What to Do When Your Baby Rolls Over and Wakes Up

So, let’s get right to it: Your baby is between 3-7 months old and they have been sleeping great. Then they learned how to roll 😭😭😭

Anytime your baby rolls to their tummy during the night, they may cry and get really loud and upset! (Ahhhh nooo!) It feels like the newborn age again. They’re waking up every few hours throughout the night, all night long. 

Don’t worry! This is way more common than you might think, and I have a few tips to help you both through this learning curve.

FIRST OF ALL…

It’s important to remember that if baby is showing any signs of rolling, you need to get them out of the swaddle right away. You’ll want to transition them to an open arm sleep sack or a transitional sleep sack such as the Zipadee Zip.

(Use code: COZYBABYSLEEP15 for 15% off $20 or more!)

To learn more about what signs to look for and how to make that transition, read this blog post: Swaddle Transition

To put it simply: To get through this, they just need to either learn to roll back by themselves, OR become more comfortable on their tummies. 

Most pediatricians will say that once a baby can roll to their tummy independently, it is okay for them to continue sleeping there. You still want to place them on their backs for sleep, but they are safe to stay on their tummies if they get to that position by themselves!

I promise it should only take 3-7 days to get past this milestone/sleep regression. It just might take some work on both parts!

JUST TRY THESE 2 TIPS:

TIP 1: PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE

During the day, practice rolling from their tummy to their back so they can get better at it. Really ramp up the tummy time! This will not only help them to learn a new skill... but should get them nice and tired out for naps and bedtime too, bonus!

A great way to practice is to place a blanket on the floor, have baby on their tummy, and pull the blanket slightly to encourage rolling over. Once they’re on their backs you can do the same but from back to tummy. As they get better, reduce your assistance!

After their naps or in the morning, practice rolling in their crib and sleep sack. This helps them to learn how to do this in their sleep space as well as during play time!

TIP 2: HELP 'EM OUT

If they’ve rolled to their tummy and they are crying out for you, give them 1-2 minutes to see if they can work it out. If they’re really struggling, go in and flip them over once. If they immediately roll back, don’t flip them over again or this is just going to be something you’re doing ALL NIGHT FLIPPING LONG!

What should I do instead?

You want to help them to be more comfortable on their tummy! Pat their bums, shush, sing etc. This provides them with some extra love and comfort during a hard transition, but also helps them to grow with it rather than it erasing any sleep skills they had learned.

A QUICK RECAP:

1. Once baby is showing ANY signs of rolling, get them out of the swaddle right away, and into an open arms sleep sack or transitional product (such as the Zipadee Zip. (Use code: COZYBABYSLEEP15 for 15% off $20 or more). To learn more, read this blog: Swaddle Transition

2. Make sure to place them on their backs for sleep, this is safest. However, once they can roll to their tummy themselves, they are safe to stay there.

3. Practice practice practice. The faster they learn to roll back over, the faster they’ll get through this regression. So practice LOTS!

4. Hang in there! This transition should only take 3-7 days to get through!! You’ve got this!

BUT MY BABY HAS NEVER SLEPT THROUGH AND IS STILL WAKING THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT.

You’re in luck! I have a FREE course for you: The No More (Extra) Night Wakings Email Course. Click below to get the free course sent straight to your email inbox!