Before rolling, there is feeling

Therapists talk about three kinds of information that help a baby move with some control:

  • Touch. Hands, your chest, a blanket, the floor.
  • Body awareness. Muscles and joints telling the brain where the arms and legs are.
  • Balance. The inner ear noticing when the head tips or turns.

That mix helps a baby find themselves in space, use both sides, and get ready for rolling and crawling. This is everyday development talk. It is not a label and it is not a sensory disorder diagnosis.

When one side keeps winning

If a baby always keeps the head turned one way, they get more of that information on one side than the other. Torticollis can do that. How you carry, feed, and set down toys can feed the habit or gently invite the other side. A therapist looks at the whole picture, not one tight muscle by itself.

Small things that help, not a protocol

  • Floor time on a firm blanket, with you right there
  • Toys offered from both sides, not only the favorite side
  • Carrying and feeding that change through the day
  • Less time parked in a seat when you are not actually going somewhere

If feeding, sleep, or play feels much harder than you expected, or ordinary movement really upsets your baby, tell your pediatrician. An occupational therapist who works with infants can look at feeling and movement together.

From the blog: Symmetry and the ATNR reflex ↗

Sources

  • Sargent B, Coulter C, Cannoy J, Kaplan SL. Physical Therapy Management of Congenital Muscular Torticollis: A 2024 Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline. Pediatr Phys Ther. 2024;36(4):370-421. Covers early parent education, side preference, and movement symmetry. PubMed 39356257 ↗
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Learn the Signs. Act Early. Movement and physical development milestones. cdc.gov/act-early ↗
  • Laughlin J, Luerssen TG, Dias MS. Prevention and Management of Positional Skull Deformities in Infants. Pediatrics. 2011;128(6):1236-1241. Notes supervised tummy time and limiting long stretches in seats. doi.org/10.1542/peds.2011-2220 ↗
  • American Occupational Therapy Association. Occupational therapy practice resources on sensory processing and early childhood. Used here only as context for typical touch, body awareness, and balance. Not as a diagnosis of a sensory disorder. AOTA sensory integration topic ↗

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