How To Stop Baby From Rolling Around In A Cot?
Rolling is an exciting gross-motor milestone. It is actually the first skill that a baby learns that involves changing position and moving independently from one place to the other.
No wonder the little munchkin has an urge to keep practising it tirelessly, day and night!
But, what to do when she keeps rolling in her bed instead of napping or sleeping?
Should I stop my baby from rolling around in the cot?
Allow me to answer this burning question for you.
How To Stop Baby From Rolling Around In A Cot
You can’t really prevent your baby from rolling around while sleeping in a cot. As frightening as it may seem to a parent, it isn’t dangerous for your baby. However, you should make their sleep environment safe for rolling with a few tweaks and adjustments. So, you should stop swaddling but use a sleeping bag instead and move your baby to a cot bed if she is still in the crib. You should allow your baby to move freely and let her practice rolling during playtime. Also, a consistent bedtime routine can help transition your baby to sleep.
1. Development stage
First, you should accept that rolling over is just one of many development stages your baby will go through in her early days.
Like every development leap – it will temporarily alter your baby’s sleeping habits. Perhaps even cause sleep regression.
But it won’t last long.
And there is no way around it.
You just need to go with it patiently and let nature do its thing.
So, let your baby roll as much as she needs. Once she is done and tired, she will go sleep eventually.
2. Ensure the safe sleeping environment
Whilst rolling in itself isn’t dangerous to your baby during the daytime, it may pose some risk in their sleeping space.
Since you can’t stop your baby from moving around the cot, you should ensure it is a safe place to keep rolling.
- First, if you haven’t done it already – lose the swaddle. During rolling, your baby will need her arms free for unrestricted breathing. Moreover, don’t be tempted to swaddle your tot tighter to prevent rolling. This practice is indeed more dangerous than allowing your baby to move freely!
- If your baby uses a Moses basket or a small crib – now is time to transition them to a larger cot bed to give them more space.
- If you use a loose blanket, you should always tuck it under the mattress tight. This will prevent your baby from getting tangled in it. Or you could replace the blanket with a less fiddly sleeping bag.
- Remove any loose objects, bumpers, toys, or decorations from your baby’s crib. And always put your baby to sleep on her back. Even if she flips herself over to her tummy a moment later. In such cases, you can let her sleep in this position, as she obviously finds it more comfortable.
- You shouldn’t use any equipment designed to keep the baby in a specific sleeping position. It won’t stop your baby from moving, but it will create a suffocation hazard!
Safe Sleep Guidelines for Babies
3. Practice Rolling During Playtime
You will probably find that if your child has just started rolling, she will not be able to sleep because she will be practising the newly acquired skill instead.
Rolling is an exciting new skill, so they naturally want to practice it. Plus, as they grow, they want to move and be active more and more!
So, the solution is to let your baby practise and practice during supervised playtime.
This will tire your baby out (so she will actually want to rest during a nap). And it will also promote the healthy development of core muscles that she needs for more advanced motor skills.
Related Post ===> How To Help My Baby to Roll?
4. Consistent Bedtime routine
Sleeping challenges due to mastering rolling over is a common occurrence in babies.
When your little one gains more confidence in rolling over, the novelty will quickly wear off.
But until this happens, it’s worth sticking to a consistent bedtime routine to help your baby get into sleeping mode. If you haven’t started the bedtime routine, now is a great time to do so.
I talked about introducing the bedtime routine in my post:
How To Help My Baby Sleep Better?
What can also help is to keep the baby’s room pitch black for napping and sleep.
This will prevent stimulation and distraction in their sleep environment and give your baby a clue that sleeping time has come.
5. Final Few Lines
Indeed, rolling can wreak havoc on your baby’s peaceful sleeping routine.
The same goes for the upcoming milestones such as cruising, crawling, standing, and walking!
So instead of fretting about it – make peace with it.
Because this train isn’t stopping.
So, allow your baby to roll freely in her cot, but make sure her sleep environment is hazard-free.
Also, allow plenty of tummy time to practice rolling during the day. Hopefully, this will enable her to master the skill faster and minimize sleep disruption.
And finally, implement a consistent bedtime routine, so your baby can wind down and mentally transition to sleep.
