In the first months after birth, the child grows and develops very quickly, and his parents are faced with a difficult task: to notice in time and not to “miss” the first signs of developmental delay. But this is quite difficult to do, because each baby develops according to its own individual calendar, which does not always correspond to generally accepted standards. So, if a child does not roll over from back to stomach and back at 4 months, is this normal or pathological?
Experts' opinion
So, a child at 4 months does not roll over. Pediatric doctors have different views on the physical development of children. If the pediatrician is experienced, guided not by templates, but by real cases from his practice, then he will ask the parents about everything that concerns the child. Also be sure to check it out. The doctor will tell you if the baby has physical problems. According to the developmental schedule, pediatricians believe that a child should roll over for the first time at 3-4 months. In practice, babies from 2 to 6 months perform the first revolution in their lives.
Is everything really that scary?
But there are doctors who immediately make diagnoses and thereby scare parents. But in fact, a child at 4 months simply does not roll over. Komarovsky, for example, regarding the statements of many doctors that a child should do this and that at a certain age, says: “The child does not owe anything to anyone.” After all, each baby develops individually and, if everything is in order with health, will definitely learn to do what is needed, but only a little later. By the way, children's doctors consider turning a baby from back to stomach more critically as an indicator of the baby's development. So, if a child does not roll over from his stomach to his back at 4 months, there is no need to worry about this at all. The baby will definitely master this skill.
General exercises to strengthen muscles
If the child has already reached 4 months, but has not yet begun to roll over onto his stomach from his back, then there is no reason to worry. At this age, with babies it is necessary to do a set of special exercises quite often that will help the baby roll over. All of them are aimed at stimulating his musculoskeletal system.
At the same time, there is absolutely no reason to panic. After all, every baby’s body develops individually, and there is no clear age limit for such changes.
Ideally, parents should begin more active activities with their three-month-old baby so that he can begin to roll over on his own as early as possible. To do this you need to do several simple exercises. The main thing is to be able to attract the child, to arouse his interest in something. It is for this purpose that you should first rattle it with your favorite rattle, and then place it near the child. To find the desired object, the baby will try to turn around and turn on its side, while performing characteristic movements of the arms and legs. In some cases, the child initially learns to roll over only in one direction. Then the toy he is interested in should be placed on the opposite side.
Of course, there is another way, without the participation of toys. At the same time, it is still necessary to capture children's attention in any way. For example, a mother can sit on the side of the crib and call the child. He will definitely react to his mother’s voice and try to see her. First, he will try to turn his head, and the whole body will follow, gradually turning over onto his stomach from his back. Both parents can participate in this game. In this case, they sit on opposite sides of the baby and take turns calling him. Then the baby will sooner learn to roll over in each direction.
If a child at 4 months does not roll over, despite any efforts, then, apparently, he simply does not have enough muscle in his legs and arms. Then he will need special exercises to strengthen his muscles.
What can be considered normal
As already mentioned, the baby learns to roll over from 2 to 6 months. When a child at 4 months does not roll over, there is nothing terrible about it. It is enough that he can turn from his back or from his stomach to his side. But it happens that the baby begins to make such turns later. Of course, it is necessary to monitor the child’s physical development. And yet, there is no need to panic if the baby does not fit into the norm. Work out with him, a massage course won’t hurt either, and your baby will soon delight you with his success.
Child development norms at 4 months
The baby does not begin to roll over immediately. Without the preceding stages of physical development, revolutions are not possible.
Able to hold head and lean on hands
According to children's development standards, by four months the baby should confidently hold his head, resting on his palms and arching his back. This achievement frees up strength for new achievements. With your head held high, it is much easier to look around and realize that there is still so much interesting things to see around you.
Turns around
From this moment on, the child makes attempts to roll over. First, turn on your side. Throwing his leg over, the baby lies on his side and returns to his original position.
This acrobatic sketch looks extremely cute. After all, small arms and legs still don’t quite obey, so the baby may fall forward a little in an attempt to maintain balance. Turning on one side is the second big victory after the baby has learned to hold his head up. But he is not going to stop there, but gradually tries to roll from his side to his tummy.
Tummy roll
A little time passes, and the constantly training baby is already able to independently turn from his back to his tummy and look at those around him for a long time, lying on his stomach and leaning on his palms.
If your baby is already 4 months old and still doesn’t roll over, this is not a reason to panic. Most likely, this is ordinary laziness that arises for understandable reasons. However, you need to take a closer look at the baby and find out the reason.
Why doesn't the baby roll over?
A child at 4 months does not roll over from back to stomach for various reasons:
- Hypertonicity or hypotonicity of muscles. This is a neurological disorder that is very common. If the violations are minor, then massage and gymnastics will correct the situation. In other cases, you may need to consult a neurologist and prescribe medications. Massage normalizes tissue nutrition and blood circulation, and due to this, muscle tone comes into order. Swimming is another effective way to stabilize muscle tone.
- Prematurity and birth trauma, the severity of pregnancy can also be the reason that a child at 4 months does not roll over from his stomach to his back. At 6 months, if no changes have occurred, parents of children born prematurely should not worry, because the development of such babies shifts to the period of prematurity.
- Perhaps the baby is simply not interested in rolling over. Try taking a bright toy and motivate him to do a new movement. If this is the reason, then the baby will quickly learn to flip.
