Rolling over typically emerges between 4-7 months of age. Rolling is an important milestone that you do not want your little to skip! It requires many foundational skills needed for higher level motor skills. There is often a natural progression that supports babies in rolling over:

3 Months: Baby will start to hold her head & trunk in midline and rotate her head side to side to visually track toys. She may begin to reach up & swat at toys while lying on her back.

4 Months: As baby gets a little stronger, his/her shoulder & hips will start to follow her head movement and baby will roll from her back onto her side with the opposite arm crossing midline. Baby should be able to practice this skill to both sides.

5 Months: Baby’s abdominal muscles will begin to balance out her back muscles as she reaches for her feet and brings them to her mouth for play.

6-7 Months: Baby should roll from back to stomach and stomach to back to both sides.

Babies are hardwired to move & explore. Most times, babies don’t need specific exercises to achieve milestones, they simply need freedom to explore their environment. However, if baby is not moving, we have to ask ourselves ‘why’. I created my Rolling PDF Guide to address the most common ‘why’s so you can help your little one achieve this very important milestone!

Below are a few common scenarios and how our Rolling Guide Might Help:

I’ve found clinically that babies who have difficulty rolling over often have underlying tightness limiting their mobility. Baby A attended one of our Tummy Time Classes in February who was not rolling over. Upon a quick assessment, he felt quite tense globally to me. I encouraged parents to practice Exercise #2 on page 3 and the Exercise on page 7 of our Rolling PDF Guide. I also reviewed how to properly perform the Exercise on page 6. Baby A attended our next weekly Tummy Time Class and within one week was rolling over from back to stomach.

Babies with a history of torticollis and/or asymmetries often prefer to roll in one direction. For these babies, I often encourage a special focus on Exercises described on pages 4, 7 & 8 of our Rolling Guide in addition to practicing all other activities to both sides.

Baby B attended one of our Tummy Time Classes. Parents were looking for confidence in helping Baby roll from stomach to back. Primary complaints were that Baby wasn’t consistently rolling over and if/when he did roll over it wasn’t with control so he often “clunked” his head on the floor resulting in Baby crying. We discussed the Exercises & positioning tips on pages 10 & 11 of our Rolling Guide. Baby was already demonstrating more control in rolling over using my faciltation techniques and Mom left class feeling much more confident in helping Baby at home.

Baby “can” roll over, but chooses not to. Baby also hates tummy time and always has. Baby is proficient at sitting. For these babies I often work on all of the activities listed in the guide, but definitely wouldn’t neglect the Exercise on page 9 of our Rolling Guide.

Need More Support?

If you found this blog post helpful, I think you’ll love our Rolling Guide which includes foundational skills needed for rolling over, specific exercises with in depth explanations, common compensations to keep an eye out for, hands-on facilitation techniques, and several photos for visual demonstration. See a toy on the Guide that you like? It’s probably saved on our Amazon Storefront!

If you need 1:1 support, we offer clinic & home visits to Charleston locals. We also offer virtual consults to support families from all over the world! Complete our Contact Form to inquire about scheduling.