Q&A Forum

30/6/22

Jo

My baby is almost 5 months old and sleeps on her side every sleep. I put her on her back but she immediately roles to the side. If I move her back onto her back she will just roll to the side again. She has been sleeping like this for the past 4 weeks. She has only just started rolling from back to front and visa versa but isn’t strong enough to do it on demand. Is it ok for her to sleep like this or should I try and do something to stop her side sleeping?

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Posted a response on 4/7/22

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 her environment as safe as possible.

Is she now in her cot & not wrapped/swaddled?
Baby needs arms free & space of the cot to roll safely.

Increase tummy time when awake to help build upper body strength.
Ensure that the cot mattress is firm & flat & there is nothing soft or loose in her cot.

**Always continue to place baby on back for sleep.

Red Nose has the following general information now that she 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

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