Motor Monday: Rollin' rollin' rollin'

One of the most interesting things for me as a mom of triplets and pediatric PT is watching our three babies develop motor skills on their own timeline.  It is also probably the most aggravating thing, at times, because sometimes it feels like nothing I do is helping Avery get this rolling thing down!  Isaiah and Ellie have both been rolling from belly to back for a long time now. Avery HAS rolled, but only a few times in front of me (& a handful of times when we weren't looking) and she really doesn't seem interested in trying even when I let her get really frustrated.  I figure she's just trying to teach me patience and make me a better therapist. :)

What's also interesting is that Isaiah and Ellie roll in completely different ways. Occasionally each of them will use the other method for rolling, but I'd say at least 90% of the time they stick with their go-to pattern. Isaiah uses his big noggin' to lead the charge in his roll, shifting his weight over one shoulder, as you can see in this video. (you also get to hear his happy squeals!)

Ellie on the other hand uses her legs to do the heavy lifting and leads the roll with her bum. She puts her head down and gets mobility from her hips rather than her shoulders.  When Ellie first started rolling she did it the same way as Isaiah but since she's learned to lead with her hips that's the way she does it pretty much every time.

And here's Avery during two of her rare moments of glory. On the first one, leading with her head, I positioned her on her elbows with them tucked in tight. In the second it was all her and I just barely caught it as you can see. That day she rolled three times in a row and then despite trying over and over she couldn't get it again.

We made a new friend last week and their daughter, who is a month older than Avery, is stubborn about rolling too. She did it for a week or so and then hasn't done it since, but is sitting by herself and looks great on her tummy. So, we'll see. I'm not giving up though! To practice rolling, both belly to back and back to belly I like to have the babies act out the song Ten in the Bed minus actually falling out of bed part!  We play it on the floor and I help them initiate the roll from their shoulders or hips and then let them finish it. I roll one baby each time I sing "roll over." Because it's to a song they all seem to enjoy this game and it's a great way to get a lot of rolling practice in.