Tummy Time Ideas for 4 Month Old Who Has Not Yet Rolled Over

You could try letting him sleep on his belly. Not good if you are scared of SIDs, but there is research to indicate that babies who sleep on their bellies roll over sooner. With that said, the peditrician was probably sharing a general guideline with you... all babies develop at different paces, so I wouldn't worry too much.

Hi C.,
I also have a 4 month old. My pediatrician just told me at our appointment last Friday that babies are rolling over later because of the requirement to sleep on their backs. While some babies may already roll over at 4 months many aren't doing it until 6 months. My son isn't rolling over yet either and the fact that you're baby is doing it back to front is really good. The book What to Expect the First Year also says that babies should be rolling by 6 months so I wouldn't worry about it. My son loves tummy time and spends a good amount of time on his belly, but he's still working on coordinating getting his arm out of the way so that he can get all the way over. I help him by propping him on a stuffed toy so that he doesn't have as far to roll, thinking that will give him a sense of what to do. Good luck!

C.

My son just had his 4 month check up yesterday and our doctor wasn't concerned about his not rolling over. He rolls to his side, but doesn't ever make it all the way over. I know a lot of people who have babies between 4 and 6 months and most of them don't seem to have it down until closer to 6 months.

I have had 4 kids ranging from10 yo to 26 yo and a 6 mt. grandson that I keep and he now rolls over, holds his bottle has 2 teeth and is now sitting for small periods by himself. I can't remember any of my kids doing all the same things, so my advise is to not rush it, but we put him on his tummy whenever he wasn't sleeping, until he got bored with tummy time, and started rolling over.

C.,

The Atlanta Children's Hospital has a monthly newsletter they send out with neat ideas and facts. You can check it out at

http://www.choa.org/default.aspx?id=4892

Hope this helps

J. Z.
Independent Shaklee Distributor
www.shaklee.net/Z.
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I remember when my kids did not like tummy time, I sometimes would put new toys in front of the, lie on the floor in front of them as well of even put a Baby Einstein video so that they would try to look up at that as well. Don't get too frustrated, all babies reach their milestones when they are ready. If you are a working mom, make sure you reiterate to your daycare that the baby gets tummy time there as well!!!

He is just fine... My youngest didn't roll till he was 6 months. Congratulations on your precious new soul!

Good luck.

I agree with everyone else, C. -- 4 mos is NOT unusual to not be rolling over yet, and I second Suz's pox on your pedi for making you worried about it. My DS didn't roll over both ways until he was at least 5 mos and my pedi was never concerned about it. I promise you that your baby will not go to kindergarten unable to roll over. Have fun with your baby, and don't worry about making play time "productive." All in good time! I think there have been plenty of good ideas here about fun things you can do during tummy time -- before you know it he'll be rolling over and sitting up. Enjoy every precious moment.

Congrats on your blessing!

I agree with the other mom that it is not unusual for a 4 month old to not be able to roll both ways. My pediatrician told me this when my first son was this age. But, you can try laying him on your chest and talking/singing to him for a little bit. Also, try laying on the floor with your knees bent and lay him on the lower part of your legs and extend your legs in and out like your exercising. Make a game out of it a couple of times a day. This counts as tummy time too. Neither one of my kids liked being on their stomaches and would roll over(or cry before they knew how to roll over) after only a few seconds. Both of them turned out just fine and reached all of their mielstones in their own time. Don't worry, he'll get it!

Hi C.,
I used to lay on my back and fold my legs on my chest, like I was rolled into a ball. Then I would lift my kids and lay them (one at a time of course:) on my shins, with his/her face just above mine. I would gently roll forward and backward and hold out their arms so they looked like they were flying like superman. They loved it. Of course, you can only do this for a minute or two at a time, but at least it's a little extra tummy time for them.

HI C.

Don't worry about your son. My Daugther could roll over when she was about 4-5 months. for Tummy time, it is better use towel to roll and the put it under your son's chest during tummy time. my Yoga teacher taught me about this and it is very helpful than using small pillow or those expensive tummy time toys.

another way, you laid your son down on your chest while you are laying on the floor. that would help your son during the tummy time too.

more,, you put your son on your bed (if it is soft) then you play with him by roll him back and forth (slowly). my daugther loves this game.

hope this will help.

My sister is an occupational therapist and was always reminding me how important tummy time is for building upper body strength. My son enjoyed looking at himself in a Sassy mirror. He also enjoyed toys looking at toys that moved or made music. My sister also suggested doing brief 15 minute or so sessions a couple of times a day.

I have an 8-month old daughter. She rolls from her back to her tummy ALL the time (she sleeps on her tummy) and I've only seen her roll from tummy to back 2-3 times.

Also, she always rolls over to her right side, rarely to her left. This worried my husband, but our pediatrician says it's okay. She's been sitting up without falling if we put her in that position since 5 months 1 week, just this week she mastered getting up to sitting from lying down on her own....your son will be fine!!

