Rolling, Sitting and the Connection to Vestibular Function
Is it okay if my baby skips rolling and goes straight to sitting?
I get this question a lot from parents who are wondering if rolling is an important milestone.
Rolling before sitting will best help your baby reach future milestones as it helps to develop the skills required - including the milestone sitting. The fact that rolling typically develops before sitting, crawling, and walking is no coincidence!
Rolling is an important milestone for young babies and helps to develop so much during their young lives.
Rolling helps to develop:
Strength in your munchkin’s neck and core muscles which are vital muscle groups for sitting posture.
Active rotation in the spine. Rotation in the spine is when your shoulders are facing a different way from your pelvis. This will help with sitting balance and posture as well as future milestones like crawling, walking, and running.
Is a way for babies to be independent with changing positions on their own. Independence in movement leads to more chances to explore and learn!
Helps to get pressure off the baby’s head to avoid flat head or asymmetrical head shape
One very important (and not often talked about) development with rolling is the vestibular system. The vestibular system is important for maintaining upright balance, once again crucial for sitting and standing.
The vestibular system is made up of your munchkin’s inner ear and helps the brain understand where they are in space. This is how they know if they are up, down or sideways. It’s crucial for body orientation and stability, without it, a person may be clumsy. The vestibular system actually begins developing while your munchkin is still in the womb, and becomes stronger and more developed after birth with infant activities like rocking, swinging and rolling. As your munchkin grows, crawling, walking and running all contribute to the vestibular development as well.
Check out some recent posts that show good activities to practice with your munchkin to develop and strengthen their core and vestibular system!
For even more info to support your munchkin, check out this book, Tummy Time and Learning to Roll: A Baby Development Book for Ambitious Parents and Pediatric Healthcare Providers to Help Babies Learn to Roll Independently (Proactive Play) written by my friend and fellow pediatric physical therapist, Dr. Lauren Baker.
