5 months and only rolling onto side - should I be concerned?

[MoragG]

DD is 5 months and started rolling onto her side about a month ago. She did it quite a lot, though only to the right, and then stopped entirely for a couple of weeks. She now does it again, and still only to the right, but is showing absolutely no signs of wanting to roll right over onto her tummy. She doesn't like tummy time, though will tolerate it for a lot longer than she used to, but will start grunting within a couple of minutes and then cry. However, for the past few weeks she has been desperately trying to sit up forward by doing abdominal crunch type movements (bringing her head and her knees up)!

So - should I be worried? Developmental milestones seem to suggest she should be rolling over fully by now. Is there anything I can do to encourage her to do this?

"Developmental milestones" are so misleading. Children vary quite a lot in the first couple of years and they have no idea that there's this timetable they're meant to stick to. My son never got the hang of crawling, was a late talker but his dexterity with a spoon and a bowl of porridge was quite advanced!!! LOL

Don't worry or try to force her to do anything just because it's on a chart. Do whatever you find comes naturally and if she doesn't like lying on her stomach... lie her on her back instead. She sounds like she's getting ready to get mobile in her own way.

Don't worry. DS was late in rolling, crawling and OK walking, but you'd have never known by the time he was 18 months old

DS1 and DS2 rolled onto their side. DS3 did not roll at all. None of them rolled across the room like all the other babies I knew.

They all crawled, can walk and ride scooters/bikes, so I would not worry too much

DD1 rolled over once, aged about 5 months, and didn't do it again for about a year

DD2 is 9 months and seems to be following the same routine - she hardly rolled at all but is now this far away from crawling. If she is on her front she can pull herself up but if she is on her back she is like a stranded insect and just waves her arms and legs in the air and screams

It's fine, don't worry, it's just one of those things that not all babies do.

Sounds totally normal to me. DD didn't roll over properly all the way until she she was about 9m, always hated tummy time as well. She's nearly 12m but only really now just about crawling forwardss, but rolls everywhere, goes backwards and round in circles. On the other hand one of her little friends is 10m but has been very mobile for ages now. They're all different, working on different skils.

DD didn't roll until something like 11 months. She is perfectly fine 4.9 year old now

DS rolled at 4.5 months and among his contemporaries was quite esrly to do it so really wouldn't worry too much about 5 month old not doing it.

DD couldn't (or didn't) roll reliably until at least eight or nine months after she could walk. She's perfectly normal now, if a little over-cautious. Oh, and she didn't crawl at all.

My ds is exactly the same, rolled over 3 wks ago aged 5 months and a week ish, not done it since, hates tummy time but was also trying to pull up to sit.

He is 6m tomorrow and has been sitting up for a couple of weeks and wants to stand at every opportunity!

In fact now I think about it none of my 4 have rolled around, I don't think it's a particularly reliable indicator of gross motor function/development.

DS2 didn't roll at all either, crawled at 10months and walked at 14 months, ran at 15 months and jumped at 16 months. Can now ride a scooter well (23months). and climb (much too well)
DS1 was late to roll and crawl as well.
Both hated tummy time. Both are exceptionally active too.
I'd only worry if he's not sitting up by 8 months.

DD rolled once around that age then not again til she was 11mo, same day as she walked. That was about 6 weeks ago now she won't stop rolling crawling (which she did about 3 weeks later) & walking. Nappy changes are a nightmare! They all catch up in the end.

My LO is exactly 6 months old. It's only a week since she started rolling on her tummy. Now she can do it very fast and push herself up on her hands. Just out of interest, does your LO have an umbilical hernia? Mine did, although it's healed now, but I wondered if there's a link between that and a dislike of tummy time? LO hated tummy time right from the stat.