Rolling is one of baby’s first significant motor milestones. Hello, mobility! Not only is rolling the first step in developing postural control (important for later development of fine motor skills such as handwriting), it is also important because it engages a part of the brain responsible for making the left and right sides of the body “talk” to and coordinate with each other (important for reading, writing, and developing higher motor skills). Cool, huh…or am I the only nerd in the room?
Some babies are ready to roll from the get-go, while others take their time. On average, babies tend to first roll from tummy to back between 2-5 months, from back to side between 4-5.5 months, and from back to tummy between 5.5-7.5 months. Regardless of whether babies take the fast or slow road to rolling, their bodies begin preparing to roll wayyyyyy before they ever flip themselves over that very first time. And, guess what? YOU get to be a part of that preparation!
Here are 10 tips for helping babies learn how to roll:
1. Set down and pick up baby while shifting his weight to the side in a rolling motion. You can start this one as soon as baby is born and — guess what? — it’s super easy to incorporate into your daily routine. You can do this with every diaper change and sleep session which means, for a newborn, it can add up to 20 or more times a day. That’s a lot of practice!
Here’s how you do it: Sit baby on his bottom and roll him over to the side while setting him down. He will automatically try to keep his head from falling out of line with his body (a reflex with which babies are born), strengthening the muscles on the sides of his neck. This move also allows him to practice pushing against the floor with the arm on the way down. Simply reverse this motion when it’s time to pick baby up. Be sure to practice rolling baby to both sides throughout the day…we don’t want a baby who only moves to one side! Check out the photos below or watch a short video demonstrating this maneuver by clicking here.
2. Minimize time spent in baby equipment. This includes baby swings, bouncer chairs, play saucers/jumpers and, yes, even car seats (though car seats should ALWAYS be used while baby is in a vehicle). The only way babies develop new motor skills is through experience, practice, and trial & error, so for every minute they are in baby equipment, that’s a minute of lost experience. Don’t get me wrong, baby equipment is super helpful for busy caregivers and fussy babies, and it makes for great photo ops for that adorable baby scrapbook you’ll never get around to completing. I’m currently writing a post on this very topic (baby equipment, not hopeless photos…we all know that scrapbook will never happen). We just don’t want babies spending the majority of their waking (and sleeping) hours confined to spaces and equipment preventing them from practicing their new and exciting motor skills.
3. Allow baby plenty of tummy time during the day. All of a baby’s major motor skills develop from the tummy time position, which is why it’s so important for babies to practice being on their tummy. Time spent on the tummy helps babies strengthen their neck and back muscles necessary for arching against gravity and, eventually, rolling. In general, babies fully lift their head off the floor during tummy time by 2 months, hold their chest off the floor between 2-4 months, and bear weight on their hands while in prone between 4-6 months. I know, the majority of young babies hate tummy time with a burning passion. You’d scream too if you were stuck with your face on the floor! If this is the case for the baby in your life, you’re in luck! Check out my earlier post to learn seven tips for making tummy time less miserable by clicking here.
4. Allow baby to play on her back while helping her move through “rounded” positions. Playtime on the back is just as important as tummy time, especially when baby has the opportunity to move into and out of a rounded position. We want babies to develop a good balance of extension (learned in tummy time) and flexion (learned in playtime on the back) as they grow and learn new motor skills; we don’t want one position overpowering the other. This rounded position is easy to achieve because most young babies prefer to be on their back, plus it allows caregivers to easily interact with and entertain them. Playtime on the back can take place on any flat surface — even in your lap — as you sing, read, or talk while providing flexion in baby’s knees, hips, and/or trunk.
5. Allow baby to play on his side. You can use toys, mirrors, books, or the most exciting toy — your face! — to engage him in the side lying position. He may need help staying on his side when he’s younger, and this can easily be done with your hand, foot, or a rolled up receiving blanket wedged behind his back. As he becomes more comfortable on his side, he will begin to cross his top leg over to the floor…this is how he will initiate the roll to his tummy!
6. Allow baby to spend roughly equal amounts of time on all four sides of the body: tummy, back, left side, right side. This gives baby’s body exposure to all positions involved in rolling as she strengthens her neck, trunk, and arms. It’s also good for preventing the formation of flat spots on the back of her head which, if you ask me, is incentive enough to mix things up throughout the day. Try to vary baby’s position about every 15-20 minutes.
7. Encourage baby to play at (and cross) midline. All movement is performed in relation to the center of our bodies, and the ability to roll is dependent on a baby’s ability to come to (and cross) that invisible line in the middle of his body. The great thing is, our center moves with us wherever we go, so midline play can be done lying on the back or the side. Babies generally develop the ability to play with their hands in midline between 1-3.5 months (while on their back), and are able to look with their head in midline in this position between 4-5 months.
