Tips to Help Your Baby with Rolling Struggles

Learning to roll is a huge milestone for any baby. As a parent, you may be concerned that your baby is having trouble mastering this skill. It's understandable that this could be alarming, however, it’s important to remember that all babies develop at their own pace.

To help support your little one in mastering this skill, I'm sharing three of my top tips to help your baby with rolling struggles, specifically when their arms get stuck.

When Should My Baby Start to Roll?

It can be difficult to determine when your baby will start to roll because every child develops differently. In general, babies typically begin to attempt rolling over between 3 and 6 months old. However, some babies may not have the motor skills necessary to complete a full roll until 7 months old.

Parents can encourage their baby's development by providing tummy time with engaging activities like singing and talking. Keeping toys just out of reach will draw your baby forward and entice them to roll over.

With patience and practice, your baby will soon delight you with a full roll!

Tips to Help Your Baby with Rolling Struggles 

When babies are learning to roll over, there can be a few hiccups as they adjust to the movements required. One of the biggest struggles parents often face is when their baby’s arms get stuck or trapped during a rolling attempt.

This is very common, but can also be extremely frustrating for both the parent and the baby. 

Here are three tips for helping babies get over this obstacle when rolling from their back to their tummy.

Bring Their Booty Back

The first and easiest tip when it comes to helping your baby get their arm free when rolling is to place one or two hands broadly on their booty and gently move them backward. 

This helps to move their weight away from the stuck arm, which will allow them to hopefully bring it around and fix it themselves. 

Rotate Your Baby Away From the Stuck Side

The second tip is very similar to the first. You will start by taking your hands and gently bringing their booty back as explained above. 

From here, if your baby cannot fix their arm automatically on their own, you will then rotate them a tiny bit away from the stuck side. You can do this by gently shifting their weight away from the stuck side. 

Rotating your baby will allow him to bring the stuck arm forward and position himself comfortably on his stomach.  

Move Their Arm for Them

The third and final tip involves you fixing your baby's arms. This should only be done after you have attempted bringing their booty back and shifting their weight away from the stuck side. 

If your baby is still stuck after you have tried tips 1 and 2, gently move their hand forward so they can be positioned well on their tummy for the rest of their play.

By utilizing these three tips to help your baby with rolling struggles, your little one will master this skill in no time. 

For even more information about helping your baby learn important developmental skills, check out my tips and trick for tummy time and learning to walk.