When Do Babies Roll Over: Is Your Baby Ready To Roll?

When do babies start rolling?

Is your baby close to rolling?  Do you feel like your baby has been on the cusp of rolling for ages? Or did your baby used to roll and now they don’t seem to be able to? Rolling can be frustrating because it can look like your baby is ABOUT TO ROLL for a really long time before they do… and if being unable to roll is affecting their ability to sleep or play independently, this can seem like a VERY long time! 

There are a couple of little mini milestones to look out for that happen just before rolling… maybe your baby is closer to rolling than you think!

 The 'pre-rolling' mini milestones:

1. When playing on their back your baby will lift their legs up high and grab towards their toes and maybe grab them and rock onto one side 
2. When playing on their back your baby will do a little bridge and tip their hips to one side
3. When playing on their tummy your baby will transfer their weight onto 1 arm and reach to play with the other arm
4. When playing on their tummy your baby will push up at least a little bit so elbows are slightly off the mat. 

Is your baby doing all of these things? If so they are READY TO ROLL!

Try these 5 tips below to give them the best chance. 

5 tips for encouraging your baby to roll

1. Set it up…Rolling takes SPACE so make sure your baby has lots of free space around them during mat play. 
   • Get them out from under hanging mobiles etc. Especially when they are on the cusp of learning this skill give them A LOT of free mat play every day.
   • Nudie time! Nappies and clothes with waist bands can restrict movement so live dangerously, strip them down and try some nudie rolling! 😳💩🤦‍♀️ 
2. Create incentive… choose some toys they REALLY love and save them so to use only when doing rolling practise. Roly poly toys and water balls are great as they move gently as your baby touches them and will encourage the weight transfer and reach. 
3. Try a half roll first…use a pregnancy wedge, pillow or rolled towel to help your baby stay on their side… see if they can do the half roll at least back and forward by themselves.... then take it away and try for the whole roll.  
4. Help them through it…get in the habit of every time you put your baby down take them through a rolling movement, you can even repeat a few times. This will help your baby get the feel of the rolling movement. 
5. Baby work for it!... when you put your baby on the mat to play, always place the toys out of reach to the side so they have to try and roll to get to them. If your baby is frustrated  come down on the mat and encourage them to move... but often they roll for the first time when you aren’t too close so give them a chance to try first!

We hope these little tips help you work out if your baby is almost ready to roll and to give them just a little push to get there! Rolling is tricky it is the number one skill we get asked about in our free community. 

If you want support with ideas for exactly how to support your baby's rolling development we have something for you!

• Our Walky Talky Baby Membership is choc full of photos and videos of play positions for babies of different ages. There is a section on supporting rolling with video of how to facilitate rolling, photos of independent play positions that will help and all the details about why rolling is important and how to help your baby get there. 
• Lots of tummy time is often the answer for supporting your baby to learn to roll from tummy to back. The Membership also includes a 48 page e book No Tears Tummy Time (also available for individual sale) written by us, a paediatric speech pathologist and physiotherapist to help get your baby loving tummy play!
• Our membership also includes an Online Village so if you have any questions about your baby's rolling, other milestones, playtime... or anything else pop in any time to ask! It's like having a paediatric speechie and physio in your pocket!
• AND our membership includes fortnightly emails that give your very specific tips on songs, toys and books that will help support your baby's play. As rolling is a milestone lots of baby's get stuck on we include LOADS to support rolling in these emails too!

If the membership isn't for you right now? Don't worry we still have you covered! For loads of Free tips on baby play and tummy time: 

❤️  Join our FREE facebook group Walky Talky Baby Group 

❤️ Join our mailing list to receive more blogs like this!

❤️ Follow our instagram page walkytalky_baby