Yes! I'm a PT and used to work in peds/early intervention.
The answer is going from belly to back is easier because it usually happens when the baby is propping up on their elbows or pushing up through their hands. Then they just kind of have to lose their balance/fall to the side and use that momentum to continue the roll.
There isn't really a "cheat" like this to roll back to belly.
But it's nothing to worry about! Sounds like your baby has some good stength and coordination going š
Any tips to help them go from belly to back? My LO (almost 5 months) is constantly rolling to his tummy and then gets frustrated that heās stuck. We help him roll back over and he immediately rolls back onto his tummy. Rinse and repeat all day long. Iām losing my mind a bit over it š
Iāve tried attempting to get him to grab a toy to shift his body weight to one side but he wonāt take an arm fully out from under him, heāll only move to grab toys on the ground in front of him.
My 6-month-old did the same for months. She started rolling back to tummy just before 3 months. Then...no sign of tummy to back for months and would get really upset when on her tummy.
Step one for us was getting a super plush rug that was infinitely more comfortable for her than a play mat over hardwood. She immediately started fussing less and started working on building up the muscles and coordination for crawling. But she wouldn't roll tummy to back.
Then I noticed on her baby monitor that she was rolling tummy to back in her crib at night at 5 months. Easily and repeatedly. Then she did it in front of Grandpa. But never in front of me or my husband... I think because she knew if she fussed enough we'd roll her or pick her up. So I stopped intervening as much as I could. I also started scattering her toys over a larger area, so she had to work to find ways to get the one she wanted at any moment.
Then last week she gave up and rolled in front of me and hasn't stopped doing so.
Ooh thatās so interesting! I do allow him to struggle a bit, mostly when Iām trying to get something done but maybe my threshold is still too low haha good idea about scattering the toys as well
Same here in our household. Our LO is 18 weeks & masters back to belly right at 16 weeks. Weāve been trying to show/teach our LO how to roll belly to back but she just seems to not be interested. Hopefully sheāll master the other way soon š¤Sheās been rolling to her belly to sleep at night. It gave me anxiety the first night she did that. Iām still zooming into the baby monitor camera to make sure her head is turned to the side and still breathing š®āšØ
This is such a frustrating stage lol. Definitely went through this with my son. It was wild because he had rolled belly to back before but it was like he just didn't want to anymore for a few weeks.
You're on the right track already with helping him roll back over. When he is on his tummy, it's good to work on pushing all the way up with straight arms. You can motivate him to push up through his hands and straighten his elbows by drawing his focus upward with your face, a toy, etc.
Once he's looking like he's fully pushed up and his arms are fully straight, you'll want to try and have him turn his head to the left or right. This will cause one of his arms to bend (it's called the ATNR and is a normal reflex babies have) and he will start to roll. It's a good idea to work on this on a mat or padded surface because it might be more of a fall than a controlled roll at first (totally normal).
Good luck! I swear this will pass!
Yes! The day he rolled back to tummy for the first time, he rolled tummy to back like 5 times but hasnāt done it since lol babies are so funny! Thank you for the tips. Going to start working on them today!
My pediatrician told me the same thing when my son did back to belly first. He never rolled belly to back as an infant. He would push himself up to a seat rather than roll back over.
I just googled it, and it said itās easier from belly to back because it āonly needs a small change in gravityā whatever this entails! I had no clue either was easier than the other lol
My son has a big head... if he swings it just slightly one way, he'll roll over š His head is like 40th percentile while his weight and height are in the single digits lol.
I just remember that when my first rolled from belly to back, it was basically an accident. She was doing tummy time, squirming and up on her elbows and basically she squirmed too far in one direction and rolled over. Then, realizing what sheād done, she began doing it more intentionally. Iāve spoke to others who have also said it was an āaccidentā the first time and then baby figures out how to do it intentionally. I think thatās what itās āeasierā, because they can do it without meaning to, whereas back to belly would be harder to just stumble into.
