in January 2023 Babies 🇨🇦

Tummy time ‘swimming’

My baby girl just turned five months and is not staying very long on her forearms/hands/arms during tummy time and often starts swimming. I guess we didn’t do enough tummy time. At an infant development group the teacher also mentioned one of her hands is still closed vs flat and open. Anybody else experiencing this? Any concerns with development or with a focus on tummy time now should there be improvement? She rolls confidently from back to tummy one way (started just before 4 months) and just started to go the other way but doesn’t roll tummy to back (has a handful of times). I will also add often I have toys in front of her to hold onto to keep her arms down which works for a bit but she goes back to swimming. They just were behind us now in this video

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We do lots of feet/hand play and side lying play. For a while I would take my sons foot and opposite hand and place foot in that hand, then switch. Then I’d take one leg and kinda cross it over and roll him to his side, then the other. On his side I would put his hands together and then take a toy to encourage rolling. I just kept doing that daily and he finally got it.

I wouldn't be concerned with her development she is still so young each baby rolls at their own pace. She seems to have good neck control, which is the goal. My girl will be 5 months on Sunday she can roll tummy to back, but only when she wants to sometimes she will just put her head down and cry. She hasn't gone back to tummy yet, but she loves being on her back, so she isn’t motivated to roll over. LoL Your girl almost looks like she is trying to crawl, but hasn't figured out how to put her arms down to make that motion.

@Melissa thank you! That’s helpful! I’m not concerned about the rolling as she’s rolled one way and is very close to the other and belly to back but more concerned about that swimming motion / not keeping her arms down and that her hands aren’t open flat. I guess it will just come in time!

@Alisia Thank you, these are great ideas. I’m not worried about her rolling as she does roll one way and is on her way to rolling the other way and tummy to back but more concerned about her not putting much weight on her arms and going into the swimming position.

I forgot to include that part. My guy was doing that for the last month or so. I kept putting them down and he’d pop them right back up. It’s only been within the last couple of days he’s started putting them down and has starting army crawling 😭🥲

@Alisia thank you! That’s so helpful to know! The infant development teacher at the infant development program/ a play group we have here acted concerned about it and really stressed me out so that’s great to know. She looks so close to army crawling and in last day even her arms are down more so I guess in time she will progress! Thank you, helps to know what other babies are doing.

This is actually so normal developmentally. The swimming motion happens just before crawling. Its how they practice cross-lateral movement. It’s strange that this teacher would be worried about it…

My lactation consultant called this "superman". We tucked her elbows back in and put a hand on her bum for a second. She looks great, building the strenght to stay like that long can take time and little added support. All babies are differant. Mine rolled tummy to back not sure she was even 3 months and just started going back to tummy last week she is 5.5 months.