Newborn rolls on to side

[Jen306]

Hi
My two week old baby has always been put to bed for night time and nap sleeps flat on her back but she’s then usually always rolled on to her left side. We never place her on her side always on her back she rolls using her own strength!
I know the safe sleeping guidance says young babies should sleep on their backs and we try to do this but what to do when baby rolls of their own accord?!
I questioned it when I was in hospital for a night after having her and the midwife said as long as we always put her down on her back that’s fine and never to prop her up to stop rolling etc.
Today the health visitor came and one of the questions she asked was about sleeping and asked if she slept on her back I explained we always put her on her back but she has a tendency to roll on her own. The health visitor was quite worried about this and said we must put her on her back I reiterated they we do but she rolls herself, the hv was surprised she could do this and said we must stop her rolling and maybe use a rolled up towel to stop her.
I said I thought we shouldn’t do that - have posotioners in cots but she just said it was important we stopped her rolling on to her side so our other option was to watch her and roll her back every time she rolls on to her side but that would mean me or my husband needing to be awake all through the night watching her which is obviously impractical - we can’t be up 24/7.

Anyone have any experience of this or tips to get her to sleep on her back?!

Does she have frogs legs? DS was a breech c section baby and used to do this when he first came home, by three to four weeks he couldn't so it any more. I know that doesn't help at the moment
Because his legs were in a frogs legs position it meant he sort of rolled with his legs and it wasn't a true roll
As soon as he put on a bit more weight and his legs relaxed and straightened a bit more he stopped doing it

Can you swaddle? May stop any actions that lead to the rolling - friends have sworn by this. Can try it with a Muslin or blanket 😊

You'd never guess that (some!) HV were highly qualified individuals 😳 Please do not put anything into an immobile baby's cot, and do not stay awake 24 hours a day. Side sleeping is ok, provided there is nothing for their face to be against - rolled up towels included! So no cot bumpers, or weird moulded mattress cushions, or toys, and think about what you cover them in - swaddle/sleeping bag/blankets to make sure they are appropriately sized and safe.

My newborn did this but stopped pretty quickly, I did swaddle her which restricted her movement. She gave me such a shock when she went to roll off the changing table in the hospital at a couple of days old

@pinkandstripey don’t worry I wasn’t planning on doing either of her suggestions! Was just trying to work our how we could safely encourage back sleeping beyond us putting her down on her back and hoping she stays there! It’s a shame really the hv seemed really good and helpful- up until that conversation came up!

@Aberforthsgoat she can be a little froggy or like she’s still curled up inside me still in a foetus position which as you say probably aid the rolling.

@Morningchorus we have tried swaddling with mixed successes- she would still attempt to roll which led to either hating being swaddled (screaming then house down which is out of character for her!)! Or working out how to roll while swaddled which seemed more dangerous! But she’s always slept better unswaddled but could try again now she’s bigger.

@SuddenArborealStop yes I was so surprised too that no one told me newborns could roll so well - I always thought this would be a 3/4month+ issue!! Was also unhelpful when I read on a quite official website can’t remember which one but either a safe sleep or proper health info site - placing a newborn on their back for safe sleep will mean they stay there as they lack the strength to roll - but no one told my newborn that rule!

I do think she’s starting to roll less often / take longer to roll after being out down (used to be every single time and almost instantly!) so fingers crossed she’s growing out of it perhaps aa she gets heavier, more comfortable in the outside world then she won’t be able to do it again until she gets much stronger in a few months tome?! Or is just just wishful thinking?’

DS did this from birth (was breach for most of the pregnancy). My HV said not to swaddle him and not to lower my side of the bedside crib as most full term breastfed babies don’t stop doing it. He had excellent neck control from birth too and would try to lift his neck to find me while on his side so we were terrified he would choke but he never did. He was always able to lay back and my HV was right - he never stopped doing it lol.

Don’t listen to your HV. Never use positioners on a baby!

I trained as a maternity nurse last year. We were taught while you always place them on their back, if they roll, that's ok!

I like these swaddles, there's no risk of them ending up over the face like if you use a muslin.

www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Original-Swaddle-Blanket-Essential/dp/B07NB7SR71/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=swaddle&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1588642918&sr=8-6

@GrumpyHoonMain yes my little one is quite strong and whilst hates tummy time was quite happy move her neck very deliberate around whilst feeding or cuddling! We don’t have a next to me style crib so not an issue about the side down, I think she’s got less roll-y but still has a preference for it!

@Pickles89 thanks yes this is what I was told in the hospital too just contradicted yesterday by the hv. The HV said that rule only applied once they were 4-5months old and could roll properly and wasn’t the same for newborns rolling!

Is your cot level? We had a next 2 me but it was quite unstable so DS used to move due to this

@KatyB222 we tilt it (head to foot not side to side) as helps her. She does it on her flat playmat too though so not the next to me.
Shes getting less rolly though I think she doesn’t do it every single tome anymore or quite so instantly.

DD1 did that. She'd lift her legs and then as they came down, she'd go on to her side. Swaddling helped.

This made me remember my panic when my firstborn did this. I was constantly trying to turn her back onto her back. Please don't worry she will be fine just make sure you don't have anything like cot bumpers that she could roll into and would snuffle her breathing. They do stop doing it eventually!

My now 3 year old did this, and we just had to go with it. She actually slept a lot better than my now 7 yo did.

Mine did this! My Gp (a mother of 4) said two of her babies did this and it's totally fine. It's great because they will be the first to roll over later on having already mastered half way. Later on at 6mths same gp suggested laying her on her tummy and wow she slept all through. She's 2 now. I'd say you have lots more things to worry about later on. Trust your instincts, not MN

Dd did this from pretty early on. She was in a swaddle but had gas and would spend all night lifting her legs straight up and then tilt to the side. We also have a Next to me magic, which because of the rocking mechanism, is tilted slightly sideways and that would make her roll more.
Baby is safe if laid on side and they turn themselves. Absolutely no need to roll them back, that just sounds silly.
After a while the gasiness passed for my baby and then she would lie on her back. Then she weaned herself off the swaddle in a day (would scream bloody murder when we put her in and immediately stopped and fell asleep when we put her in a sleeping bag) and started staying on her back.
Come a month or so later she started proper learning to roll and would roll all night long to the point she would do a 180 turn (put head one way and she'd turn to have her feet that way).
This has again quieten down and she sometimes sleeps on side sometimes on back. Once she rolled onto her tummy. We call her rolly-polly baby 😅

My 4 month old has slept on her side since about 1 week old, despite always being put to sleep on her back. She had one of the swaddle gro bags which kept her arms tight but gives room to move legs so I think she was drawing her legs up and then rolling on her side when she put them down. By about 1 month old I would put her down on her back and she would immediately roll on her side and then happily go to sleep. I stopped worrying about it after a few weeks of trying to make her sleep on her back. She was 12 days late and like a previous poster said also had extremely good neck control since birth so I don't know whether that contributed to her being able to roll on her side so soon. Try not to worry OP, there's only so much you can do.

Thanks everyone!
Most reassuring!
The health visitor made me feel like the worst person in the world for letting my baby roll over, but good to know it’s just one of those things she does!