Pls help 7 month old baby won’t roll and refuses tummy time

[Lollibert]

My 7 month old can roll with encouragement if I wave a toy or place it would of her reach from back to stomach and from stomach to back, but I’ve not once seen her roll of her own choosing by herself If I lay her on her back she’ll stay there for the few minutes that she’ll put up with it and it’s the same with tummy time which she has always hated and refused, I have to jump through hoops to for her to stay on her belly and that involves me acting like a lunatic to entertain her so she won’t cry but that only lasts for 5 minutes and she cries and won’t stay on her belly anymore this battle has been going on since birth and I’ve never been able to get her to do tummy time for longer than 5 minutes so I’ve always done tummy time on my lap or chest and she can push her self up with her arms etc she can sit up completely unaided for as long as she wants she has a very strong back and very good head control but she refuses to lay down she’s too nosy of a baby she’ll happily sit up and play with her toys all day but will not lay down unless she tired and going down for a nap or going to bed and I’m worried she’ll miss this milestone I’m a ftm and I feel like I’ve done something wrong along the line somewhere that’s led to her refusing tummy time or refusing to lay down for floor play she’ll play on the floor but she has to be sitting up how will she ever learn to crawl I’m so worried I’ve contacted the HV waiting for a reply she seems to have no interest to be on the move she’ll just happily sit there and play with her toys if I place a toy out of her reach while sitting she’ll reach for it but cry if she can’t reach it until I give it back to her she’ll never learn to crawl if she won’t do tummy time what am I doing wrong I don’t understand

Don’t worry, she sounds completely fine. If she is sitting up and great head control she doesn’t really need tummy time any more.

My son rolled over once at 4 months and then never again, no matter what I did to encourage him. He hated tummy time so would just scream but was very happy on his back in his play gym. He sat at 6 months, crawled at 9 (from a sitting position, no tummy time needed) and walked at 13, all completely average. He threw a ball very accurately very young, around 10 months he could throw far and in the right direction. I think that was all the play gym time!

Babies are all interested in different things and your daughter sounds completely on track.

Unfortunately babies have these things called personalities and they're rarely convenient

You've said she can roll so I wouldn't worry, honestly. My second was at least six months probably more like 7 before she rolled at all. She was a late walker too, 18 months. Nothing wrong with her, just a bit of a lazy lump!

Btw some babies never crawl so don't get anxious about that milestone, some skip it completely.

By all means talk to your HV to make sure all is ok, but odds are everything is fine.

My son never rolled , he is a normal healthy 10 year old , try not to worry about it

It's worth remembering - an 'expert' wrote the book, you've read the book, but the baby hasn't read the book. In other words your baby will roll, crawl, walk, talk in their own time.

Some never crawl - I was a bottom shuffler, never crawled, walked at 15 months. Just because the book say babies roll at x months, doesn't mean there's a problem if yours doesn't.

I’d never heard of tummy time until recently! My three children all managed to grow into coordinated adults without being forced to spend time on their tummies. Babies seem to have their own way of doing things when they choose to.

As my daughter is expecting her first child, maybe I need to update my parenting knowledge!

You don't need to teach your child how to roll, crawl, speak etc. As long as they are given the opportunity they will get there.

My first hated tummy time with a passion.

She sat unaided at 5 months, and walked properly at 9.5 months. It certainly never held her back!

It wasn't introduced until the back to sleep campaign. When babies slept on their front they got all the tummy time they needed whilst in the cot when just waking up etc. studies after the change to putting babies to sleep on their backs found that the core strength of babies started to slip and the age that certain milestones on a national level started to get later. It was decided more time on their tummy's was the answer and in recent years more of a thing.

OP : tummy time on you is completely valid. My daughter had fantastic head control by day 10 and she had 2 x 10seconds of tummy time on the floor. She was in my arms permanently though. My friend was berated by her HV for not doing tummy time but it was for such a tiny period of time that she didn't have good head control and then she got it and then had brilliant head control. On a nation wide pov tummy time is needed but you have to work with your child and if they have good head control and don't like tummy time that's ok, stop forcing the issue.

I’d never heard of tummy time until recently. I have a 23 year old. I never did tummy time with him. He’s a martial arts enthusiast …

Stop worrying!

@Superscientist but she has been able to sit up unaided from about 5.5months old at first for about 30 seconds and slowly she could sit for longer and longer now she can sit for however long she likes unaided but she has no interest in getting on the move she just wants to sit and play with her toys how would I know if she’s having developmental delays? She can move toys from one hand to another to inspect them she can grab things, she sometimes repeats certain sounds she hears, still doesn’t understand cause and effect, so we’re still trying to teach her that pressing the buttons on her toys make them work, if we hold her hands when she lays On her back she pulls herself up does that All sound normal? Also sometimes when we do try tummy time she lifts her arms and sticks them in the air behind her if that makes sense like a bird flying 🦅 and lifts her legs too and sort of wobbles side to side on her tummy then she’ll probably cry to be put in a sitting position.

