Baby Rolling on Stomach at Night

My daughter started sleeping on her stomach around 3 months - we always put her on her back but she could roll both ways by 3 months so her pedi said it wasn't an issue. Just continue to put her on her back but so long as she can roll herself there's really not much else to do.

Have you tried a sleep positioner?

This is normal. It is developmental based... thus, you can't "make" the baby stay on their back or in the same position.

At a certain age(s)... a baby naturally will begin to have new "skills" and motor skills... ie: rolling over, sitting-up, pulling up and standing etc.
A baby will do this even when supposed to be sleeping... it is instinctual. This is how they "practice" their new skills.

At each age-juncture and whenever their new motor-skills emerge... it WILL tweak their sleep.

It is "good" that your baby is now rolling over.... she is developing normally. But yes, it will wake them, because at this stage and age, they do NOT "know how" to make themselves go back into a proper sleep position by themselves nor to adjust themselves at-will... yet. So yes, you will need to help her... or, you let her just be on her stomach. And yes, it can be repetitious and wake them.

But, I would not yet, put a blanket in the crib with her... she can get tangled in it etc. Not safe. A baby this age does NOT have the skills nor ability to at-will pull the blanket off, IF it should get across her face or tangled up in it.

This is all part of growing-pains, for the parent. As the baby is changing developmentally... and their coordination and motor-skills too.
This will also probably happen once she starts to sit-up, pull-up and start to stand. They will do this in the crib too. All normal.
It will also happen whenever the baby/child is hitting new Milestones, too.
Both my kids did that too. All normal.

All the best,
Susan

They have pillow things made for this... not sure what they are called though. My kids always sleep on their tummy - I know they aren't suppose to, but it's the only way they liked sleeping. Even now at 2, 4 & 5 - they still sleep on their tummy & actually most of the time in the little ball like they did as babies.

Hi M. - sorry but there's no quick answer here except to teach her how to roll over again onto her back. Your daughter is way too old for a sleep positioner and her movements in bed, including rolling over, are what help to improve her core strength. Give her lots and lots and lots of tummy time during the day so that she feels relaxed on her tummy and feels comfortable laying her head down while on her tummy. My guess is that it wont be more than a week or two until she gets the hang of rolling back onto her back to go to sleep. Also, when she wakes up crying, dont pick her up and then lay her down again. Instead, gently tell her to roll over again and then help her roll over onto her back. This models the behavior you want to teach her and helps her learn how it feels to roll over again.

My kids also liked the feel of either flannel or fleece crib sheets rather than regular cotton/poly because they were soft and didnt feel cold.

My daughter who is barely gunna turn 3 months next week has been sleeping on her stomach since week one. i would sleep her on her back but she would wake up ever 30 mins. so i found that she sleeps through the night on her stomach with no problem. she has control of her head so she wont sufforcate. try putting her to sleep on her stomach to begin with and see if she gets used to it.

Let her figure out how to roll herself back over, since you say she's been rolling all over I assume she can roll both ways. It'll only take a night or two, but you can't always 'rescue' her. My son used to wake up standing in his crib and would cry because he didn't know how to sit down. I decided to let him figure it out and two nights later he was fine. Babies practice things in their sleep and it can startle them, but if you let them figure it out, then they do much better.

What??? Your husband actually thought to do that?? What your baby is doing is hitting developmental milestones...like rolling over. The next step for her to learn is toroll back. a completely different set of skills. The same thing will happen when she leans to stand but does not know yet how to sit back down...be patient and nurturing.

Hi M., this is totally normal. She's growing up and has a new skill. The crying at night is just because she is not used to it yet. Once she is able to roll completely over (which will be soon) she will have more control and won't cry for your help at night. However, then she will be teething. :)

The more you practice during the day the more she will understand. At night, I agree with Colleen just speak softly to her as you are rolling her on her back. No lights, don't pick up, just a little nudge and back to sleep.

Good luck

Hello - just got through this myself! My little guy (5.5 mos) can't roll over all the way but has mastered rolling onto his stomach. For about a week or two, there are some night wakings (or running into to move him to his back and replace his binky in the nick of time to get him to stay asleep), etc...BUT, after this experimental time, he got used to it and is now sleeping better than ever (sleeping on his back led to his moro reflex/flailing around that would wake him up 1 -2 xs a night).

Comfort/replace her when necessary, but I agree with the other commenters, preventing her from trying will extend the 'pain' of adjustment to this new skill. She should get used to it and soon be happy to sleep on her tummy. Before long, you may find she resists moving to her back when you try to move her and is just cranky from the new feeling of the skill she has mastered.

Even now, sleeping through the night, my boy does have a hard time settling down for the evening. It's like he's saying, "I love being on my tummy but this new skill feels weird to me!" So, going to sleep now takes about 30 min to one hour of fussing and reassuring, but it's getting better with each night...and then he sleeps great throughout the night.

As you no doubt have found, with each of these milestones it's a few nights of adjustment and then a period of quiet as your little girl becomes used to her new talents. At least you've had a few months of restful nights - your daughter sounds like a champion sleeper. Good luck!

Time to train to belly sleep...it only takes a few days and then she'll probably be sleeping better on her tummy than she was on her back! Do lots of tummy time and before you know it, she'll be rolling both ways. :) I would NOT put blankets or other things to prevent this.......she could get stuck and blankets always make me nervous in a crib with babies. This is a milestone and natural progression so don't try and stop it with blankets, etc...
Good luck! :)