When Do Babies Roll Over? Find Out How to Help Babies Learn
When I saw my baby rolled over for the first time, I was stunned, puzzled, and amazed at how well he gained good neck and head control. Indeed, time flew fast for my baby. While some babies develop the rolling over skill earlier, others take a while, and I understand the worries that mothers feel when their baby’s first mobility stage does not happen too soon.
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Before babies can crawl and walk, they first need to learn how to roll over. Hence, mothers start to ask questions such as:
- When Do Babies Roll Over?
- Does my baby have an advanced developmental milestone compared to other infants their age?
- Is my baby’s developmental milestone delayed?
- How can I teach my baby to roll over?
What Do Developmental Milestones Mean?
Each time we discuss about the development we observe on our babies, we mainly refer to their milestones. A developmental milestone pertains to the children’s achievement of certain abilities - social, emotional, physical, and cognitive. It also speaks of skills including expressing emotions, walking, talking, and distinguishing sounds.
The age at which a child accomplishes a milestone varies, and some parents become overly concerned if their baby fails to achieve a particular skill that many of his peers can execute. Developmental milestones serve as checklists that guide parents on what to expect from their child’s abilities at a particular age. For instance, at ten months, babies are expected to have already started walking.
When Do Babies Roll Over?
The developmental milestones of babies greatly differ. Some newborns develop the ability to roll on their side during the first days; however, the majority of them lose such ability on their first month. As babies continue to grow and develop, they also develop their strength.
When they reach their 4th month, most babies already have enough strength on their upper body to help their arms move up and over from the first position, which is belly down, to the final position, which is on their back. The rolling over movement is usually an outcome of babies’ mini push-ups while they were on their belly down position.
Simply put, babies roll over as early as three months. But if this movement takes longer, do not fret. Rolling over can happen until the 7th month. Usually, as babies reach their 6th month, they would have already mastered the rolling over movement.
My baby started rolling over when he was already on his 5th month. On his third month, when I noticed that he still wasn’t rolling over, I was a bit alarmed too. So, I developed and tried all means to help my baby learn to roll over.
Tips To Help Babies Roll Over
For babies to roll over, they must have an excellent upper body, head, and neck strength. Allowing babies to lie on their tummy is an excellent way to develop the strength in their upper body. Nevertheless, some babies dread being put in the tummy position.
Since rolling over is unpredictable, it is best to keep an eye on your baby. Make sure to have them stay on a safe surface or utilize safety traps whenever you can. Babies are poor at making sense of what is around them. Hence, each time you put your baby down, it would be a great idea to keep an open mind about the possibility of them rolling over. Check the entire surroundings to secure the safety of your baby.
To encourage babies to roll over, find their favorite toy and put it in a secured space. Place a mat or rug on a flat surface such as the floor. Why does it have to be flat? When a surface is too padded or soft, babies will have difficulty moving. While your baby is still on his back, bring the toy to a surface that is leveled to your baby’s eye and try to get your his or her attention. Gently assist him in rolling to one side by giving him a helping hand.
Meanwhile, here’s a video of a baby demonstrating the rolling over movement:
Final Words
Developmental milestones differ among all babies. While some develop their skills earlier, other babies have delayed development. Nonetheless, this is not something to be concerned about. Babies will roll over at their own time and pace. At times it takes weeks of doing belly time prior to babies getting used to pushing the body.
But when pushing up is successfully done through the support of his forearm, babies would then be able to roll on their back and explore other movements such as crawling to reach a toy. Allow your baby to have more practice when necessary and avoid him or her to roll over quickly.
When did your baby roll over? Share your story with us.
References:
https://www.bellybelly.com.au/baby/when-do-babies-roll-over/
http://www.mothering.com/forum/32-life-baby/159874-my-2-5-month-old-already-rolling-over.html