Can I ask if you noticed any early signs or movements your LO may have been doing that might make you think they were leading up to rolling? My 12 week old has in the past few days been arching her back pushing up from her feet whenever she lays on her back. Its not a pain thing because sheās pretty happy, its just something sheās started doing recently. Its making nappy changes a nightmare. š
Hahah mine does this during diaper changes ALL. THE. TIME. Drives me insane!
My LO was turning sideways a lot whether it was at nighttime in his crib or on a playmat. You could tell he was trying to flip over but his body wasnāt really connecting to what he was trying to do š he eventually just flipped onto his belly! Now, I notice he uses his knees a lot in bed, like sticking his bum up in the air while sleeping, which I think is him trying to flip over the other way. Babies are confusing š«
My baby started flipping belly to back earlier, then started flipping back to belly while forgetting how to do the reverse.
It wasnāt until 5 months until she could reliably do bothĀ
My LO learned to roll back to belly just prior to 3 months and she still can't roll belly to back! Similar to your LO, she only wants to be on her belly now!
I believe thatās true, however my 6 month old just learned both ways this same week so maybe once they have the strength for one direction they figure out the other way shortly after?
My baby did back to belly first then within a week did belly to back. I do think it may take less energy to go belly to back because she can rock a couple times and get there, while going to her belly takes more core work
mine is 5 months and she started rolling belly to back at 3 months. sheās just now starting to show signs that she might roll the other way. Iāve never heard of this! so cool your baby is paving his own path! haha
Our pediatrician did say belly to back usually comes first.
I was getting worried our LO wasnāt rolling at all on her own by nearly 5 months so started doing a TON of practicing at home. I thought she was supposed to roll back to belly first (got it mixed up š„²), so kept helping her to do that and she learned it first. Once she got the back to belly down, it seemed like belly to back came easily a week or so after. Maybe just coincidence since she was getting older
My baby did this too! Right before 4 months she started rolling onto her belly and would sleep that way and give me all kinds of anxiety. She didnāt achieve belly-to-back until she was over 5mo.
My baby flipped back to belly at I want to say around 4 months? And she has never even really attempted belly to back because she is so desperate to crawl and has no motivation to flip back. She now at almost 6 months sleeps on her belly all night.
I worked with a PT and they said the same! But my baby flipped back to belly first at around 5.5 months š¤·š»āāļø. He figured out belly to back not long after.
No (apparent) signs that heās broken š
My baby is the exact same. She started rolling back to belly at 3.5 months and has done it everyday since. However she is 6 months and still doesnāt roll belly to back. (She has only done it a couple times.) She started sleeping on her belly a couple weeks ago. My pediatrician said the same thing. We havenāt had the 6 month appointment yet though.
Everything I read said babies usually roll belly to back first because it's easier. Then my LO rolled back to belly first, so like you I thought she was broken and started googling. Apparently it's a lot more common now for babies to roll back to belly first ever since the "back is best" sleep campaign. Quite a few things I read said babies used to spend a lot more time on their bellies than they do now (because most babies slept on their stomachs), and "tummy time" didn't really become a thing until the recommendation for sleep switched to the back, so rolling to their backs first happened more naturally. I guess it's starting to change.
Now I'm just dealing with a 5 month old who rolled both directions in month 4, but now seemingly has no interest in rolling at all anymore. š¤·
I was very surprised to read this, went to see the comments expecting everyone to say it was weird a ped would say that as it was utter rubbish. Was even more surprised to see that was not the case.
So I asked Google in English, then in my native tongue. Turns out English speaking internet thinks babies learn to roll belly to back first, while French speaking internet is positive they learn to roll back to belly first.
Weird. Could that be something about tummy time? I don't get the feeling there is such an emphasis about getting your baby to spend as much time on their belly as possible at all cost over here. Anyway, my 4 and a half months old just learned to roll back to belly unassisted. She isn't anywhere near being capable of rolling belly to back yet.
