Hello, and welcome to another BabyPillars tutorial.
In this video we will focus on and learn:
Developing the ability to roll over properly
Developing a sense of mobility in space Building blocks for the first steps for rolling
over and eventual safe crawling
Building your baby’s confidence and positive reaction towards new situations.
This process is one that both parent and baby can share.
One where you teach and guide your baby to roll over correctly, in an organized way through
guided support.
With a matt or a blanket, you can guide your baby through the movements, while allowing
them to move their body and completely roll over on their own.
This exercise is a fun way to learn, while spending quality time with your baby, and
can be practiced at home, outside, and almost anywhere!
In this exercise your baby will learn how to shift their weight, how to bring their
arms to the center of their body, and how to cross their center.
They will develop a sense of movement in space and get familiarized with the sides of their body.
All of these exercises help your baby learn the capability of rolling over to both the
front and back via the sides of their body.
In this video you will watch and learn how you can lead your baby to roll over from side
to side, while actually guiding them through the motions.
With the use of a matt, a large towel, or a blanket, you can play with your baby and
teach them how to roll over properly.
The first step is to lay your baby in the center of the mat, grab both sides of the
mat and kneel in front of your baby.
Establish eye contact, and use the mat like this to play peek-a-boo!
One of the characteristics of this stage of development is a sense of disorientation,
when your baby rolls over and suddenly loses sight of what they saw before -whether it’s
you or simply a different perception of the same scene.
Peek-a-boo is a game that can really work here, as it prepares your baby to perceive
things that disappear and reappear.
Slowly fold up the mat and begin to move and roll your baby around the mat, slowly and
carefully from side to side.
This motion actually demonstrates your baby’s ability to move around on this surface.
Make sure that throughout this roll, your baby remains on their back, and that you are
not moving or rolling them beyond their back.
In addition, it's important to make sure your baby’s head does not leave the mat’s surface.
Next, lift the mat on both sides and stand in front of your baby.
Close the mat so your baby's arms are centrally aligned with their body.
Don’t let your baby’s arms fall to their sides.
Roll the mat until your baby is laying on their side, do this by very slowly and carefully
lifting one side of the mat, and then the other.
Guide your baby to lay on their side for several seconds and then gently return them to laying
on their back.
Repeat on the other side as well, and continue rolling several times on both side, to familiarize
your baby with the mat and the sides of their body.
In this activity you will notice your baby’s opposite arm is on the lifted side of the
mat, crossing the center of their body.
In the next stage you will teach your baby to roll onto their stomach.
As you did before, gently and slowly lift one side of the mat while lowering the other
side, in order to allow your baby to roll onto their stomach.
The moment they roll on to their stomach, gently return them to their back.
Make sure you hold the mat close to your baby’s body, so their arms cannot fall to their sides.
and that they will remain parallel to their body and elbows (as they do in elbow time).
If their arms fall towards their sides, fix them so that they are parallel to their body
before returning them to their back.
Be aware that the movement is very slow and gentle.
Do not let your baby feel like they are falling, and make sure to complete the exercise on both sides.
Here too, lift one side of the mat and lower the other.
Allow your baby to reach their stomach.
Once they reach their stomach, return them to their back.
Now, guide your baby through a full roll from back to stomach and from their stomach we
will continue to their back.
Again, slowly and gently roll your baby from their side to their stomach, and continue
with the roll onto their back via their other side.
And again with the same motion return your baby slowly and gently to their stomach via
their side and continue the roll onto their back.
Here too it's important that you grip the mat tightly, keeping it close to your baby’s
body so their arms won't be able to fall to the sides, and so they stay lined up with
their elbows and body.
If their arms do fall to the side, fix them so that they lean on their elbows before your
return them to their back.
In the last step of the process, guide your baby to roll full rolls from back to stomach
and then return them to their back.
If your baby advances quickly and is able to lift their head and body independently,
you can perform the same process, holding only one side of the mat, and lead them gently
and slowly to roll onto their other side.
That’s all for this BabyPillars Tutorial.
Until the next time!