@Superscientist i just googled it and the position she puts herself in is called “swimming” and it said baby’s who don’t spend enough time doing tummy time don’t develop the strength to put themselves in that position well that definitely isn’t correct because she hates tummy time and won’t put up with it and can manage to put herself in that position

One of mine rolled at 7 weeks, the other did it only back to front to get into her preferred sleeping position (never did it at any other time, never saw her go front to back as she detested tummy time). The early roller didn’t walk until 12 months whilst the late one was walking at 9 months. I wouldn’t worry.

You come across as a lovely Mum, please try and stop worrying, she sounds perfectly fine and if you’re still worried have a word with your HV. My three never crawled but did walk early. Enjoy your baby.

Please stop worrying and please stop pressuring your baby and yourself. All you’re doing is fuelling your anxiety. Your baby sounds completely normal. Parents don’t have to “train” babies to achieve milestones by certain strictly defined ages. They just happen sooner or later, and some never happen at all e.g. some babies never crawl. Babies are individuals, very different from each other. They are not computers carrying out a program.

I would 110% stop worrying about tummy time in that case! She's already mastered more tummy time will just make you both miserable. Find happier ways to spend your time!

She sounds like a happy, healthy little girl who's comfortably hitting her milestones. Forget tummy time for now, she's sitting up steadily so has strong core and neck muscles.

Let her lead you in her own very personal development, rather than books etc. she's doing wonderfully, as are you.

@Mabelface so just letting her sit with her toys is ok instead of tummy time?

if she's sitting up and she can roll she doesn't really need tummy time. one of the main reasons for it is to prevent flat head from lying on their back all day. if she's sat up that's not really an issue. she can roll she just doesn't want to. Kids to odd things, they really do.

As to moving....I'm not sure where you want her to move to. 7 months is quite early still for crawling. my daughter was 8 months and one of the earliest. She's sat, playing with her toys - that sounds right for a 7 month old. there's no developmental delays cos she doesn't like being on her tummy. she sounds fine.

As said my daughter was one of the first to crawl and she was the LAST to walk. At a year old she decided she'd rather walk on her knees which she did til she was 20 months. Saw doctor's and physios and they all said she was fine she just found her own way and didn't want to change. Then one day she just stood up and walked off. Three months later she can run around as fast as any of her friends. you'd never know. Babies sometimes do weird things and don't learn things in the "right" order but they all do it in the end.

It absolutely is. 😊

Forget tummy time - it is wholly unnecessary - there are trillions upon trillions of people and generations after generations of people who did not do this and they are not walking around with their heads flopping on their chests! Trying to get a baby to do this is just making a rod for your own back - chill, relax, just have fun with her! Forget all this self-flagellating garbage that mothers get shoved up their noses! Just go with your instincts - they are all you need.

She sounds totally normal. Stopping worrying and looking things up, enjoy your baby. She’ll soon be on the move once’s she’s ready be that at 8 months, 10 months or 12 months.

My dd hated tummy time and screamed every time I put her on her tummy- so I stopped doing it. She could roll but only front to back, and only occasionally. She crawled and was walking by 13 months. She's now 10yo and very active and plays loads of sports well. My ds never rolled once that I'm aware of (I certainly never witnessed anything resembling a roll), and I barely bothered with tummy time- and he still crawled at the right age and was walking by 12 months. Again a very active child. So my point is don't fret about tummy time and rolling and crawling. If she's developing normally in all other ways then she'll be fine.

My DD is 10.5 months and has also been sitting independently from about 5 months. Only in the last 3 weeks or so has she been crawling, rolling both ways and pulling to stand. It all happened at once and I literally don't know how to cope with a mobile baby lol.

Your DD sounds normal to me, I honestly would try not to worry although it's easier said than done.

I posted one of these overly worried posts when I was at your stage with my son and someone commented saying they’d never seen an adult who was unable to… (roll, hold their head up etc) and it did make me laugh a bit and it’s true. In a year or twos time this will be a distant memory and you won’t remember exactly when it happened.

If you’re worried definitely chat with your health visitor about it though. I found Emma Hubbard’s video for all baby activities really helpful, she’s got good tummy time ideas and things to help with sitting, rolling etc

I worried so much about so many things including tummy time when my DD was younger and realised afterwards it was for nothing as she developed and learnt at her own space.