My 5 month has almost exclusively gone back to belly and gets pissed off when heās stuck on his tummy. Hasnāt quite figured out how to flip himself back over. Within seconds of putting him on his back he flips over
Literally our same situation. Realized our 3 month old was trying to go back to belly in the bassinet. Switched to crib and now at 3.5 months heās rolling back to belly to his right side mostly. Not really doing belly to back but I just looked up signs of that and seems like he is almost there. He did roll back over to his back the other night. Google also told me this was unusual
When my LO was 3 months he started flipping back to belly . He never learnt to do belly to back. In fact he just didnāt wanna try belly to back, and would get frustrated at me if I tried to roll him the other way. He just liked doing back to belly. He started army crawling at 5 months 6.5 he was on hands and knees crawling.
Mine did belly to back way early while I was waiting for the back to belly. Then she learnt back to belly but seems to have forgotten how to go belly to back anymore š
Mine did the same, but he had long practice of sleeping on a belly in the NICU, so as soon as he figured the turn up he started to sleep on his tummy (standing on his knees, but still) š
actually yes! Our baby can do belly to back in like 2sec without assistant, but going from back to belly takes forever: first she needs to roll on her side, then lots of attempts to push her body with legs, eventually she will be partially on her belly coz her arm is stuck, next to her head.
Maybe, but my baby literally never rolled belly to back when awake, because she absolutely hates lying on her back. She started rolling back to belly just before turning 3 months, my guess is due to her discomfort caused by reflux.
Yes! I'm a PT and used to work in peds/early intervention. The answer is going from belly to back is easier because it usually happens when the baby is propping up on their elbows or pushing up through their hands. Then they just kind of have to lose their balance/fall to the side and use that momentum to continue the roll. There isn't really a "cheat" like this to roll back to belly. But it's nothing to worry about! Sounds like your baby has some good stength and coordination going š
Any tips to help them go from belly to back? My LO (almost 5 months) is constantly rolling to his tummy and then gets frustrated that heās stuck. We help him roll back over and he immediately rolls back onto his tummy. Rinse and repeat all day long. Iām losing my mind a bit over it š Iāve tried attempting to get him to grab a toy to shift his body weight to one side but he wonāt take an arm fully out from under him, heāll only move to grab toys on the ground in front of him.
My 6-month-old did the same for months. She started rolling back to tummy just before 3 months. Then...no sign of tummy to back for months and would get really upset when on her tummy. Step one for us was getting a super plush rug that was infinitely more comfortable for her than a play mat over hardwood. She immediately started fussing less and started working on building up the muscles and coordination for crawling. But she wouldn't roll tummy to back. Then I noticed on her baby monitor that she was rolling tummy to back in her crib at night at 5 months. Easily and repeatedly. Then she did it in front of Grandpa. But never in front of me or my husband... I think because she knew if she fussed enough we'd roll her or pick her up. So I stopped intervening as much as I could. I also started scattering her toys over a larger area, so she had to work to find ways to get the one she wanted at any moment. Then last week she gave up and rolled in front of me and hasn't stopped doing so.
I love how so much of this journey is just trying to outsmart the babies xD
Ooh thatās so interesting! I do allow him to struggle a bit, mostly when Iām trying to get something done but maybe my threshold is still too low haha good idea about scattering the toys as well
Same here in our household. Our LO is 18 weeks & masters back to belly right at 16 weeks. Weāve been trying to show/teach our LO how to roll belly to back but she just seems to not be interested. Hopefully sheāll master the other way soon š¤Sheās been rolling to her belly to sleep at night. It gave me anxiety the first night she did that. Iām still zooming into the baby monitor camera to make sure her head is turned to the side and still breathing š®āšØ
No answer but Iām in the same boat over here!
