Will baby really be able to roll over at 3 months?

[newmum234]

My baby is now 2 months old. I read that babies can roll from their tummy onto their backs from 3 months, but honestly can’t fathom that my baby will be doing that in 4.5 weeks time. He shows no inclination to roll at all and developmentally seems nowhere near! Could your baby roll over from 3 months and is there anything I should be doing to help him on his way?

3 months is quite early to be doing this but it can be done, so for safety concerns be aware, no near the edge of the bed and so on :)

It's possible, but perfectly normal for them to roll later. My 4.5 month old isn't rolling yet although she's getting closer.

Both mine rolled front to back at 4 months and back to front a couple of weeks later. They don't do it with any sort of purpose really - they just kind of wriggle and it happens and they look shocked! Now ds2 is 8mo he uses a combination of shuffling and rolling to get where he wants to go, which is a lot more purposeful and considered! They do change so quickly though, the first year is mad. From a tiny, helpless newborn to mobile, often walking or not far off, beginning to talk, having their own little personalities. It goes by so quickly!

My baby rolled both ways at 3.5 months. But they are all massively different. I swear she only learnt to get out of tummy time!!!

My baby did one roll (back to front) when he was less than a week old - god only knows how - and then didn't roll again until he was nearly 5 months. It's totally random!

My baby could sit up at 4 months old, and walked at 10 months, but couldn’t roll back to front until 6 months! She always hated tummy time so had zero inclination to roll that way
Thinking about it, she only started doing it because she wanted to crawl.

Anyway, they are just guidelines but yes, from a safety point of view just assume that your 3 month old is a parkour expert then there are no nasty surprises!

Mine did and took me by complete surprise as I was expecting it a month or 2 later so I only just managed to prevent a disaster during a nappy change

Apparently they can also crawl at 5 months - that took me by surprise too

@mynameiscalypso newborns roll because the weight of their heads pull them over. DD1 rolled the day before she turned 3 months old and DD2 at 3 1/2 months but she meet her other physical milestones sooner than DD.

@Lockdownseperation That would make sense - he's always had a giant head!

Depends on the baby. I stopped going to baby groups around 5 months, as my darling bundle would flip himself over and start caterpillar crawling over all the other (slightly older) babies who were happily lying on the floor gurgling.
So its definitely possible, but I woukdnt say particularly common.

Mine did at 3 months from back to tummy. She raised her legs first and then swung both to one side and used the momentum to flip over. So if your baby is kicking around while lying then it could well happen!

Possible but it can be much later. My DD rolled back to front just before 6 months (the later side of normal, just as I was getting worried!) but not front to back until 11 months and she only started crawling at 12 months. She's nearly 14 months now and I reckon she's still a month or two off walking. So please don't think your LO "should" be rolling at 3 months.

3 months! That's very early but babies are all so very different, I really wouldn't worry. My boys rolled around 6-8 months old, my dd is 13 months tomorrow and has only rolled once! She can do everything else that is "expected" by a year old but is like a stuck cockroach on her back!

Some will, some won't and it's perfectly normal for them not to be able to by 3 months. But then it's also sensible to take precautions (not leaving them on the bed etc) in case they do roll early. Mine could roll back to front regularly by 8 weeks, but was 4 months before they managed the other way and I was always paranoid they'd get stuck on their front, not be able to move or breathe properly!

There's a big range for this one. My DD rolled once by fluke at 3 months, and then didn't do it again until 7 months! She did lots of her milestones in a slightly funny order (she walked before she crawled or was able to pull up onto her feet...) but it makes no difference at all by the time they are toddlers!

My baby has just started rolling at not quite 13 weeks so yes it is possible. It took her about 5 days from not rolling at all, to trying to get onto her side, to rolling completely.

It depends on whether you are looking or not.

I had the fright of my life when I left DS on his play mat to go to the loo and came back to find he'd rolled behind the sofa.

A friend’s baby rolled constantly at eight weeks. Mine was almost seven months when she did a one off, very resigned first roll. Both are perfectly normal.

My ds rolled at 6 months front to back a few times and hasn't bothered doing it again, he's never rolled back to front and is 9 months.
All babies are so different so I wouldn't get caught up in milestones, they all hit different ones at different times

I don't remember when my eldest first rolled properly but she managed to fling herself off the sofa at 10 weeks old (I was sat next to her, then suddenly I wasn't).

She also crawled at 5 months and walked at 8 months.

I was very relieved when DC2 did things in a much more normal timescale.

Mine rolled onto their side at 3ish months but not fully over until nearer 5 months

DD2 has just started back to front rolling at 3 months & one week. I too left her on her playmat, went to get a glass of water & came back to find her very cross at being on her tummy 😂 she’s done it a few time’s since.

They do suddenly come on in development at this age I think. DD2 has gone from a floppy, needing head support 2 month old to a wanting to sit up all the time, strong neck, head up 3 month old!

DS could roll on his side by about then and did roll back to front at 5 months. Only did it twice though, then one day about a week ago at 6 months decided that rolling was worth his efforts and has been rolling pretty much non stop since then.

DD rolled from front to back at 4 months but has only just rolled back to front for the first time today at 8 months. Every baby is different!

They do suddenly come on in development at this age I think. DD2 has gone from a floppy, needing head support 2 month old to a wanting to sit up all the time, strong neck, head up 3 month old!

@Bol87 I’m excited to see the difference between 2-3 months in my LO!