When do babies roll over?

• Babies develop at their own pace but will typically begin to roll over slightly around 5 months.

• Encourage daily supervised tummy time to build the strength and coordination rolling requires, working up to around 20 minutes a day.

• Encourage rolling with an activity mat and their favourite toys.

• Stop swaddling as soon as your baby shows any sign of being able to roll, because a swaddled baby can't roll back.

• Never leave your baby unattended on a raised changing mat, as rolling often happens for the first time without warning.

• If your baby rolls onto their front in the night, that's not a cause for concern, but always place them down to sleep on their back.

• Speak to your GP or health visitor if your baby reaches six months without sitting, rolling, scooting or reaching for things.

Watching a baby grow and develop is a very exciting time. One of the key developmental milestones that parents look forward to is the moment when their baby learns to roll over independently.

Let's run through when babies commonly learn to roll over, how you can encourage them to roll, and how to keep them safe once they're able to roll over on their own.

When should a baby roll over?

All babies are different and will develop at their own pace. However, it's typical that at around five months, a baby will begin to be able to roll over slightly, rock on their tummy from side to side, and use their arms to push themselves up. Some may roll independently earlier, and others might take a little longer - each baby is unique.

Babies usually master the art of rolling from their stomach to their back first, daily supervised tummy time helps with this. They'll then learn to roll from their back onto their stomach at around eight months.

Signs your baby is ready to roll over

Here are some cues that your baby may be ready to roll over, with signs usually appearing over a few weeks:

• Rocking side to side on their back or their tummy, shifting weight from one side to the other
• Pushing through their feet to lift their hips off the floor while lying on their back
  
• Pushing up on their forearms during tummy time, then later onto straight arms
  
• Lifting their head and chest clear of the floor and holding it
  
• Following a toy with their eyes and head as it moves from one side of their body all the way to the other (this is a key one because the head leads the roll)
  
• Reaching across their body for a toy on the opposite side of them
  
• Lifting their legs and grabbing their feet while on their back, which builds the abdominal strength that back-to-front rolling needs
  
• Rolling onto their side and holding it there, sometimes for several days or weeks before completing the turn
  
• Kicking vigorously with both legs, often with one side leading
  
• Getting frustrated during tummy time or on their back, and arching or twisting as though trying to get somewhere 
  

Why do babies roll tummy to back first

Babies often roll tummy-to-back first because it’s easier and takes less strength and less control than back-to-tummy. By around four or five months, a baby doing tummy time can push up on their forearms and lift their head and chest. In that propped position, most of their weight is over their arms, and their head is proportionally heavy - around a quarter of their body weight. So when your baby pushes up on one arm and turns to look at something, their centre of gravity shifts past their point of balance and gravity does the rest.

What is tummy time?

Tummy time means letting your baby lie on their stomach while they're wide awake. It's a great way to help build the strength and coordination needed for rolling over and eventually sitting and crawling. It also lets them explore the different ways that their head, limbs, and neck can move.

Some babies don't enjoy tummy time at first, but you can start from birth by lying them on your chest when you're both awake for a few minutes a day. Gradually work up to about 20 minutes per day of tummy time on a blanket on the floor once your baby is used to the idea.

For their safety, parents must never leave their baby unattended during tummy time.

Once your baby has learned to roll over independently, they're going to be more mobile. So, it's important to start thinking about ways to keep them safe as they continue to grow and develop. To keep them out of harm's way...

• never leave them unattended on an elevated changing mat because they could roll off
• keep them supervised during playtime
• remove any choking hazards
• begin baby-proofing your home with things like stairgates and covers on plug sockets

It's also important to maintain a safe sleep routine and stop swaddling your baby as soon as they show signs of being able to roll over on their own.

Cot safety when your baby starts rolling

Once your baby can roll, their cot needs to be free from hazards. Anything in there is now something they can roll into, pull over their face, or push themselves up against.
You should:

• Use a firm, flat, waterproof mattress in good condition and the right size for the cot, with no gaps around the edges. Use a fitted sheet and the correctly sized sleepbag.
• Take out cot bumpers. The Lullaby Trust advises against cot bumpers. They’re a suffocation risk, the ties are a strangulation risk, and once a baby is mobile, they become something to climb on.
• Don’t use duvets, loose blankets, cushions, sleep positioners or wedges, no soft toys or comforters for babies under six months, and no pods or nests for unsupervised sleep.