When Does a Baby Roll Over: Important Milestones in the Pediatric Population

Developmental Milestones are an important part of your child’s health and life. If they aren’t reaching all of their milestones at the right time, then doctors can do early interventions in order to help your child grow and learn properly.

One of the biggest milestones that new parents watch for is rolling over. It may take babies awhile to learn the muscle control necessary to roll over, but usually babies have mastered this control by 6 months.

When Does Rolling over Usually start

Rolling over can start as early as 3 months of age, but may take until 6 months to fully develop. Most babies who develop the skill earlier will not roll over completely due to poor muscle control or lack of muscle.

Just like any other milestone, babies must learn how to roll over. They do so by having tummy time. During tummy time, babies learn how to control their neck muscles in order to keep their heads up.

Tummy time also allows babies to learn to use their shoulders and arms. They often take the form of a mini pushup, which allows them to strengthen their core and their back muscles that are necessary for rolling over.

Most babies begin to really enjoy tummy time around 3 months of age. Once your child has begun to spend more time on their bellies, you better start watching them to catch their first roll over.

As your baby adapts to tummy time, they will start to experiment with flipping themselves over. Most babies will flip from their fronts to their backs first since they are already on their tummies. However, if your baby flips the other way then it is perfectly normal as well.

By 5 months of age, if your baby hasn’t already rolled over, then you will probably notice him practicing. Babies often learn to arch their backs and kick their legs in order to practice the motion of rolling over.

By 6 months, your baby should be rolling over. If your child isn’t rolling over, then don’t get discouraged. There are things that you can do to help your newborn get the hang of rolling over.

The best way to encourage your baby to roll over is to play with them. Lie down next to your baby and place a toy that they like next to them as well. Try to get them to reach for the toy and see if he’ll roll closer to the toy and towards you.

During play, always applaud your baby and smile at him. Your newborn will take this as positive reaffirmation and will continue to try to roll over.

If your baby doesn’t roll over and hasn’t learned how to sit up or scoot very well by 6 months, then its time to talk to your pediatrician. All Babies develop at different rates, but not hitting major milestones by the correct times can be a sign that something is wrong.

You can always help your baby hit their milestones on time by being present and playing with your baby. Don’t worry about spoiling your baby or spending too much time with them. Your baby learns from each encounter that they have you with them and will meet their milestones quickly and easily the more time you spend with them.

Give your baby a lot of attention and a lot of love in order to mold his mind and keep his brain active. Talking to your baby, playing with your baby, and including them in your daily activities can help them learn and help them hit their milestones on time.

Other milestones

Other milestones that you can watch for include the ability to lift their heads by themselves, the ability to grasp objects, smiling, walking, laughing, and talking.

By 1 month, your baby should have fully developed hearing and should be able to respond fully to your voice. They also should lift their heads during tummy time to start working on their neck muscles.

By 3 months, your baby should start to move their arms and legs more during tummy time and may start to lift their chests off of the surface in order to prepare for a roll over. They should also be able to open and close their hands in order to grasp objects and be starting to practice moving their legs in order to learn to walk.

By 4 to 7 months your baby should roll over, start to babble and have “conversations” with you, and start to bounce whenever you support their upper body and chest. Your baby should also know their name by this point in their development and turn whenever you say their name.

Anytime that you believe that your baby is not reaching a milestone, always talk to their pediatrician. Babies all develop at different rates, but slowed development can be a sign of something that should be fixed.