My 6 mo old daughter "rocks" all the time, why does she do this? Also, why doesnt she like it on her tummy?

Question

I mean its cute the way she does it, but makes it hard to hold on to sometimes. Everyone jokes that shes riding a horse but its just strange to me I guess. My now 21 mo old son never did that. Anyone else have a baby that did it/does it? How'd you keep a hold of them? lol We bought her one of those BebePods to teach her to sit and she rocks so much we are afraid she will either tip, or hurt her back by smacking into it so much. Its like shes just so ready to take off! lol

The other thing is, shes not rolling over yet because she hates to be put on her tummy. I try to do the "tummy time" with her every day as suggested but she screams! I get down in front of her and play, and even bought a play mat designed for tummy play that raises her up a bit but nothing seems to work. Any suggestions on this?

Answer 1

My daughter HATED being on her belly also. She almost never laid on it and is now 6 and she's just fine. The one thing is though is that she never crawled. She sat and would pull herself onto furniture and she was walking at 10 months. Don't worry and I wouldn't force it either. They know what's best for them and they're all so different. And the rocking...she probably just likes it! Maybe she'll just be one of those people that can't sit still (sound like you or her father?) and that's just her way of moving around. Keep up the good work Mama!

Answer 2

She might not like it, but she needs tummy time. Very important for her development. She's six months old? She should be able to roll herself back onto her back if she doesn't like it on her tummy. She's not in pain. Leave her there. You are doing the right things, getting down with her and playing with her. That's all you can do. Offer things for her to crawl to...you will be glad you did.
As for the rocking..did you rock her when she was a baby? Or did you rock a lot while you were pregnant. This may be her form of comfort. I know a kid that rocks...well, it's more like bashes herself onto the back of the couch. It's unreal. I don't know why some kids do this. I guess it's soothing in some way. If you are concerned, talk to the public health nurse, your family doctor or your pediatrician.
Good luck with this.

Answer 3

My baby does the same. She's almost six months (on the first of January). She's trying to figure out how to move herself around, and sometimes she looks like she's trying to do Pilates. :-). My baby doesn't really enjoy tummy time (never has), but I'm convinced she learned how to flip herself over because of this. But, she flips over on her tummy, and begins rocking back and forth. I'd suggest putting your hands at the flats of her feet, and seeing if she pushes off. Most babies don't follow the book; she may decide to skip crawling altogether, but, in the meantime, she's trying to figure out how to get there.
If she's not rolling, mention it to her pediatrician; one missed "milestone" may not mean anything, but a series of them might. Just talk to the ped...babies run on their own schedules, not the books.

Answer 4

My daughter is 12 now...but when she was a baby she used to throw herself back against the car seat repeatedly until she fell asleep. It drove me nuts....I thought she was going to get a concussion lol......by the time she was 2 she had stopped doing it though and my pediatrician said not to worry about it. Shes not strong enough to hurt herself. Good luck lol.

Answer 5

She's soothing herself by rocking. When she was in the womb, she was "rocked" all the time, this is comforting and normal.
My son also hated tummy time, I ended up laying down with him on my stomach or sitting down with him over my legs with toys underneath him. Good luck!

Answer 6

Some kids just do it. My duaghter never did. But my friends baby did it all the time. She like banged of fthings like the couch and stuff. She just liked to bounce.

As for the belly no baby likes to. It is a strain on their neck and back. It is easier just to be on your back.