Trusting babies: Why free motor development builds stronger, more confident movers

When it comes to infant development, modern parents are inundated with instructions. We’re told to schedule tummy time, prop babies to sit, or use gadgets to “help” them crawl and walk. The message is clear: babies can’t get there without us.

But from the perspective of RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers) and Pikler pedagogy, this advice is part of an interventionist paradigm, the belief that babies must be placed in positions and given exercises to achieve their milestones. In contrast, the physiological paradigm trusts that babies are born with the innate capacity to roll, crawl, sit, stand and walk on their own timeline (Gerber, 1998; Pikler, 1969).

Our role is simple: to create a safe, predictable environment and to observe. The rest, nature has already written in their nervous system.

What happens when we put babies in positions they haven’t reached yet?

From a RIE/Pikler lens, intervening has several consequences:

• Tension and contractures: Babies placed in sitting, standing, or tummy positions before they’re ready often respond with stiffness. Their muscles are not yet balanced for the task, creating compensations that can limit fluid, free movement (Gerber, 1998).

• Undue pressure on the spine: In infancy, the head is disproportionately large and heavy compared to the body. Forcing upright or prone positions places unnecessary pressure on the cervical and lumbar spine. Over time, this can contribute to postural imbalances and, in some cases, back problems later on (Pikler, 1969).

• Emotional stress: When a baby is put somewhere they can’t get into (or out of) independently, it generates frustration and dependency. They learn, implicitly, “I need adults to put me where I belong,” instead of “I am capable of reaching new abilities myself.” This has long-term implications for self-confidence. Children who grow through free motor development experience over and over that they are capable of achieving things on their own, a foundation for lifelong confidence and resilience.

  
  

The Neuroscience: Milestones & Myelination

Some argue that tummy time “stimulates the brain” by creating new neural circuits. While movement certainly shapes the brain, the sequence matters.

Neuroscience shows that myelination, the process of coating neurons with a fatty sheath to speed up electrical communication, governs the timing of motor milestones (Fields, 2008). A baby cannot crawl, sit, or walk until the neurons involved in those actions are myelinated. Placing them in those positions doesn’t accelerate myelination. At best, it bypasses the process; at worst, it stresses the system.

From a Pikler perspective: every time a baby initiates a new movement themselves, it happens precisely because their brain and nervous system are ready. Each achievement, therefore, is both physiological and psychological: the child experiences mastery and builds self-confidence.

What about Tummy Time?

Tummy time is often recommended to “prevent flat head syndrome” or “strengthen neck muscles.” But as Stuart Ritchie wrote in iNews London (2023):

“Why you shouldn’t worry if your baby hates tummy time. Babies who don’t spend much time on their fronts do not suffer any long-term disadvantages. They roll, crawl and walk just as well as those who were put on their tummies regularly.”

Research supports this. A Canadian study (Davis et al., 1998) found no significant difference in motor development outcomes between babies who did and didn’t do structured tummy time. More recent systematic reviews confirm that prone positioning is not required for healthy development, provided babies have opportunities for free movement on the floor (Carson et al., 2020).

The truth is: when babies are placed on their backs in a safe space, they will naturally roll onto their sides, experiment with lifting their heads, and eventually push up into crawling. They get all the neck and trunk strength they need, without being forced.

If you’ve been doing Tummy Time…

Many parents reading this may have already practiced tummy time, simply because that’s what health professionals recommended. If that’s you, here’s the good news: it’s never too late to change course.

Whgat shall I do, then?

• Place your baby on a safe, firm surface on their back.

• Step back and simply observe. Notice how they wriggle, stretch, roll.

• Trust that every small movement is building exactly the strength and coordination they need.

  
  

By doing less, you actually give more. You gift them confidence, autonomy, and the joy of discovering their body’s potential.

Physiology vs Intervention

The heart of the matter is this: do we believe babies are capable, or do we believe they need us to do it for them?

The interventionist paradigm says: put them in tummy time, sit them up, train them to crawl. The physiological paradigm says: provide time, space, and trust.

When we choose physiology, we align with the baby’s natural timeline and safeguard both their body and their spirit. We also allow them to grow into children who know they are capable, children who carry the confidence that “I can do this” into every new challenge of life.

References

• Carson, V., et al. (2020). Physical activity and motor skill development in infancy and early childhood: A systematic review. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 45(10), S248–S263.

• Davis, B. E., Moon, R. Y., Sachs, H. C., & Ottolini, M. C. (1998). Effects of prone positioning on motor development in healthy infants. Pediatrics, 102(5), 1135–1138.

• Fields, R. D. (2008). White matter in learning, cognition and psychiatric disorders. Trends in Neurosciences, 31(7), 361–370.

• Gerber, M. (1998). Your Self-Confident Baby. Wiley.

• Pikler, E. (1969). Some Aspects of the Gross Motor Development of Orphans. Pediatrics, 44(1), 58–69.

• Ritchie, S. (2023). Why you shouldn’t worry if your baby hates tummy time. iNews London.