8. Encourage baby to separate movements of upper and lower body. Newborn babies are wired to keep their body in one line, so they’ll do a “log roll” if you try to roll them over. The “segmental roll” typically develops between 4-5 months, as they are able to twist and dissociate the movements of the upper and lower body while initiating the roll with their hips. Once baby is comfortable playing at midline in the rounded position mentioned earlier, you can go ahead and move her back and forth through these twisting positions to the rhythm of your favorite children’s song (Row, Row, Row Your Boat has won critical acclaim in our household). Start with both legs moving together, then progress to helping baby grab one foot with the opposite hand. Pause for a second after each twist in order to give baby’s body a chance to register the movement, then proceed and let the good times roll!
9. Carry baby in a “tucked”, face down, or sideways position. Who knew rolling could develop from being carried? You can carry baby around the house this way or, better yet, you can DANCE WITH YOUR BABY! Turn on some music, get in front of a mirror for baby’s viewing pleasure, and move her through space in all of these positions as you bounce and sing and smile. You’d be surprised how much babies love this one! Be sure to STOP every 30 seconds or so to take a 10-second break in order to give baby’s nervous system a chance to fully process and adjust to the movements (their system will sort of “tune out” the movements if you keep going long enough).
10. Wear baby in a carrier that keeps her legs together or in a frog-like position, rather than separating her legs into a straddle position. These carriers encourage engagement at the midline which, as noted previously, is important in the development of rolling. Such baby carriers include various over-the-shoulder slings and commercial brands such as Moby Wrap or Baby K’tan.
So there you have it! Ten ways to help babies learn how to roll. Don’t go overboard with this stuff. We’re not training babies for the Infant Olympics! Start with the basics, have fun, and let the baby be your guide. Share this information with people you know who may find it useful…the more who know about it, the better for our babies.
Time to get rolling!
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Developmental milestones referenced from HELP Strands, a curriculum-based developmental assessment used in pediatric therapy for ages 0-3.
Related articles
- Tips for making tummy time a little less…um…miserable. (mamaot.com)
- Health Tip: Make ‘Tummy Time’ Fun (nlm.nih.gov)
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Thanks for all the great suggestions! I’ll have to incorporate these into our daily routine. Mikayla will be 7 months in two days and still doesn’t seem anywhere near rolling any which way!
And she’s such a big girl that she really can’t comfortably grab her toes while lying on her back. The good news is she’s starting to enjoy tummy time more & she’s even scooting around-every direction but forward which I understand is normal. Her favorite position is sitting upright, which she’s pretty much a champ at. Anyway, I’ve got some good ideas to implement now-thanks!
Angela, glad you found this helpful! Yes, it’s all about incorporating into your daily routine so you don’t have to try and “remember” to set aside special time amidst your already busy day with baby and family. I believe #2 (picking up and setting down in a rolling motion) and #5 (playing on her side) will be especially helpful if she doesn’t seem interested in rolling at this point. Good that she’s starting to enjoy tummy time (yay!) and experimenting with scooting…she’s figuring it out! I hope these ideas will help you (and her) out, and you’ll have to let me know how it goes!
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What a really informational post! I’m expecting a baby in January and will be sure to refer to this again! Sharing on my facebook!
Congratulations to you and best of luck with your 3rd trimester! Be sure to check out my other posts in the Infants category such as tips for tummy time & dancing with your baby. Welcome to motherhood!
Thanks so much for your blog. I’m also an OT but my infant development is rusty. My little, almost 4 month old is learning to roll. He’s actually doing it backwards, as in he has gone from back to tummy several times but has not yet figured out that he can go from tummy to back. He has started hating tummy time and wants to move and be upright but he will play in side lying. I like the put down and pick up method. I can’t wait to try.
Kimberly, thanks for your comment and glad you found my blog! Congrats on your little guy. My son hated tummy time pretty much all the way until he could crawl (8 months)! You can try playing with him on an exercise/beach ball so that you can grade how much of an angle he is at (the farther back on the ball he is, the more upright he is, and thus the easier it is…the more on top of the ball he is, the more flat, and the more difficulty). I also have a post about 7 tips for tummy time (which includes the exercise ball tip) that you can find here: http://mamaot.com/2012/03/25/tips-for-making-tummy-time-a-little-less-um-miserable/. Best of luck!
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Hi Again,
Shortly after my last post, my little guy started rolling from back to tummy. I loved incorporating these tricks into our everyday lives. He loves being on his tummy. He’s even becoming a tummy sleeper. He’ll roll to his side or tummy as soon as he’s laid down on his back. He’s now almost 8 months and so close to crawling. He’ll rock on all fours, slide one leg forward or hop a little.
My question for you today is: he still is not rolling from his tummy to his back, are there other tricks to help this? Sometimes I try waiting until he gets a little frustrated to see if that will motivate him. When I pick him up, I facilitate rolling by crossing his arm underneath his chest and rolling him to sitting. He does get quite a bit of tummy time. Although, he is also sitting on his own, once placed in sitting, and really enjoys that. At what point should I worry and see about a formal eval? I’ll ask at his 9 month visit but that seems so far away. Thanks!
