder).Core Strength and Mobility
Strong core muscles are vital for rolling over, as they enable the baby to both lift their pelvis (grabbing their feet with their hands) and twist their body (to complete the roll from lying on their side to belly or for the more advanced version of rolling by reaching toward their opposite shoulder).
Core strength supports the entire rolling motion, from initiating the turn to successfully completing the roll onto the belly. Rolling helps develop core strength in multiple directions, which support future milestones.
Rolling supports core develop in the following ways:
The lower core: baby grabs feet with hands and lifts their bum off the floor
The side core: baby has to bend their trunk when on their side against gravity to finish rolling from their side to their belly (this also helps bring their bottom arm out from under their belly)
The rotational core: Baby has to be able to twist their body in order to roll back to belly, this is a combination of strength in the core and mobility in the core to be able to complete. This is often the struggle if a baby can roll back to belly on one side but not the other
Supporting Your Baby's Rolling Development
Encouraging your baby's rolling ability involves a combination of tummy time, playful interaction, and targeted exercises. Tummy time strengthens neck, shoulder, and core muscles, which helps with rolling both back to belly and rolling belly to back. Back play helps babies engage with toys and objects that can motivate your baby to reach, turn, and eventually roll. Sidelying play is essential for building strength in the arms and core to assist with babies lifting their arms to shoulder level against gravity.
For babies showing a preference for rolling over one arm or struggling with certain aspects of rolling, tailored exercises and activities can promote symmetry and strength. The book: Tummy Time and Learning to Roll: A Baby Development Book for Ambitious Parents and Pediatric Healthcare Providers to Help Babies Roll Independently has 240+ color photos of these exercises and also includes a free online video course to walk you through all the proactive play ideas that can your baby roll back to belly.
For the most comprehensive information on how to help babies roll back to belly, see the video below.
Curious About Learning More on Tummy Time, Rolling, or Both?
The absolute best book for parents on tummy time and rolling is: Tummy Time and Learning to Roll: A Baby Development Book for Ambitious Parents and Pediatric Healthcare Providers to Help Babies Learn to Roll Independently. The book comes with a free online video course to help parents fully understand how to complete the different exercises, printable checklists to know exactly where your baby is at, and when to reach out for additional help.
This book was written by Dr. Lauren Baker, PT, DPT, ATC, MTC, who is a Pediatric Physical Therapist in Boise, Idaho, trained in helping parents learn how to help their babies move and master their milestones. She loves teaching parents how to see how their babies are moving as well as how to influence those movements though play positions and exercises to help babies move with confidence and ease.
Tummy Time and Learning to Roll is the first book in the Proactive Play series written by Pediatric Physical Therapist Dr. Lauren Baker in order to help Ambitious Parents and Pediatric Healthcare Providers learn how to help babies master tummy time and learn to roll. It is meant to help ambitious parents understand baby development from birth to six months (tummy time to rolling).
This book is a mix of easy-to-follow and more in-depth information than is typically found in baby development books because Dr. Baker believes parents deserve to have all the information at their fingertips.
This book breaks down each piece of movement in checklists so that parents know what their babies need for tummy time and rolling. It also covers what areas might limit a child with rolling, why it is so important, and when to seek help from a pediatric PT.
This book comes with colored photos and easy-to-follow demonstration videos that can help parents implement safe, strategic play-based exercises with their babies in 20 minutes per day.
A Great Resource For:
Parents and Pediatric Healthcare Providers of babies 0-6 months
Parents of babies who are struggling with tummy time, rolling back to belly, belly to back, or only to one side
Access to simple, easy-to-follow videos of play positions and exercises
Learning the four pillars of movement needed in order to master rolling
240+ Color Photo Examples of:
Tummy Time, Sidelying, and Back Play
Developmental Toys and Equipment
Hand Placement and Strategic Play Positions
Common Areas of Restriction or Weakness
When To Reach Out For Help
What If You Want Extra Help?
If you have concerns about their movement, remember, you can always reach out to a pediatric physical therapist. It's your right as a parent to advocate for your child's development.
Sometimes, a few tips and tricks are all you need to get your baby moving better. We're here to support you and release those mama worries. If you are looking for in home pediatric physical therapy, check our listing of therapists.
For those eager to learn more or seeking personalized guidance, I offer online video parent consultations internationally which can be scheduled by clicking here. I am dedicated to answering questions and providing tailored play activities for each unique developmental journey.
When Should Babies Receive Pediatric Physical Therapy?
Parents can call and schedule with a Pediatric Physical Therapist at any time, for any concern in all fifty states without a referral from their Pediatrician.
Pediatric Physical Therapy is medically indicated in all babies who are not rolling in all four directions by six months (back to belly over their right arm AND left arm + belly to back over their right arm AND left arm).
Pediatric Physical Therapy is medically indicated if you notice a flat spot on the back of an infants head (possible plagiocephaly), a tilt of their head consistently to one side (ear to shoulder - possible torticollis), or a rotation preference of their neck (consistently look only to the right or left - possible torticollis).
Many Pediatric Physical Therapists including Dr. Baker, can successfully treat flat spots (Plagiocephaly) without a helmet with a combination of therapy and positioning strategies if seen prior to 4 months (0-3 months is ideal). Dr. Baker uses the Baby Begin Method of repositioning.
Flat spots can be due to in-utero positioning, rotational preference (right sided flatness most common) and babies are at an increased risk for flatness if they are male, were breech, multiple birth, premature, have difficulty with tummy time, or are in containers > 2 hr/day.
Final Thoughts
Every baby develops at their own pace, but understanding and supporting their journey can make a significant difference. As a parent, it's natural to worry about your baby's development, but understanding the complexity of physical milestones like rolling can ease your concerns. By recognizing the factors that influence rolling and how to support your baby's development, you can actively participate in their growth journey.
If you're concerned about your baby's ability to roll from back to belly or have noticed delays in other developmental milestones, don't hesitate to seek advice and support.
For personalized guidance tailored to your baby's needs, consider booking an online parent consultation with a pediatric physical therapist. Together, we can ensure your baby's development is on the right track, laying the foundation for a lifetime of movement and exploration.
In navigating the path of your baby's development, remember, you're not alone. With the right support and strategies, your baby can overcome the challenges of rolling and continue to achieve new milestones, one roll at a time.
