Rolling Over Baby Uno: Safety Measures

Some babies begin to roll over as early as two months of age, about 75% of infants are rolling over by nineteen weeks.

And about 90% are rolling over by the time they are five and a half months old.

That makes it very important to work to avoid falls and getting things childproofed around your home. Now that your baby is rolling over, you can't simply childproof her immediate surroundings and still be safe. She may roll over and find something to choke on, fall off the couch, or get into other things that you didn't expect she could reach.

To keep your baby safe as she is rolling over, you should:

* be sure that you don't leave your baby for even a second when she is somewhere that she can fall, such as a changing table, bed, couch, etc. If you have to leave for whatever reason, even for a few seconds, pick up your baby and take her with you.
* keep one hand on your baby at all times whenever she is up high on a changing table or a place that she can fall
* check the floor regularly for small items and toys that your baby could choke on. This includes marbles, balls, uninflated or broken balloons, small magnets, small Lego pieces and other toys with small pieces.
* teach older children to keep their toys away from the baby and to put them away when they are done playing with them. You might even set up a toy-free zone around the baby, just to be safe that siblings don't leave small toy pieces around her.
* make sure you have gotten your home well childproofed. Don't wait until she is crawling or walking. If she is mobile, it is time (if you haven't already) for childproofing everything so that one of her "first steps" doesn't end up in your first visit to the emergency room.

Rolling over

Once your baby has head control, and about the same time that he learns to sit on his own, he'll learn to roll over. He'll eventually learn to flip over from his back to his tummy and vice versa, and he'll use his newfound skill to get around a bit. The incentive for those early rolls is often an elusive toy — or you.
When it develops

Your baby may be able to kick himself over, from his tummy to his back, as early as age 2 to 3 months. It may take him until he's about 5 or 6 months to flip from back to front, though, because he needs stronger neck and arm muscles for that maneuver.
How it develops

At about 3 months, when placed on his stomach, your baby will lift his head and shoulders high, using his arms for support. This mini-pushup helps him strengthen the muscles he'll use to roll over. He'll amaze you (and himself!) the first time he flips over. (While babies often flip from front to back first, doing it the other way is perfectly normal, too.)

At 5 months your baby will probably be able to lift his head, push up on his arms, and arch his back to lift his chest off the ground. He may even rock on his stomach, kick his legs, and swim with his arms. All these exercises help him develop the muscles he needs to roll over in both directions — likely by the time he's about 6 months old.

While some babies adopt rolling as their primary mode of ground transportation for a while, others skip it altogether and move on to sitting, lunging, and crawling. As long as your child continues to gain new skills and shows interest in getting around and exploring his environment, don't worry.