Rolls over (front to back and back to front)

What is this milestone?

First major movement milestone

Rolling over involves using their core, arm, and neck strength to flip their body from their stomach to their back, or from their back to their stomach.

Why it matters

Rolling is their first real taste of independent locomotion. It requires significant coordination of the upper and lower body and builds the trunk strength necessary for sitting upright.

What to expect leading up to it

Most babies master rolling from tummy to back first, often doing it accidentally at the start. Before a full roll, you'll see lots of vigorous kicking, arching the back, and rocking side to side.

How to encourage and support it

Provide plenty of safe, supervised floor time. When they are on their back, dangle a favorite toy to the side to encourage them to reach and twist their body. Celebrate enthusiastically when they make their first successful flips! One important change comes with rolling: stop swaddling as soon as your baby shows any sign of rolling, even before they can do it all the way. A swaddled baby who rolls onto their stomach cannot push up or free their arms. Move to a sleep sack with the arms out. Keep putting your baby down on their back to sleep — once they can roll both ways on their own, it is fine to let them find their own position.

When to talk to your doctor

Rolling has a wide window, and some babies who get plenty of floor time skip straight past it. Mention it if your baby is not rolling in either direction by about 7 months, if they only ever roll to one side, or if one side of the body seems weaker or stiffer than the other. And at any age, if your baby loses a skill they already had, tell your pediatrician that week.