Like every new parent, you’re super excited to see the new achievements and milestones of your child. I bet you’ve been wondering when will your baby roll over right after learning about another kid her age who has recently reached this milestone.
But you see, there’s no definite age for kids to start rolling over. The age thing is not set in stone. Some kids roll over sooner, others do it at a later age. Truth is, there’s no such thing as late or early when it comes to babies learning how to roll over.
When it happens, it happens. This isn’t something that an exact science dictates.
If you want to have an idea what helps your child to roll over or some essential factors that affect a baby’s ability to roll over, read on because you might just learn a thing or two about it.
When Will My Baby Roll Over? Too Soon or Too Late?
Rolling over is a learned skill. Period. It’s something that your baby doesn’t have to master at a certain age.
In fact, it may take a pretty decent amount of time before your little one rolls over. And that’s okay.
There’s also a kind of rolling from the front to the back, as well as from the back to the front. The muscles involved in these types of rolling are pretty different, too. So don’t expect your baby to be an expect roller just because she finally did one type!
But if you do like to have an idea about the typical age babies start to learn how to roll over, it’s usually at around 3 months of age. Again, that’s how some kids do it. Others barely get it done until they’re about 6 months old.
If your baby is nearing 7 months and not rolling over yet, don’t panic. It’s doesn’t mean she’s never going to learn how. See, there are a few things involved with this rolling over skill…
One, how much your baby weighs, and
Two, how developed your baby’s muscles are.
The more tummy time they get, and the more active they are, the faster your child will learn how to roll over.
If your baby is less active, not given enough floor time, and a little on a heavy side, rolling over MAY happen a little late. But like I said, it’s not a concrete milestone that happens at a specific time.
It will happen once your baby’s muscles are ready for it.
Some Clues Your Baby Will Roll Over Soon
There are babies who can do the back to front rolling over while others are more adept with the front to back style. Some kids can roll just one way and not get back the other way.
Most babies do the front to back rolling over by 7 months. If your baby is somewhere around that age, it could be her turn soon!
It’s quite interesting, though, that there are actually some signs or clues that you can observe in your baby to determine if she’ll be rolling over pretty soon.
For instance, at 2 months, most babies go from the lie-on-the-back position to the side. They should be able to reach for toys on their side, but still a little bit unstable. So, there’s a need to remain balanced doing this movement.
Once she can hold this position better, she can relax and maybe roll accidentally either onto her back or her tummy. But I don’t think she’ll like it that much if she lands on her tummy, though!
The good thing about landing on the tummy is how it helps her roll to the back just a little bit easier. It’s just a matter of transitioning gently from the tummy to the back, which involves quite a bit of muscle work right there.
When this happens, she can start experimenting with lifting her head and kind of lifting her torso to a push-up/ cobra position. Some babies even stay in this position and play with their toys once they get comfortable. But if she lifts her head once more, she may lose her balance and land on her tummy once more.
About 2 to 3 months of doing all of these, your baby should be able to get stronger neck and back muscles while in the push-up position. She may even hold this position and have more playtime.
What’s great about being able to retain this position is it strengthens the body and stretches muscles. Those are great as a preparation for sitting, crawling, and rolling over.
And here’s some exciting news for you - you’ll start to see previews of your baby rolling from back to front and front to back. Once she’s at around 8 months - or even before then - your baby may even roll across the floor!
There are some babies who learn how to sit first before they roll over. These are kids who master the art of scooting and sitting earlier in their life. Is this your baby? No reason to worry at all. Just because she didn’t roll over first before sitting, it doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with her development.
What’s concerning is when your baby doesn’t seem to be doing these movements by the time she reaches 7 months. It would help to see her pediatrician in this case.
Now let’s talk about preemies…
It’s cool to know that preemies reach these developmental milestones about the same time or maybe just a tad later than babies who are full-term. Well, that’s the case when you use your baby’s corrected age.
The same may not be true among micro-preemies or babies born prematurely with health issues. You can always consult a pediatrician to ask how you can help your baby reach this developmental milestone at a certain age if you’re not seeing much progress.
Rolling Over… And Beyond!
Babies learn to roll over at different ages. There are those who roll over sooner while others don’t start doing it until they’re 7 months old. Just be sure to support your child’s health with a balanced diet, give them physical activities to strengthen their muscles and stabilize their body, and provide plenty of encouragement as you celebrate every milestone reached.