Q&A Forum

17/4/21

Kate

Hi there - my 6.5 month old can only roll from back to tummy. As soon as I place her in the cot she immediately rolls on to her stomach. Is it safe for her to stay there throughout the night? Sometimes her face is half blocked by the mattress but obviously I can’t stay awake to monitor this. thank you, Kate

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Posted a response on 19/4/21

Red Nose Education

Most babies will be rolling over by 4- 5 months. This is very normal as babies grow & become stronger.
Many babies then prefer to sleep on their tummy.
This is not something that needs to be stopped. It is important to make her new environment as safe as possible.

**Just checking that baby is no longer wrapped/swaddle (arms free)

Ensure that the cot mattress is firm & flat & there is nothing soft or loose in her cot
Always continue to place baby on back to sleep.
Increasing tummy time when awake.

Red Nose has the following information now that your baby is she starting to roll.

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.org.au/article/what-do-we-do-now-that-a-baby-has-started-to-roll-over

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