When Do Babies Roll Over? (The Answer May Surprise You)

“When do babies roll over?” is a common parenting question. In this post we share the most common age for baby to roll over, plus how to help her do so!

"When do babies roll over?" is a question many parents have, but the answer isn't that simple. In this post you'll learn the large age range for this skill.

“When will my baby roll over?” Most parents have thought this at one time or another—especially when you see other, younger babies already doing so.

While development may feel like a competition, or even a concern if your kid isn’t “getting it,” it’s not an exact science as to when it will happen.

The reason is because rolling over is a gradually learned skill that builds for a long time before the baby actually rolls over. There’s also the difference between rolling from front to back and back to front (which take different skills and muscles).

Read on to get an idea of when your baby will likely meet this milestone.

When do babies roll over?

Unfortunately, there’s no specific point when your baby will roll over. Some begin rolling over at 3 months, and others don’t really get it until closer to 7 months. If you ask your friends “when did your baby roll over?” you’ll get a wide range of answers for two reasons:

  1. A baby’s weight can affect when he or she rolls over.
  2. A baby’s muscles develop at different times depending on how active they are and how much tummy time and floor time they get.

Front-to-back, back-to front: What is considered rolling over?

The rolling over milestone is not as concrete as others, such as when babies start walking.

  • Some babies can roll from back to front but not front to back (or vice versa).
  • Some can roll one way but can’t get back.
  • Others can roll over and over while others don’t.

Do all of these count as rolling over? Must baby be a rolling pro before he’s officially reached this milestone?

The answer really depends on who you ask, but most babies can roll from front to back and back to front by 7 months of age, making that a good gauge for this milestone.

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Developmental milestones that lead to rolling over

Below are some typical age ranges for developmental milestones that help baby reach the big “rolling over” milestone.

2-3 months: Baby begins to turn from his back to his side. From this position he can reach for toys but is still unstable and has to focus on staying balanced. When this position becomes easier, baby might relax a bit more and accidentally roll onto his tummy or his back. If it’s his tummy he lands on, he may not be too happy!

On the other hand, some babies actually can roll from tummy to back fairly easily at this stage. Soon he will learn how to lift his head and begin doing the push-up position which strengthens his back in preparation for rolling over. However, once he begins lifting his head he may again have trouble rolling from tummy to back for a short time.

4-7 months: Baby will continue strengthening his back and neck in the push-up position and may spend more time there playing. He practices stretching and reaching which tones his trunk (body) in preparation for rolling over, crawling, and sitting.

At some point during this timeframe, your child will learn how to roll from front-to-back and back-to-front and may even start rolling across the floor (though that may be closer to 8 months)!

Keep in mind that some babies start developing their sitting skill quickly and may skip a lot of rolling and go straight to sitting and scooting. If this is your child, there’s no cause for alarm, he or she is still progressing developmentally. However, if your baby is not doing any of these things by 7 months, check with your pediatrician.

What about preemies?

Babies who were born prematurely will often reach developmental milestones at a similar time or a little bit later than full term babies if you use their corrected age. So if your 6-month-old child was born 2 months early, her corrected age is 4 months (how old she would be if she were born near her due date).

Micro-preemies or preemies who have health issues may not fall on the same developmental timeline so you should talk with your pediatrician about when your child should reach developmental milestones such as rolling over.

How to help your baby roll over

Every child is unique and, though they usually fit into a similar path, each child has subtle differences in their developmental journey—especially when it comes to rolling over.  Here are some tips for helping your child reach the rolling over milestone naturally:

  1. Trust your baby. If each child has his own way of learning things, the best thing to do is to sit back and allow his natural development to unfold. Of course, you should also be aware of what’s not normal so you can consult a professional if needed (if your baby isn’t rolling over by 7 months, consult your pediatrician).
  2. Don’t prop baby on his side (unless he’s sleeping) so that he can have practice using those muscles to balance.
  3. In fact, don’t prop baby at all, if possible, so he can naturally develop those muscles and balance. Dr. Emmi Pikler, the famed Hungarian pediatrician, found that babies who were allowed to naturally develop (meaning not put into positions they couldn’t get into themselves) were often more strong, stable, and confident in their movements.

How about you?

When did your child learn to roll over? Was it similar to or different from other children?

