Rolling
Stage 3-6
At this stage, your baby needs lots of opportunities to practice rolling, moving around on their tummy and floor play.
This card looks at the importance of ‘rolling’ and provides ideas to support and encourage these movements. Around 3 to 4 months of age, you may notice that your baby is starting to roll slightly, firstly from their back to their side. Babies often stop here because they don’t have tummy strength. You can encourage strength by lying your baby on their side to play until at around 4 to 5 months they are ready to roll over.
Supporting rolling
The key to rolling is where the head goes the body follows. The head needs to be in the right position first, then the shoulders turn and the hips eventually follow. A roll can only occur when all three are aligned.
Tummy time is important to build up core strength. Without this your baby will not be able to roll over. See our Tummy Time card for more information.
What to look out for...
Every baby will develop at their own rate but between 3-6 months of age you may start to notice your baby trying out some of these movements:
Tip
Try lying your baby on their side or back and introduce bubbles, above the head and out of reach to encourage them to stretch and reach, preparing them for rolling over.
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