What ability should a parent emphasize regarding a 6-month-old infant's motor development to prevent accidents?

Emphasizing the ability to roll over in a 6-month-old infant's motor development is critical for preventing accidents. At this developmental stage, infants are beginning to gain strength and coordination, which enables them to roll over from their back to their stomach and vice versa. This newfound mobility can lead to scenarios where children can accidentally roll off surfaces such as couches or beds if left unattended.

Understanding that rolling over can facilitate greater movement and exploration is important for safety. Parents should be aware that once an infant can roll over, they can also easily shift positions, which can increase the risk of falling or getting into unsafe situations if not closely supervised. Encouraging mindful supervision in areas where the infant can roll and ensuring that safety measures, such as crib railings and soft flooring, are in place, will enhance safety while the child develops further motor skills.

While other motor skills like sitting up, crawling shorts distances, or standing while holding onto furniture are important milestones, they typically come at later stages of development. Thus, they are less pertinent to the immediate safety concerns associated with a 6-month-old infant's growing mobility, making rolling over a key focus for accident prevention.