Brie
My 4 month old has been rolling from back to belly for about a month now and he’s really good at it. He hasn’t quite mastered the belly to back but he can do it on the odd occasion. He’s recently taken a liking to sleeping on his belly. I place him on his back to sleep but no matter how many times I get up in the night to roll him he rolls onto his belly. Is it safe for him to be doing this? I feel like I spend half the night on edge and awake rolling him back over
Red Nose Education
Most babies will be rolling over by 4- 5 months…...some earlier, some later.
This is normal as babies grow & become stronger.
Many babies then prefer to sleep on their tummy or side.
This is not something that needs to be stopped.
It is important to make his environment as safe as possible.
This new environment involves being in a cot (not a bassinet) & in a sleeping bag with arms out (no longer swaddled/wrapped)
*He needs the space of a cot & arms free to be able to roll well & safely.
*Always continue to place baby on back for sleep.
Increase tummy time when awake to continue to build upper body strength
Red Nose has the following general information now that he 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.org.au/article/what-do-we-do-now-that-a-baby-has-started-to-roll-over