My 7mth old keeps rolling over in her sleep

by An.

Question: My 7 month old baby has been rolling over in her sleep for some time now, and its seems to be disrupting not only her sleep but ours as well. She has been sleeping through the night since 10 weeks and shortly after learning to roll at 3 months she started to roll onto her tummy while sleeping, at first we would just flip her back onto her back and wouldn't hear from her again but now its up to almost 3-4 times a night.

One suggestion that we have had is to put her to sleep on her tummy but she just starts crying straight away. Any advice would be helpful.

Heidi's Answer: Hi,

Indeed it is often advised that, once a baby is able to roll over (and back) all by herself, it is OK for her to sleep on her tummy. Even if the recommended safe baby sleeping position is on the back, once baby can and will swiftly roll over there is little you can do to prevent her from sleeping like that.

If the rolling on her tummy wakes her up though you can try these tricks to keep her on her back by making it harder to roll over:

- Have her sleep in a well-fitting, correct-size baby sleeping bag or wearable blanket. Tucking in tightly can help too but is less efficient.

- Place or tilt her cot so that her head is higher than her feet. This position also makes it a bit trickier for her to roll over.

If she still rolls over and wakes up because of that, do give her several minutes before going to her. She may fuss a bit but only until she finds a comfortable position again.

Her waking up may also be a coincidence; check to see if she's not teething or has any other typical sleeping disturbance.

All the best,
Heidi