Premature baby milestone

[DidYeAye22]

Pretty sure I know the answer to this, but I’ve just googled and now I’m panicking!

My baby is 24 weeks - 19 adjusted. He’ll be 6 months old on 22 Feb. He has great head control and has started to sit up by himself for a few seconds at a time. He lies with his legs in the air and moves back and forth. He babbles and giggles and smiles. However, he hasn’t started rolling!

I googled it and read something along the lines of “if your baby hasn’t started rolling at 6 months, check for other developmental delays”. I know it’s probably fine and I’m being ridiculous, but could anyone else with a preemie baby share their experiences of when their baby met the rolling milestone?

Does this all sound normal? Sorry, first time mum and just overwhelmed with information! Feels so stressful to have literally every piece of information and scenario, positive and negative, at our fingertips with the internet.

Well he isn't six months yet, either actually or adjusted!

Fwiw neither of my babies were big on rolling. DD1 who was born at 33 weeks rolled at about seven months, I think, then basically stopped doing it for ages. DD2 who was not prem and is now six months rolled twice a couple of weeks ago and hasn't bothered since. I'm not remotely worried though because she can sit up unsupported already. She just doesn't feel the need to roll I guess!

My eldest was 9 months, my 3 younger ones born 7 weeks early were 10 and 11 months. All fully functioning adults. 😉

Thanks everyone, I did know this in the back of my mind - just nice to hear stories from real people instead of Google results!

Hi my twins were 6 weeks early and did Almost everything in he norm for adjusted age some like walking they were at the late end of normal even for adjusted and then others like waving and first words more inline. I remember feeling really stressed at baby groups etc when their peers were further ahead but try not to worry. They are 9 now and fine!

My son was early by a similar amount. He didnt roll either way until 10 months, so hugely late, but then he did both rolls on the same day. He crawled within the week and walked at 14 months. From then on he was ahead with everything - he could ride a pedal bike without stabilisers aged two, for example. So in our experience a very, very slow start didn’t mean anything.
Weaning was tough compared with his full term sister, though, and you do have to watch out for anaemia.

Thanks for sharing! Glad your son is all caught up now. How do you mean weaning was tough? He isn’t particularly interested in food at the moment, so I’m a bit worried about that!

Thanks so much, will try not to worry. Yeah the baby groups are really stressful!

He's only 19 weeks old. Babies all develop at their own pace. My daughter was 6 weeks early. She rolled relatively early but didn't really sit til about 8 months, crawled about a week later and is now 13 months and still waiting for her to stand without support or walk

Just be calm. It'll come. X

Exactly that, the interest in food just wasn’t there for months so all the usual weaning advice just didn’t work and he ended up anaemic, which further reduces the appetite. If I were doing it again I’d focus much more on iron-rich foods plus sources of vitamin C and avoid dairy except perhaps as a snack (because it inhibits iron absorption). Weaning is just so much harder when the baby has no interest.

Mine was 5 weeks early and now 8 months. I feel the same as you, but with sitting. He didn’t sit up at all until 7 months, and loads of babies all around us were sitting from 3/4/5 months! But he skipped all the prop-sitting and just suddenly sat properly and completely upright all in one week. So don’t worry, it will soon happen x

Mine wasn’t premature (born at 38 weeks) and is still not a big fan of rolling at 7 months. She rolled front to back once at 6 months and hasn’t done it since and still hasn’t rolled the other way but can roll
on her side. I’m not worried yet.

DS was born at 34+1….didn’t roll over til he was about 8 months actual - took what seemed to be an absolute age! He’s met all his milestones to date but they have been a bit later than other children in the groups we’ve been to. He got there in his own time though as yours will do!
Try not to worry too much (easier said than done)…!

Thanks everyone! Really reassuring