Q&A Forum

22/11/21

Monica

Hello, we have a nearly seven week old baby who is in a cot in our room with firm mattress, no blankets etc. She sleeps with a love to dream swaddle suit arms up and in. I have noticed over the past week she has been moving sideways and very active in the cot, lifting her hips and legs up and rolling to side almost. My question is, should we move her to the swaddle suit with arms out now that she is so active and looks like she may roll? Or are the love to dream swaddle suits okay? I’m just worried she will roll during the night one day in the sleep suit. Thank you.

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Posted a response on 22/11/21

Red Nose Education

Many babies will wriggle & change position (like you describe) at this young age.
Often this can mean that baby is soon going to be rolling. - not always.
Some babies just do not respond well to wrapping/swaddling & like their arms free.
Often these babies like their arms free or like to touch their face or suck fingers, & will wriggle to get free
How does she go with tummy time?
It is a good time to stop wrapping/swaddling (including use of swaddle bags like Love to Dream) in preparation for rolling.
You could start by having arms out of swaddle suit or a sleep bag.

Most babies will be rolling over by 4-5 months….... some earlier , some later.
This is very normal as babies grow & become stronger many babies then prefer to sleep on their tummy or side.

Once she is rolling it is important to make the environment as safe as possible for this to occur.
Continue to place baby on the back to sleep.
Ensure cot mattress is firm, well-fitting & flat.
Ensure there is nothing loose or soft in the cot.
Preferable to use a sleeping bag (with arms out) when rolling that has appropriate size neck & arm holes.
https://rednose.org.au/article/what-is-a-safe-sleeping-bag

Red Nose has the following information when baby is rolling.
Give baby extra tummy time to play when awake and supervised as this helps baby to develop stronger neck and upper body muscles which in turn enables them to roll back over.
Make sure that baby is on a firm and well-fitting mattress that is flat (not tilted or elevated).
Make sure that baby’s face and head remains uncovered (do not use lambswool, doonas, pillows, cot bumpers or soft toys)
As babies grow and develop they become very active and learn to roll around the cot.
At this time, continue to put them on the back at the start of sleep time, but let them find their own position of comfort.
By this stage it is not necessary to wake during the night to turn baby over to the back position
Do not use any devices designed to keep baby in a particular sleep position.
https://rednose.com.au/article/what-do-we-do-now-that-a-baby-has-started-to-roll-over

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