A lot of parents ask if infants roll over to their tummy while they are sleeping, do you need to roll them back to their back? The simple answer is “no”. If a baby can roll over to their stomach, they should have enough strength and head control to lift their head and breathe, as well as move their head to the side and sleep comfortably.
Learning to roll over, just like any big milestone, can interrupt sleep patterns and cause a few poor nights of sleep. However, once they get the hang of things, and the excitement level of learning a new skill fades away, they should get right back on track.
During this time, it is important to practice supervised tummy time throughout the day to continue to get stronger so if they do not enjoy sleeping on their stomach, they can roll themselves back. On another note, it is important to remember that if they DO enjoy sleeping on their stomach, that you still place babies to bed & nap time on their back. If they roll over by themself and love to sleep on there stomach, they can continue to sleep that way. You just want to always place them to bed on their back, to reduce the risk of SIDS.
Once babies show signs of rolling over, you may need to change some things to ensure their safety while they sleep:
- Stop swaddling. There are sleep sacks that are safe for this stage that can help make the transition from swaddling to nothing easier, if needed.
- Possibly move them out of the bassinet or their smaller sleeping space so they have more room to move and are safe when trying to roll.
- Ensure that the crib is free and clear of any items. (Blankets, lovey’s, crib bumpers, etc.)
- Make sure they are always placed in a safe sleeping space and avoid letting them sleep on a couch or in swings.
This blog is piggybacked from my last blog about tummy time. Here is the link if you missed it.
If you have any questions about safe sleep, please feel free to contact me at krissy@monkeyroosleep.com or book a phone call on my facebook page MonkeyRoo Sleep Consulting | Facebook