Rolling To Belly At Night
“My baby is finally rolling, but now he flips onto his belly at night & cannot get flipped back over. How do I help him?”
Disclaimer: Many pediatricians say if they’re getting to belly on their own, they can stay on their belly to sleep safely, but always check with your pediatrician regarding when it is safe to let YOUR baby sleep on their belly!!
ANSWER - This is such a fun phase, right?!
Baby is finally rolling, but some nights it’s more like they flip to their belly and then flip out, because they forget how to get back as easily.
If you’re in that phase, these are my top two tips to shorten that phase and hopefully help you both get a better nights rest!
Two Tips For Rolling From Belly To Back
First- practice practice practice during the day! Not only does this teach them what muscles need to fire, but it also helps them realize they aren’t stuck once they roll and they CAN get back over if they want to!
Try gently bending one hip to activate their muscles and start the roll, and then use a toy for them to track in a circular motion like shown. If they lose sight of the toy, go back to the start and try again! If they don’t have vision, auditory toys work too! And if they don’t have vision or hearing, try gently guiding them through the roll after bending the hip up the same way.
Focus on quality over quantity of tummy time. Instead of aiming for X amount of minutes per day, build in short bursts of belly down time as frequently as you can, guiding them out of it via roll like above if they get upset. This keeps the belly down position positive AND again, reinforces that they aren’t stuck!
Want More?
For developmental questions, tips and guidance related to milestones about tummy time, rolling & sitting, crawling and walking, check out KC’s developmental Masterclasses linked here.
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KC is a pediatric doctor of physical therapy, wife and mom of three! She has spent her career working with children and young adults of all ability levels, and currently specializes in birth to three years.
