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Part one: The science of natural movement
What if movement wasn’t something we had to teach babies—but something we just had to allow?
For decades, early years educators and parents have been told that tummy time is essential. It’s meant to build head control, shoulder strength, and prepare for crawling. But what if this advice—though well-meaning—actually misunderstands how babies develop best?
Research from Dr. Emmi Pikler, Moshe Feldenkrais, and Sally Goddard Blythe (INPP – Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology), amongst others, offers another view—one based on trust, observation, and a deep understanding of the nervous system. These thinkers agree: babies learn to move best when they discover it themselves, in their own time, without being placed into positions they’re not yet developmentally ready for.
Reflexes: Nature’s built-in movement programme
Babies are born with primitive reflexes—automatic movement patterns like the Moro reflex (startle), ATNR (asymmetric tonic neck reflex), and STNR (symmetrical tonic neck reflex). These reflexes are not just leftover instincts. They are critical to early survival and to brain development. Each one builds the foundation for later voluntary movement and learning. According to Sally Goddard Blythe (2002, The Well Balanced Child), these reflexes must integrate—meaning they must fade as higher brain areas mature. But that only happens if the baby moves freely, exploring with their own body, on their own terms. Retention of these reflexes can interfere with academic learning and social skills.
Tummy time interrupts this process
When we put babies on their tummies before they can get there themselves—or when we prop them to sit before they can sit alone—we may be bypassing critical stages of development. This can delay reflex integration. And when reflexes linger, it doesn’t just affect motor skills—it can lead to issues later in:
- Balance and posture
- Handwriting and coordination
- Focus, attention, and emotional regulation
- Anxiety and sensory overload
INPP research (Goddard Blythe, 2017) has found clear links between retained reflexes and school readiness challenges. What happens in those first 12–18 months lays the neurological foundation for how a child learns, relates, and behaves.
Feldenkrais: Movement as self-awareness
Moshe Feldenkrais, a physicist and movement educator, believed movement isn’t just about muscles—it’s about the nervous system, learning, and identity. He taught that if we learn movement through force or imitation (like being placed in a position), we don’t truly own that movement. It becomes mechanical, not integrated.
Babies who are placed into positions may perform the action—but they haven’t built it from the inside. Feldenkrais warned this creates shallow learning and disconnects us from our own sense of self.
“We act in accordance with our self-image. That image is built from movement, sensation, and experience.”
— Moshe Feldenkrais, Awareness Through Movement (1972).
Pikler: Respect and readiness
Dr. Emmi Pikler, working with infants at the Lóczy Institute in Budapest, showed through decades of observation that when babies are given safe space and time, they all roll, crawl, sit, and walk—without being taught or positioned. In her model, no baby was ever put into a position they couldn’t get into or out of themselves. The result? Stronger posture, smoother coordination, and calm, confident babies.
Pikler emphasized trust, presence, and observation over correction and stimulation.
“A child who moves freely develops not only better physically but becomes more confident, more focused, more peaceful.”
— Emmi Pikler, Peaceful Babies—Contented Mothers (1940s).
Part two: The infant’s perspective
What does the world feel like to a baby being moved before they’re ready?
Imagine you are lying peacefully, feeling your body, the ground, your breath. Suddenly you’re rolled onto your stomach. Your face is near the floor. You can’t lift your head properly. Your arms don’t know what to do. You can’t go forward. You’re stuck. This is often what tummy time feels like for babies who aren’t ready. It can cause shallow breathing, tension in the neck and jaw, and even trigger stress responses. Over time, this teaches: “Movement is hard. My body is uncomfortable. The world feels unsafe unless I push.” That belief can become part of how a child approaches learning and life.
Now imagine another baby…They lie on their back, gaze at light, move their hands slowly, kick their legs. One day, they roll onto their side, and some time later their belly—without help. Their body is ready. Their curiosity guides them.
That baby learns: “My body works. I can trust myself. The world is interesting. I want to explore.” These are not just physical impressions—they are emotional and cognitive foundations. They shape the child’s self-image and resilience.
Movement shapes mindset
When movement is self-initiated, it feels joyful, not forced. The baby is a participant, not a passive object. This builds:
- Agency – “I can do it.”
- Safety – “I’m in control.”
- Curiosity – “I want to explore.”
- Effortless effort – “I don’t have to strain to succeed.”
These qualities stay with us for life. As adults, many of us are trying to relearn ease, body trust, and nervous system regulation—qualities that can start in infancy if they’re supported from the beginning.
Tummy time in early years settings
In busy nurseries, tummy time is often used with good intentions—but sometimes on schedules, with props, or as a checkbox. This isn’t always in tune with the baby’s signals.
What if instead we:
- Provided large, flat, firm play areas (no pillows or propping)
- Allowed babies to lie on their backs freely
- Resisted the urge to rush sitting or crawling
- Watched more than we interfered
- Shared with parents the why behind this approach?
When babies feel safe, seen, and unhurried, they move better, feel better, and learn better. And educators feel more connected to the individual child, not just the curriculum.
Movement is relationship
Here’s what we often miss: movement isn’t just about milestones. Movement regulates. When babies lie on their backs, free to move and explore, they’re doing more than kicking or gazing. They’re discovering rhythm. They’re shifting between movement and rest, between activation and integration. This is self-regulation in its very first form. It’s the baby learning how to feel something — and then pause. How to explore — and then reflect. This back-and-forth is how the nervous system matures. And it begins on the floor. Quiet. Natural. Without intervention. That’s the real magic. Not just gross-motor strength — but the roots of emotional strength. And when we see it that way, the whole conversation about tummy time changes. It’s no longer ‘What should we do to babies?’ It becomes:
How can we hold space for them to move so that they can become fully integrated in their reflexes and emotionally regulated and ready to learn and explore the world with ease and confidence?
Key takeaways
- Movement is not just a task—it’s how a baby builds a relationship with themselves, with space, with other people, and with the world.
- If we treat movement as performance, babies learn to perform.
- If we treat movement as discovery, babies learn to trust themselves and become curious and life-long exploratory thinkers.
Critical considerations
- Are we rushing development because we feel pressure to meet milestones?
- Do we see babies as active learners—or passive beings to be trained?
- What would it look like to trust the baby’s inner timetable?
- Could we create early years environments where movement is not performed—but discovered?
References and further reading
- Pikler, E. (2010). Peaceful Babies—Contented Mothers. Pikler-Lóczy USA.
- Goddard Blythe, S. (2002). The Well Balanced Child: Movement and Early Learning. Hawthorn Press.
- Goddard Blythe, S. (2017). Attention, Balance and Coordination: The A.B.C. of Learning Success. Wiley-Blackwell.
- Feldenkrais, M. (1972). Awareness Through Movement. HarperCollins.
- Kuppermann, H. (2019). Understanding the Wisdom of the Infant Body. RIE/Pikler Resources.
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