Baby Development – Rolling Over

What is Rolling Over

Once your baby has gained head control and is also moving towards (or is already) sitting up on its own, it can learn to roll over. This is really very simple – once they have acquired this skill, babies can flip from lying on their back to lying on their stomach (and vice-versa) by themselves. If your baby has started doing this, he is well on his way towards moving around on his own. This impulse to flip over is often triggered by the desire to reach a nearby toy and also to move closer to you.

Timeline

Babies can start rolling front to back when they are just three months old but most babies will need strong neck and arm muscles before they can roll the other way (back to front) successfully. So rolling back to front takes about five to six months after birth.

What Happens

As your baby turns three months old, he will support himself with his arm and lift up his head and shoulders when placed on his stomach. This exercise gives him the strong muscles that he will need for rolling over. Don’t be surprised if the baby manages to roll over from front to back or even back to front, it is quite a natural thing to happen. Once your baby turns five months old, he will be strong enough to arch up on his stomach using his arms and then move his arms legs in a sort of swimming motion. This particular movement will help his muscles to become even strong and by the time he is six months, he will be regularly rolling over in both directions. If your baby never rolled over and instead graduated directly to sitting up and then to crawling, don’t worry about it. Many babies do this and as long as your baby is moving about, exploring and showing positive interest in the world around him, everything is absolutely fine.

What happens after this

The muscles that are put to use when sitting up, are also the some of the primary muscles used for sitting up on their on their own. And once they sit up, they start crawling. Your baby’s legs, arms, back and neck will continue to become stronger and in a few more months your baby will be moving around the house on his own. Six or seven months is the maximum babies need to learn to sit up; they learn to crawl some time later.

What you need to do

Reassure your baby that the rolling over is a good thing by encouraging him and smiling at him. Attract him with a toy and shake it on the side he usually rolls over, see if it makes him roll over again. This new move can actually frighten your baby so he needs to know that it is alright. However, once the baby starts enjoying this newfound move, it is dangerous to leave him unattended while he is on a high surface. Do hold him so that he doesn’t flip over while you are changing his nappy.

What should worry you

If you see that your baby is already six months old but does not seem to be responding to stimuli or interested about the world around him, it is best to ask your pediatrician, physician or your doctor during your next visit. But do remember that each baby develops differently and some may never learn to roll over before they go on to doing things like crawling. The speed of development will also vary from child to child; so do not get alarmed just because other babies are developing faster. However, if the baby is not active at all, it is best to ask your doctor about it.

Baby Development – Rolling Over

What is Rolling Over Once your baby has gained head control and is also moving...