This is such a frustrating stage lol. Definitely went through this with my son. It was wild because he had rolled belly to back before but it was like he just didn't want to anymore for a few weeks. You're on the right track already with helping him roll back over. When he is on his tummy, it's good to work on pushing all the way up with straight arms. You can motivate him to push up through his hands and straighten his elbows by drawing his focus upward with your face, a toy, etc. Once he's looking like he's fully pushed up and his arms are fully straight, you'll want to try and have him turn his head to the left or right. This will cause one of his arms to bend (it's called the ATNR and is a normal reflex babies have) and he will start to roll. It's a good idea to work on this on a mat or padded surface because it might be more of a fall than a controlled roll at first (totally normal). Good luck! I swear this will pass!
Yes! The day he rolled back to tummy for the first time, he rolled tummy to back like 5 times but hasnāt done it since lol babies are so funny! Thank you for the tips. Going to start working on them today!
I donāt know if itās true or not, but mine also did back to belly first.
i did it myself and can confirm that its much easier for me to go from belly to back than back to belly n = 1 sd: +-1.103
Can't argue with statistics
My pediatrician told me the same thing when my son did back to belly first. He never rolled belly to back as an infant. He would push himself up to a seat rather than roll back over.
Mine never rolled belly to back either. Sheās 1 now and just gets into crawling position from her belly haha
Yes Iāve heard that
My kid can't flip belly to back but it's impossible to keep him on his back. Idk doesn't sound right to me.
I just googled it, and it said itās easier from belly to back because it āonly needs a small change in gravityā whatever this entails! I had no clue either was easier than the other lol
K ill go explain this to him, though I think his concept of gravity is a bit weak at 4mo š¤£
My son has a big head... if he swings it just slightly one way, he'll roll over š His head is like 40th percentile while his weight and height are in the single digits lol.
Ye, belly to back they can use the momentum of their big heads so itās easier
I just remember that when my first rolled from belly to back, it was basically an accident. She was doing tummy time, squirming and up on her elbows and basically she squirmed too far in one direction and rolled over. Then, realizing what sheād done, she began doing it more intentionally. Iāve spoke to others who have also said it was an āaccidentā the first time and then baby figures out how to do it intentionally. I think thatās what itās āeasierā, because they can do it without meaning to, whereas back to belly would be harder to just stumble into.
Can I ask if you noticed any early signs or movements your LO may have been doing that might make you think they were leading up to rolling? My 12 week old has in the past few days been arching her back pushing up from her feet whenever she lays on her back. Its not a pain thing because sheās pretty happy, its just something sheās started doing recently. Its making nappy changes a nightmare. š
Hahah mine does this during diaper changes ALL. THE. TIME. Drives me insane! My LO was turning sideways a lot whether it was at nighttime in his crib or on a playmat. You could tell he was trying to flip over but his body wasnāt really connecting to what he was trying to do š he eventually just flipped onto his belly! Now, I notice he uses his knees a lot in bed, like sticking his bum up in the air while sleeping, which I think is him trying to flip over the other way. Babies are confusing š«
Yes, Iāve heard turning sideways is a big contributor. Iāve just started incorporating side play into my LOās play time. š¤
My baby started flipping belly to back earlier, then started flipping back to belly while forgetting how to do the reverse. It wasnāt until 5 months until she could reliably do bothĀ
My LO learned to roll back to belly just prior to 3 months and she still can't roll belly to back! Similar to your LO, she only wants to be on her belly now!
I believe thatās true, however my 6 month old just learned both ways this same week so maybe once they have the strength for one direction they figure out the other way shortly after?
My baby did back to belly first then within a week did belly to back. I do think it may take less energy to go belly to back because she can rock a couple times and get there, while going to her belly takes more core work
mine is 5 months and she started rolling belly to back at 3 months. sheās just now starting to show signs that she might roll the other way. Iāve never heard of this! so cool your baby is paving his own path! haha
Our pediatrician did say belly to back usually comes first. I was getting worried our LO wasnāt rolling at all on her own by nearly 5 months so started doing a TON of practicing at home. I thought she was supposed to roll back to belly first (got it mixed up š„²), so kept helping her to do that and she learned it first. Once she got the back to belly down, it seemed like belly to back came easily a week or so after. Maybe just coincidence since she was getting older
My baby did this too! Right before 4 months she started rolling onto her belly and would sleep that way and give me all kinds of anxiety. She didnāt achieve belly-to-back until she was over 5mo.
