GM.A.32 ON BACK, ROLLS TO TUMMY

To be able to move independently, your baby needs to be able to roll from her back onto her tummy. It is from her tummy that she will start to creep, crawl and get up into a sitting position. Once she masters this rolling you can feel very encouraged that she is on the way to achieving these further movement skills.

The baby is able to achieve this now because she can control her flexor muscles against gravity, that is, the muscles that bend her forward. She can lift her head up of the surface with her chin tucked in, can reach her arms forward and up, and even now reach up with her feet to play with toys dangling above her. All these movements are used when she rolls.

How to Assess

Method: Observe your child when she is playing on her back, with her toys to the side out of reach. Score plus if your child deliberately rolls to her tummy to reach the toys.

How to Teach

If your child does not start to roll spontaneously, you can help her by using a wedge, about 8 cm thick at its upper edge. You could also use a gently sloping board.

Place your child on her back at the lower edge of the wedge or board. Bend the upper knee up and over the lower straight leg and hold it in this position with one hand while you rattle a toy on the floor, slightly away from the lower shoulder. Use a verbal direction such as ‘take it’ and wait for her to reach with the upper arm and roll over to grasp the toy. As she starts to succeed with this movement, gradually lessen the help you’re giving and allow her to do the movement on her own.

Once she can roll onto her tummy on her own from the wedge, then remove the wedge and start again to help her with the movement by bending 1 leg up and over the other leg. Gradually lessen the help you give her until she is doing the movement alone. Make sure you practise the roll to both sides.

Another method is to lift the child’s head and shoulders and turn them gently to one side. Wait for her arms, trunk and legs to follow. Repeat to the other side. Try this in front of a mirror.

Let your child remove her arm from under herself after she has rolled over. If she finds this difficult, lift her shoulder a fraction and she should then be able to free her arm.

Positioning, Carrying and Playing

Practise this skill at every nappy change. Eventually you will curse this talent as it will be difficult to lay her on her back to change her nappy – she will struggle to roll over onto her tummy and take off!

Play rolling games on the floor, rolling her over and over, perhaps with a peek-a-boo every time you come face to face.

Once she can roll by herself, discourage her from using this as a way to get around. If she starts to do this, look at the creeping and crawling skills in GM.A.37, GM.A.39 and GM.A.41.

Continue with your pick up (GM.A.17), carry (GM.A.25), put down (GM.A.30), and nursing (GM.A.17,GM.A.25).