Kimberly,
Thanks for the update, so fun to hear! It’s sounds like your little guy is close to learning to transition into and out of sitting more independently, rather than being placed in and out of it. Babies often achieve this by pushing up to all fours (like you said he’s doing), and then shifting their weight to one side until they plop on their bottom and, tada!, they are sitting. Then they can basically do the reverse to get from sitting back down to the floor (sit, shift weight forward or sideways to arms on the floor, and down to all fours or tummy). He will likely figure this out on his own, but you can help facilitate his understanding of that process when he’s on hands and knees by helping him shift his weight to the side and slightly backward until he is in a sitting position. He’ll get the hang of it! As for rolling from tummy to back, many babies achieve this by pushing their chest up off the floor and then shifting their weight to the side until they end up rolling over. Again, he may initiate this on his own when he’s ready, but you can help facilitate this at first to give him the idea if you want. You can also try to place him on the floor on his tummy when you are moving him from one location to another, so he begins his floor time on his tummy and has to practice transitioning from his tummy to other positions. If you are at all concerned about your little one’s development, go ahead and bring it up to the pediatrician at the next visit. There is such a wide range of when babies achieve their milestones, so keep on being the hands-on mom that you are and having fun in the process!
Thanks so much for these tips, they are a great help. My daughter is 7 1/2 months and hasn’t rolled in either direction and it has me concerned. She fights me and resists when i encourage her to roll or even have her play on her side. She doesn’t mind tummy time. Could there be an underlying issue other than her just developing late?
You’re welcome. It’s hard to say without actually seeing your little one in person. Is she sitting up or supporting her weight on hands and knees? Does she get upset if you hold her on her side in the air or just when on the ground? Bring it up to her pediatrician at her next visit to see what they think, since they know her case and history and can listen to and see your concerns in person.
Thank you for writing this post! My daughter is 6 months old and has only rolled a handful of times, and only tummy to back. She doesn’t have any physical reasons holdingher back, and instead it seems like a general lack of interest (sitting, on the other hand got her full attention!). Still, we’ve tried to encourage it, with little success.
We just started doing the tips on here that go beyond just what we’ve been told (“Tummy Time” is the most obvious one parents are told about, but we’ve also been doing arm/leg crosses and rounding from pretty early). We hope that by doing these and the different T.T. exercises, our little Freya will learn how much fun rolling can be! Thanks again!
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Hi, I have a question. My son started rolling belly to back at 3 months and then back to belly at 4.5 months. However, now at 6 months he doesn’t show much interest in rolling anymore now that he has mastered sitting. He can still roll if we reslly push him to (like big incentive) but he seems to struggle to get his leg over and complete the roll. He is a hefty boy (20 lb at 6 mo) so not sure if that has anything to do with it. Should I be concerned he struggles to roll at this point? Thanks for any help!
Rachel, good to hear your baby boy can roll and has now mastered sitting at 6 months! Yes, babies who weigh in on the heavier side do tend to struggle more with rolling so that may be a contributing factor with his more recent decline in rolling abilities. A lot of babies start shedding baby fat when they begin crawling, cruising, and walking. But if you are concerned with his weight or milestone acquisition, be sure to mention it at your next visit to the pediatrician.
I just stumbled across your site looking for tips to help my baby roll and I love it! I only wish I had found it before our baby was born because I love all your tips for playing with newborns and toy recommendations
My 4.5 month old was late with head control and didn’t hold his head straight until a few days before he turned 4 months old. We saw an osteopath/PT for help and she really worked wonders. The day after our little guy started holding his head straight, he taught himself to roll from back to tummy! He is very good at this now and will always roll within seconds of being placed on his back. The downside is he can’t figure out how to roll from tummy to back, and he finds it very frustrating! I am trying to increase his tummy time to help strengthen his upper body so he can get the height he needs to roll, but he seems to see tummy time as a cruel reminder of his inability to roll back! Do you have any tips for working on this skill? Most of what I’m seeing online seems to be geared toward babies who master the tummy-to-back roll first. I would also love to read more on how to assist with sitting and crawling skills if you are looking for new post ideas 
Brooke, that’s so nice to hear! You can try reading these posts that may help you find the info you’re looking for. 1) Tummy time tips: http://mamaot.com/2012/03/25/tips-for-making-tummy-time-a-little-less-um-miserable/ 2) How to play with your baby on an exercise ball (includes tummy time) http://mamaot.com/2012/09/30/how-to-play-with-your-baby-on-an-exercise-ball/ 3) Lots of ways to use a baby play table (includes sitting and beyond) http://mamaot.com/2012/10/31/8ways-to-use-a-baby-play-table/ Hope these help!