For a new parent, every small movement, coo, and smile of the baby is an enthralling experience. Rolling over, especially, is exciting because it is your baby’s first attempt to move independently. A good head and neck control and strong arm muscles are essential for your baby to rollover successfully. However, there has been a lot discussed on the exact time or age of the baby at which it should rollover. Discussed below is the same and some tips on how to help your baby roll.
When Do Babies Rollover?
Some babies tend to first rollover as soon as they are three months old. It is not a matter of concern if your baby takes a little longer. Since, on an average, most babies tend to first roll from their tummy to back between the 4th and the 7th months. They also roll from their back to tummy between the 5th and the 8th months.
Some just roll to their sides in their initial days. In some babies, the entire act is skipped, as they might directly start crawling, followed by sitting, standing up, and walking.
Tips To Help Your Baby Roll
1. Watch Out For Signs
The small signs of movement your baby gives could be an indication that it is ready for rolling over. The movements like lifting its head when lying on its back and reaching out for the toys when you lay the baby on its tummy are some of them. It shows that the neck, head, and hand muscles are strong enough to let your newborn rollover.
2. Give Your Baby The Tummy Time
Giving your baby enough tummy time (letting baby lay on the tummy) will help strengthen its neck muscles and develop motor skills. From the second month onwards, place your baby on its tummy for a minute or two. It might initially not like the position and could get cranky. Giving it a tummy time on your chest would make the baby feel secure and it might eventually like the process. Look for the signs of discomfort or discontent in the baby and change the position immediately.
3. Pique Its Interest With Toys
One of the proven ways to get your baby rollover is to attract it with colorful toys. When the baby is on its back, place some toys around it such that they are not well within the reach. Upon seeing the toys, the baby would make an effort to grab them by moving itself. You can push the toys away from the baby as and when it tries to reach out to them.
4. Let Your Baby Do Some Push-ups
Let your little one lay on its tummy and hold a toy at its head level. This will encourage it to reach out to the toy by straightening its arms while doing some gentle push-ups. This technique doesn’t just help your baby rollover but also increases the strength in its arms, neck, and back.
5. Trick Your Baby Using a Blanket
Make you baby lay on its back and place some toys around. Watch out for the signs when it is making an effort to rollover to reach the toys. Once it makes that pseudo-move, gently lift the other side of the blanket such that your baby’s movement is supported by the blanket. This would trick your baby into thinking that it accomplished the task all by itself and that further encourages it to make another attempt.
6. Lend Your Hand For Support
Once you identify that your little one is failing at an attempt to rollover, offer your help. Support the baby by gently lifting its upper thigh in the opposite direction. So, if the baby wants to rollover to its left, lift the right upper thigh. This will support the baby in making the right move while keeping it interested in trying another time.
7. Praise And Applaud
Your baby can sense cheer and praise at an age as early as three months. As you see your baby rollover successfully, clap for it and flash a smile. This reassures the baby of its achievement, which encourages it to try this new-found move again and again.
It could be quite a confusion, especially for first-time mothers, to decide if it is good to encourage their babies to rollover or wait for them to do it all by themselves. It is your personal decision. These tricks, however, do not pose any harm if you are planning to try them on your baby.
