5.5 not rolling

[Anonymous]

FTM. My 5.5 month old is not rolling. When we put him on the mat on his back it’s 50/50 if he actually tries. He does roll onto his side in his crib when he’s sleeping. He gets plenty of yummy time and can lift his hand and push up on elbows, etc. He seems to be on track for all other milestones. We have our 6 month appt in 2 weeks but I’m not sure if I should be concerned yet or not.

[Anonymous]

Not sure if it matters but he’s a big boy - Over 20lbs

[Anonymous]

He may just not want to. My kid figured out how to roll over and spent a whole day doing it, then didn't do it again for a month or two. Talk to your pediatrician but based on your other description I wouldn't be too worried.

[Anonymous]

I have no idea if this is worrisome (I don’t think so?) but I have learned that if I want to ask the Ped about anything I should take videos. It’s hard to communicate clearly in the rush of an office visit and it’s easy to take and edit video on your phone so you can show him trying to roll over.

[Anonymous]

Over 20 lbs at that age is big
Is he also very tall? If he is very chunky, that would explain why he isn't rolling yet, or not trying too often. I wouldn't worry.

[Anonymous]

My nephew had this issue and his parents signed up for an early intervention assessment--it's free and it can take a few weeks to schedule so no harm in doing so. He qualified for PT and got a special inclined pillow so they could help him tuck his arm and learn to roll.

Now he's a little older and working on sitting, crawling, grabbing, and standing. He is on the slower side for some of these (he was born a few weeks early so that's part but not all of it) and still doesn't roll much, but he's making progress. I wouldn't bother worrying--that doesn't help much--but there's no reason not to contact EI and ask your doctor.

[Anonymous]

My DS didn’t roll until very late (I think 10
months?). He does have coordination/motor planning issues we did OT for at around 3, but truly not a big deal. Not all kids can be super coordinated. If you or your DH consider yourself “clumsy” or uncoordinated, baby probably gets it from you! I would just advise extra attention to sports etc.

[Anonymous]

You can do some "coaxing" where you put on back, dangle a toy and when they reach for it slowly move it to the side. Get them to shift their body

[Anonymous]

My first didn’t roll until 7 months and then I think she only ever did it a few times. She just wasn’t interested. The doctor kept an eye on her tone and the doc’s view was that she was strong enough but she just didn’t want to and she wouldn’t worry unless she hadn’t done it by 9 mos. She crawled on the later side too (10.5 mos) but started walking on the earlier side and her gross motor is normal though she probably won’t be an athlete.

[Anonymous]

Being big is not an excuse for not rolling over. By 6 months they should have mastered it. Talk to your doctor about low muscle tone.

[Anonymous]

DD is six months and has done back to tummy a couple times but stopped. IF you put her on her tummy, she’ll immediately roll on her back. She does roll side to side but just doesn’t like being on her tummy.

[Anonymous]

Mine didn’t until 6 months...pediatrician referred him to Strong Start (which you can do yourself), and we had weekly PT until he turned 3 and was no longer eligible. This was pre-COVID but it was a godsend. I was recently in touch with his PT (from like 3 years ago), she says she’s very busy with zoom/Face Time sessions. Since with babies/toddlers, the main thing is teaching a parent to play with them so they’ll build their skills, I can see how that would work.

[Anonymous]

If he can roll onto his side he's rolling.

[Anonymous]

Mine didn’t roll until 6/7 months, then rolled, crawled, and pulled himself up in the span of a couple weeks. He’s fine, I wouldn’t worry too much at 5.5 months. They’re all different.

[Anonymous]

My 9 month old flopped over a few times before 6 months. I mentioned it to the pediatrician at the 6 month appointment and she was not concerned. At 6 months and 3 weeks, he started really rolling and hasn't stopped. 90th+ percentile for head and height.

He also hasn't crawled yet, but is doing the rocking motion and full planks. He just turned 9 months. Bright, alert baby who mixes and matches toys to create new toys. There's a reason an age range is provided.