Just keep doing what you're doing :)

M.

www.yourintutivehealth.com

Some kids are just a bit different. :) But if your son can lift his head when he is on his stomach, he'll be just fine. You can use toys or food to persuade him, but... extension (stomach to back) develops before flexion (back to front)... so if your son has reached all or most of his developmental milestones, there shouldn't be any concerns. Around 5 months, he should be able to sit with using his arms (palms down for support). Crawling happens about 8 months, cruising along furniture at 11 months, walking at 14 months... and these are just estimates. Children are either shakers or talkers first, so if your son is chatty, his physical develop might be a bit off or delayed. And this is normal. And some children skip some steps. If for some reason your son doesn't sit with arm support at 5 months, or starts rolling soon after that mark, then you might want to follow-up with the pediatrician. If your pediatrician feels there's a serious developmental delay, your son should be consulted to a pediatric physical therapist or occupational therapist. I think your son will be just fine. :) :)

Relax! I bet the Dr. didn't roll over until he was 6 months old. My first walked at 11 months. My second walked at 15 months. My third walked at 13 months. They are all fine! The Dr. is going by guide lines and suggestions. Everyone is different and has a special gift and timeline for doing things. Enjoy your baby. He will be sitting and crawling before you know it.

Babycenter.com says that some babies don't master rolling both ways until they're six months old. I don't think your child is developmentally unusual or slow. Try putting him on his side, and sit on the other side of him so that he has to roll to his back in order to get closer to you, or put a toy that he really likes on the opposite side of him, but still within his sight. You have to make him really want to roll in that direction! Good luck, and hope this helps. :)

My son didn't start rolling from belly to back until this week and he is 6 months old! One thing you could try if your baby hates tummy time (like mine did at first) is put him on his belly in different places (like on the table at your eye level, or on your legs while you sit on the floor as if you were going to do a situp or even on your chest so he can look up at your face. Good luck!

There are lots of fun and easy ways you can encourage your baby to roll and to enjoy tummy time. I use many techniques based on the Feldenkrais Method, which is a form of movement education. I'd be happy to talk to you.
R. Shapiro, Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner. ###-###-####

oh, fie and a pox and a plague on pediatricians who say stuff like this! and produce worried mamas who are trying to teach their babies to do things that babies do just fine, thank you, all in their own good time.
4 month olds don't need 'productive' learning time of any kind. every single moment they're awake they're learning avidly. trust your baby and ENJOY him and don't worry about whether or not his time is being frittered away by not rolling on schedule.
khairete
S.

Funny because most every new mom (including myself) that I know laments that their baby doesn't like tummy time. Just keep trying what you're doing. The pillow is a good idea and it's what worked for us. We actually liked a regular bed pillow on our bed. I put on a little "Elmo's World" in our room with our son on the pillow. He loved the distraction so much he would stay there forever (and he HATED tummy time). Now he rolls like crazy and sleeps on his belly. Just give him time and practice and he'll get it!

looks like you got plenty of replies and what I wanted to say is said over and over, don't worry about it! my little girl is just 8 months and although she can roll over both directions, she hardly has desire to do so. i thought she would NEVER get this milestone, but she eventually did. She hated "tummy time" unless she happened to be in the mood for it. Around 6 months she started to enjoy being on her tummy more often, but she still prefers sitting upright or standing. I found that she was incredibly distracted and happy to be on her tummy when we were around a friend's dog...she just LOVEs to watch the dogs/puppies and will happily squirm around the floor to get them. But, if you don't have a pet, just keep attempting the tummy time, but I wouldn't worry too much about forcing the issue. Evenutally the little guy will decide he wants to get from here to there and he'll figure out a way to do it. Enjoy his immobility! Once he's crawling/walking, put on your running shoes! Just hug and kiss that little bundle and forget about "milestones".

I too have a 4 month old who has not rolled over and I am not worried about it at all... and we just had our 4 month ck up and our ped. was not worried about it at all... he'll do it it will just take some time... my 4 mth old wants to sit up...and is busy learning that...

My 5 month old (as of 7/11) only now is rolling over from back to tummy and then she gets stuck and screasms and won't roll back. But I think she will in about a month or so. Before that she had only rolled about 2-3 times starting at around 4 months. My first daughter was roughly the same. I wouldn't worry.

Tummy time - I lay down and look her in the eye and play with her. Move her arms and legs halfway into position to give her the feel of it. And make sure he is on a hard non-slippery surface for leverage (not a soft bed or a slippery playmat). I also do it when she is in a good mood, just after a nap, and not when she is too cranky. Frankly, treat him like you would a cat - drag things back and forth in front of him to get him attention. You don't need to make her roll over, but give himopportunities - he won't do it until she wants to.