Guide to the Creeping Stage: Rolling, Pivoting & Creeping
An article by Laura Mittet, Pediatric Physiotherapist

During your baby’s first year, they go through remarkable motor development – from lying helplessly on their back as a newborn to rolling onto their tummy, creeping, crawling, and eventually walking.

This article focuses on the stage where your baby begins to discover that they can control their body and move around. We’ll look at what it takes for a baby to start moving forward – and how you as a parent can support this process through play, presence, and safe, stimulating surroundings.

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From lying to moving

In the months following the lying stage, your baby gradually discovers new ways of moving. Once they’ve built up strength and control in the muscles around the head and neck and learned to coordinate the muscles on the front and back of the body, they begin to roll from back to tummy – their first experience of changing position independently.

Next, babies often learn to pivot, meaning they turn in circles while lying on their tummy. Pivoting is important because this is when your baby starts to make cross-body movements (for example, using the right arm and left leg together), which later become the foundation for creeping and crawling.

When your baby rolls and pivots, they train balance, body awareness, and spatial understanding while strengthening their core muscles – all of which are key skills for the next stages of motor development. Being able to roll and pivot to both sides is therefore essential steps for learning to move forward.

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The first forward movement

When your baby starts to creep, they experience true forward motion for the first time. Creeping requires the arms and legs to work together across the body in cross-body movements – involving cooperation between the left and right sides of the brain.

Mastering these cross-body movements is an important foundation for learning to crawl on all fours. As your baby creeps and uses their whole body, they develop strength and stability in the shoulders, hips, stomach, and back. And most importantly, creeping gives your baby a new sense of freedom to explore their surroundings on their own.

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Create space for movement

When your baby begins to creep, a whole new world opens up. Suddenly, they can move around independently and explore.

How, where, and how much your baby moves depends largely on the environment you create. The space, surface, toys, and sensory input around your baby all influence how motivated and able they are to roll, pivot, and creep.

A safe and stimulating play area

To get the most out of the creeping stage, your baby needs plenty of floor time and room to move.

  • Remove small objects from the floor so your baby can explore freely and safely.
  • Vary the surroundings: let your baby play on the living room floor, on a blanket, a mattress, or even outside on the grass.
  • Place toys around the room – just out of reach – to encourage movement.
  • Lie down in front of or next to your baby; your presence provides comfort, strengthens your bond, and motivates them to move.
  • Try to limit the time your baby spends passively sitting in highchairs, car seats, strollers, and similar, as this can restrict natural movement experiences essential to this stage.

Different surfaces offer new experiences

Your baby learns a lot from feeling different surfaces. On a soft surface like a bed or mattress, they can experience that falling doesn’t hurt – encouraging them to try new movements.

On a smooth floor, they face a new challenge, and bare arms and legs can help create more friction between the skin and the surface, making it easier to push and move forward.

Switching between different surfaces gives your baby new sensory experiences and motivates them to use their body in various ways.

Toys as motor motivation

Toys can be a great motivator for movement. Choose toys that invite exploration and reaching – like rattles, balls, stacking toys, or toys that make sounds when touched or rolled.

Place toys slightly out of reach to encourage your baby to roll, pivot, or creep towards them.

The role of the senses

As in the lying stage, the three primary senses – touch, balance, and body awareness (proprioception) – play a vital role during the creeping phase. Through these senses, your baby gathers information about their body and surroundings, helping them plan and perform movements.

Sense of touch

Gives your baby a sense of the surface they’re lying on. Alternate between a blanket, mattress, floor, or grass, and let your baby play both with and without clothes for different sensory experiences.

Sense of balance

Helps your baby orient themselves when turning or creeping forward. Stimulate it by letting them follow a ball with their eyes, gently swing them back and forth in a blanket or swing, or pull them around the room on a sheet.

Proprioceptive sense

Helps your baby understand where their body is and how it moves. Play tummy-time games where your baby reaches for objects with one arm at a time, or gently push on their shoulder so the weight shifts from one arm to the other.

You can also support your baby’s leg movements by placing one toe on the floor, a hand under the sole, and letting them push off to move forward.

When creeping isn't symmetrical

It’s completely normal if your baby’s early creeping movements are asymmetrical – for example, pushing mainly with one leg. Most babies figure out how to use both sides within a few days, but if the pattern is very pronounced, it might be because one side of the body is stronger or more active.

You can help by stimulating the less active side with gentle touches, small pressure, or massage, or by moving the leg to make your baby more aware of that side.

The stage where your baby learns to roll from back to tummy, pivot, and creep forward is an important transition – the beginning of moving independently from one place to another.

When your baby rolls, pivots, and creeps, they strengthen coordination, balance, and muscle control while gaining new spatial experiences.

You can support this process by providing time, space, and stimulating surroundings that motivate your baby to move and explore. This will help them on their way to the next milestone in motor development – crawling.

Creep & Reach

Laura Mittet | Motorikland

Laura Mittet (34) is a mother of three girls, pediatric physiotherapist, and holds a master’s degree in Educational Psychology. She has many years of experience with children – in public institutions, private practice, and child psychiatry.

In 2022, she became part of Rødovre Physiotherapy and Health Center and co-founded Motorikland – a universe for babies, children, pregnant women, and parents in the postpartum period. Here, physiotherapy, group courses, and workshops are offered with focus on movement, play, presence, and professional guidance.