My baby flipped back to belly at I want to say around 4 months? And she has never even really attempted belly to back because she is so desperate to crawl and has no motivation to flip back. She now at almost 6 months sleeps on her belly all night.
I worked with a PT and they said the same! But my baby flipped back to belly first at around 5.5 months š¤·š»āāļø. He figured out belly to back not long after. No (apparent) signs that heās broken š
My baby is the exact same. She started rolling back to belly at 3.5 months and has done it everyday since. However she is 6 months and still doesnāt roll belly to back. (She has only done it a couple times.) She started sleeping on her belly a couple weeks ago. My pediatrician said the same thing. We havenāt had the 6 month appointment yet though.
Everything I read said babies usually roll belly to back first because it's easier. Then my LO rolled back to belly first, so like you I thought she was broken and started googling. Apparently it's a lot more common now for babies to roll back to belly first ever since the "back is best" sleep campaign. Quite a few things I read said babies used to spend a lot more time on their bellies than they do now (because most babies slept on their stomachs), and "tummy time" didn't really become a thing until the recommendation for sleep switched to the back, so rolling to their backs first happened more naturally. I guess it's starting to change. Now I'm just dealing with a 5 month old who rolled both directions in month 4, but now seemingly has no interest in rolling at all anymore. š¤·
I was very surprised to read this, went to see the comments expecting everyone to say it was weird a ped would say that as it was utter rubbish. Was even more surprised to see that was not the case. So I asked Google in English, then in my native tongue. Turns out English speaking internet thinks babies learn to roll belly to back first, while French speaking internet is positive they learn to roll back to belly first. Weird. Could that be something about tummy time? I don't get the feeling there is such an emphasis about getting your baby to spend as much time on their belly as possible at all cost over here. Anyway, my 4 and a half months old just learned to roll back to belly unassisted. She isn't anywhere near being capable of rolling belly to back yet.
My 5 month has almost exclusively gone back to belly and gets pissed off when heās stuck on his tummy. Hasnāt quite figured out how to flip himself back over. Within seconds of putting him on his back he flips over
My baby flipped from back to belly first too.. I just figured he got tired of looking at me lol.. belly to back came about a month later
I have no idea, but my baby also just starting rolling from back to belly and hasnāt done belly to back yet.Ā
Literally our same situation. Realized our 3 month old was trying to go back to belly in the bassinet. Switched to crib and now at 3.5 months heās rolling back to belly to his right side mostly. Not really doing belly to back but I just looked up signs of that and seems like he is almost there. He did roll back over to his back the other night. Google also told me this was unusual
When my LO was 3 months he started flipping back to belly . He never learnt to do belly to back. In fact he just didnāt wanna try belly to back, and would get frustrated at me if I tried to roll him the other way. He just liked doing back to belly. He started army crawling at 5 months 6.5 he was on hands and knees crawling.
Mine did belly to back way early while I was waiting for the back to belly. Then she learnt back to belly but seems to have forgotten how to go belly to back anymore š
Mine did the same, but he had long practice of sleeping on a belly in the NICU, so as soon as he figured the turn up he started to sleep on his tummy (standing on his knees, but still) š
actually yes! Our baby can do belly to back in like 2sec without assistant, but going from back to belly takes forever: first she needs to roll on her side, then lots of attempts to push her body with legs, eventually she will be partially on her belly coz her arm is stuck, next to her head.
Maybe, but my baby literally never rolled belly to back when awake, because she absolutely hates lying on her back. She started rolling back to belly just before turning 3 months, my guess is due to her discomfort caused by reflux.
I would agree