- Heredity.
- Individual characteristics of the baby. If a quiet, calm child does not roll over at 4 months, and at the same time he is healthy, it means that the baby likes to observe more than to move. Active children, on the contrary, strive to understand the world through movement. They cannot stay in one place for a long time, so they are ahead of their peers in physical skills.
- Weight can also cause a 4 month old baby to not roll over from back to stomach. In this regard, Komarovsky talks about the characteristics of each baby, including weight. If a child is overweight, then this can be either the norm for him, a genetically determined factor, or a consequence of overfeeding against the background of normal health indicators. Perhaps the house is hot, and the baby asks for a drink, but the mother thinks that he is hungry and feeds him. Or they don’t do enough gymnastics, massage and other types of physical activity with the baby.
How to solve a problem
If a child does not roll over onto his stomach at 4 months, it is useful to do gymnastics to help the baby acquire the skills of turning. You need to bend his legs at the knees and carefully alternate turns on his tummy, then through the right side, then through the left. For example, push the right leg to the left until the baby is on his stomach. But you need to remember that a child can be in a bad mood and tired. It is clear that you should not do exercises or gymnastics if he is capricious. Maybe now the baby is not too keen on physical activity or is hungry.
How to teach a 4 month old baby to roll over
Before starting classes, you need to objectively assess the child’s physical fitness.
If he doesn't hold his head well, don't rush things. You can start the exercises if the baby holds his head well while lying on his tummy, and he really likes the process. This will be an additional incentive to quickly master the skills of a coup. After all, a new body position will allow you to see the world in a new way, form a different idea about it, and receive interesting information.
Preparation
Massage remains the most important and effective preparation for rolling onto your side and back. Therefore, do not be lazy and regularly start exercises with it. Moreover, this does not require hand strength or specific skills. At such a tender age, massage consists of a series of stroking, bending and straightening the arms and legs. Parents can cope with this without resorting to the help of a specialist.
Irina, mother of 5-month-old Igor: “My son began to roll over immediately after the massage course. Somehow I didn’t even think about revolutions; I knew that it should be between 3-5 months. And then, after the 9th massage, when dad turned on the TV loudly, Igorek, who was lying on the sofa, turned on his side, and then, on his stomach and stretched out in his arms like a gopher!”
Turning the legs
Laying the baby on a hard surface on his back (preferably on the floor with a blanket spread out), bend his legs at the knees and turn them to the side. The rotation of the legs will be followed by the pelvis and then the upper body.
Side turn training
Place your baby on his back and place your hands under his feet, allowing him to rest his legs. Give your baby a finger to grasp, but do not pull towards you. Let the baby do it himself. Having thus turned on his side, he can lie like that for some time. To do this, place a pillow under the backrest. This will strengthen the skill of lying on your side.
Turn onto your stomach
Take a bright toy or musical instrument (bell, tambourine) and attract the child’s attention with it. And then put it on the side of him, but so that the toy remains in sight. Wanting to get the thing he likes, the baby will try with all his might to roll over on his side and reach for it.
If he is close to his goal, then just watch, encouraging the child. If the coup doesn't work, get a little help. To do this, it is enough to fix one of the baby’s legs, pressing it lightly. You need to move the second leg along the axis, throwing it to turn it over. But don’t try to do everything for your child. You just have to give a hint, show the direction and scope of work. And he must finish the movement, bring it to the end, on his own. Don’t dream that one time will be enough to master the material. Small legs will not be so obedient. You will need to repeat the lesson several times.
At the same time, each time you need to slightly reduce the dosage of parental help and rehearse turns in different directions.
Rifles
Spread a blanket on the floor and a sheet on top. Place your baby's back on the sheet. Place cushions around the edges to prevent it from rolling onto the hard floor. On the side opposite from the pillows, lift the edge of the sheet on which the baby is lying and, rocking, slowly pull it up, saying:
Oh gu-gu, oh gu-gu, Don't spin around in the meadow. There's a puddle in the meadow. Your head will spin. You'll fall straight into a puddle, and you'll come to dinner wet!
Wait until the baby turns over from back to stomach under the influence of gravity. Let him lie on his tummy, and then repeat the game with turning over to the other side.
Using these tips, parents will be able to quickly eliminate the baby’s delay in physical development and teach him to roll over. Then, when the child masters this technique, the coup will be easy for him.
https://youtu.be/iJOZMtOS7jc
Ways to teach your baby to roll over
Sometimes, if a child does not roll over at 4 months, mom or dad’s own example helps. The baby will perceive this as a game and begin to repeat it. This greatly amuses young children when their parents show them how to roll over, crawl, etc. And this activity will also cheer up adults. You need to place your baby on his tummy more often. In this case, he will try to roll over, because almost all babies like to lie on their back and look at everything around them.
Of course, you need to worry about the physical development of your children, but it is more important to simply work with the baby, being in a calm state of mind and in high spirits. After all, the child is very sensitive to the state of mom and dad, even if they hide their concern behind a smile. Therefore, there is no need to panic when a baby does not roll over at 4 months. Visit a doctor, follow his recommendations, work with your baby. Very soon this will bear fruit. The child will delight with his small achievements. Health to you and your children!
