WHEN DO BABIES ROLL OVER?

Once your baby has head control, and around the sometime that she learns to sit down on her own with support, she’ll learn to roll over.

Your baby may be able to kick herself over, from her tummy to her back, at around 4 months. It may take her until she’s about 5 or 6 months to turn from back to front though, because she needs stronger neck and arm muscles for that movement.

How babies learn to roll over

At about 3 months of age, when you place her on her back, using her arms for support, your baby will lift her head and shoulders high. These mini pushups will help strengthen the muscles she’ll use to roll over. She’ll surprise you and herself the first time she rolls over.

At about 5 months of age, your baby will probably be lifting her head, push up on her arms, and arch her back to lift her chest off the floor.

She may even rock on her stomach and kick her legs. All these exercises helps your baby develop the muscles they’ll need to roll over in both directions, most probably by the time she’s 6 months old.

While some babies may adopt rolling as their main mode of ground covering, some may skip it altogether and move in to sitting, leaping and crawling. As long as your child is learning new skills and is keen to move around, don’t worry!

How to help your baby roll over

It’s always a great idea to motivate your baby’s new found skill through play. If you notice that she’s rolling over impulsively, encourage her to do it again by keeping her favorite toy within her reach. Or you can lie down next to her to see if she’ll roll over to you. Always praise her efforts by smiling and saying encouraging words.

CAUTION

Although your baby might not be able to roll over till she’s 5 months old, but it’s always best to keep a hand on her during diaper or clothing change. Never leave your baby unattended on a bed or her changing table. It can result in a serious injury.

What to do if your baby doesn’t roll over

By the time your baby is about 6 month old and if she hasn’t figured out how to roll one way or the other, and hasn’t moved to sit and try to scoot and crawl instead, consult your pediatrician.

After your baby sits up – what’s next?

Now that your baby has developed her neck, arm and back muscles and she learned to roll over. She’ll put to use those same muscles to sit without support and crawl.  Most babies have mastered sitting up somewhere between 6 to 8 months, crawling comes after that. Happy rolling!