References

  • https://www.emedicinehealth.com/infant_milestones/article_em.htm
Genevieve Howland

About the Author

Genevieve Howland is a childbirth educator and breastfeeding advocate. She is the bestselling author of The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth and creator of the Mama Natural Birth Course. A mother of three, graduate of the University of Colorado, and YouTuber with over 130,000,000 views, she helps mothers and moms-to-be lead healthier and more natural lives.

23 Comments

  1. Baby surprised us by rolling front to back just before 3 months, and about two weeks later, started going the other way, too. Now at four months, he can roll himself however he wants, but seems to like his tummy quite a lot.😊

  2. My son is 4 months and hasn’t rolled at all. But I’m not worried. His muscles seem strong and I’m sure it will happen soon! He is also pretty chunky, 20 lbs, which might have something to do with it. I trust my baby!

  3. My baby started rolling over at 6 weeks. So they should change “as early as 3 months” to something else. Apparently he’s not the only one! He would tilt his head to the side until his center of gravity shifted and he was on his back. The next day he started doing it the opposite direction. It wasn’t an everyday activity until around 3 months when he started rolling from back to front

  4. My baby completed 7 months , but she is still not rolling over and not crawling at all. But she can lift her head up and she is trying to reach the object while doing tommy time.i m so worried because she will be 8 months next month but still cannot do anything. 😭

  5. My precious Cleatis rolled over in the hospital bed from front to back, and then back to front. Me and Jeffer could not believe our eyes! So precious!

  6. My 2weeker just did tummy to back multiple times this morning! Had to look it up because it seems so early.

  7. My baby has rolled a few times, by sneezing while in tummy time or something similar. He is so surprised by rolling that he starts crying hahahahaha.
    Today I put him in tummy time and turned my back to change the laundry. He fussed for a few seconds but then was quiet… I turned around and he was happily laying in his back, watching the ceiling fan go round and round!!

  8. My son started rolling from tummy to back just before he was 6 weeks old. He’s never been a huge fan of tummy time and I’m sure the first time was by accident. But once he figured out how to get off of his stomach, he’s been rolling several times a day ever since!

  9. My first daughter rolled near 3 months but my second rolled from tummy to back since she has been three weeks old. That’s when I started to put her for tummy time. She doesn’t stay on her tummy more than 2 minute.

  10. My Grandson is (3) three weeks old today. Yesterday morning he rolled from his back to his tummy. We thought it was just by accident. Later that afternoon he did it again.

  11. Quite good article

  12. My son was 11weeks 6days when he rolled from stomach to back then 2weeks later he rolled from back to stomach and doesn’t stop doing it and he is so proud of himself. He’s trying to move his legs to crawl lol I wonder how quickly he will start that…

  13. My baby Veronica is 4 months today 🙂 The first time she rolled over was when she was just 1 moths old, but I believe it wasn’t done with confidence. Consciously and with more confidence she started rolling over at 3.5 months.

  14. My baby rolled from belly to back at 18 days!

  15. My baby rolled over at two months is it okay

  16. My son started rolling from back to front and from front to back as early as 2 months

  17. My grand daughter rolled over from her side on to her tummy at 2 months and 29 days today.

  18. It’s absolutely amazing! My grandson started rolling over at eight days!

  19. I place my baby girl on her side when she was 6 weeks old and to my surprise she roll on to her tummy. I thought to my self, she did not do that but she did and have been doing it since. When she was 3month and 3weeks she roll from her tummy on to her back.

  20. My lil girl born on her due date at 2.935kg (6.4 pound) on the examining table rolled over twice totally shocked the midwives at the hospital
    And has done Every time since from tummy to back soon don’t do much tummy time to give her time to develop she’s now 9 weeks today 5.1kg 11.4 pounds and is doing pushing up trying to crawl gets really pissed she can’t quite do it yet .

  21. My niece’s 21 day-old preemie identical twin just rolled himself from side to tummy, then supported himself on forearms and put his thumb in his mouth. She has this on video. Have you ever seen a baby this young roll over?

    • Amazing!! I’d like to see the video if it’s public!

  22. Hi
    Your article is really helpful. There are so many new things I am learning. Much thanks for sharing these tips/ this article.


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