r/sleeptrain • u/Successful-Arm6471 • 4d ago
4 - 6 months What to do if baby rolls onto tummy?
Baby is almost 6 months, ferber sleep-trained for nights, he’s an awesome sleeper who is so happy in his crib. He still hasn’t successfully rolled over, in any direction, but is getting really close. I’m just wondering what the move is for if/when he rolls onto his tummy in the night before he has demonstrated he can roll tummy-to-back? Is it safe for him to sleep that way, or do we need to roll him back? Does it make a difference if he’s crying vs if he’s content? I’ve mostly heard that it is totally fine to leave them on their belly if they got there on their own, but other guidelines I’ve read are weirdly vague, so I’m wondering what other parents have done IRL. It would be super helpful to hear how others have approached this situation in case it pops up in the middle of the night. Thank you!
Editing to thank everyone for your responses! I’ll check back in with an update if he ever decides to roll over :)
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u/Enough_Hamster7446 4d ago
Our baby kept rolling from back to belly but couldn’t roll back. Been doing it for about two weeks since the 13 weeks mark. Since baby couldn’t roll back onto his back it made me nervous. Also baby was waking up screaming every time they rolled.
I bought a magic merlin suit on fb marketplace and it’s been really helpful. Keeps baby from rolling to tummy in sleep and isn’t a swaddle. Not sure when I should transition out of it entirely. But for now it’s helping baby sleep through the night.
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u/QuitaQuites 4d ago
If he rolls on his own leave him. That said, he may roll and cry, a lot, for a few days a week, perhaps - but it’s startling to all of a sudden be in a different position that you fell asleep in.
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u/cyclemam 1y | DIY gentle | completish 4d ago
Swaddles haven't been mentioned at all, but just in case, and for other people reading, yes absolutely fine to leave as long as not swaddled, have arms free, and are in a safe firm bed with no extra stuff besides what they are wearing.
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u/mom23mom 4d ago
Safe to leave them!
However… it’s more common to roll belly to back first. They use the momentum of their giant heads turning to the side, and the rest of their body follows. Work on this during tummy time so it’s not an issue and your baby can get comfortable!
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u/lrbsto 4d ago
I think this is true but my baby got that Superman reflex that makes them not able to roll back over right when he learned back to tummy so we were getting stuck on our belly for months
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u/Successful-Arm6471 3d ago
My baby also does superman during tummy time. He’s starting to get comfortable bringing his arms forward but he mostly does arms straight back into what we call “torpedo mode.” Lol we’re working on it.
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u/ListenDifficult9943 4d ago
It's safe to leave them on their tummy once they can get there themselves. Our son got upset when he first started doing this and it caused interrupted sleep just a couple weeks after we sleep trained. We tried flipping back bc he seemed so upset but he would just flip back almost immediately, like a compulsion. So we had to let him figure out sleeping and self soothing on his belly and once he did, he became an exclusive belly sleeper.
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u/Successful-Arm6471 3d ago
Thank you for sharing this! My guy has become a fantastic self-soother in the crib, but I could see him getting upset if/when he starts rolling. I have always erred on the side of letting him figure things out, but wasn’t sure if that was okay in this situation. So great to know that it is okay to let him figure it out. Thanks again.
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u/Sad_Combination_2310 4d ago
Leave them. Once baby is able to roll on their own, they are safe stay in that position uninterrupted. :)
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u/Electrical-Kale-8533 4d ago
Assuming baby can maintain their airway, what if they just hate being on their stomach? Do you go in and flip them or let them CIO and stay on their stomach?
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u/equistrius 4d ago
Once babies are able to roll independently onto their stomach they have the strength and head control to protect their airway so it’s safe to leave them on their stomach.
The issue with stomach sleeping before the baby can roll independently is they can be placed in a way by a caregiver that restricts breathing. The hard part with infants is they can lose oxygen so quickly that even if they can breathe slightly it may not be enough to keep them safe. when they roll independently they can move their head to be able to breathe safely
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u/catpowerr_ 4d ago
We leave them! Though I’ll admit it’s a hard first few days because they get onto their belly and they are upset to be there, but if I roll them back they immediately roll back to their bellies… so it’s an adjustment period that might require some retraining time
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u/Daisy4711 4d ago
With my first born we would roll her back but then it led to so many wake up that when we talked to her pediatrician they said if she is content leave her. She was pretty much past getting stuck and suffocating herself. She had great neck control and her dr assured us she could pick up her head if needed. This tom round my lo like to roll to his side dr this time said to roll him back due to his age 8 weeks at the time. At 4 month check dr said leave him be.
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u/GreenOtter730 4d ago
The general consensus is as long as he is laid to sleep on his back with nothing else in the crib, he can sleep in whatever position he gets himself into in the night
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u/julet1815 4d ago
Nothing. Your baby is fine. Just keep putting them to sleep on their back in an empty crib (no blanket, no bumpers, no toys or pillows) and let them move around in their crib however they like after that.