Can I stop my 8 month old rolling in their sleep?

Lately I’ve been waking up to find that my 8mo has rolled over in her sleep and is face down in her cot, I flip her back over on her back but as soon as I do she wakes up, I was wondering if there was anything I can do to stop this from happening?

Disclaimer: All information provided should be used in conjunction with safety guidelines such as those from SIDS and Kidsafe. The hints and tips listed are from website users not that of the website owner and a doctor should be consulted before relying on the information found here. Go to Sids and Kids for more information on safe sleeping. Refer to Kidsafe for information on household safety and on car restraints. Take this information into consideration in conjunction with the following practical advice from parents.)

• Leave her if she is old enough to roll and lift her head she is fine Nikki

• My LO does the same. She won’t sleep on her back at all. I bought an Angelcare movement/breathing sensor for peace of mind, plus I check her Emma

• Leave her she will be fine. Tracey

• Leave her, so long as she can lift her head she is fine Sarah

• a safe T sleep will stop this from happening Charlotte

• I would just leave her. At that age its fine because they can lift themselves up and move if they need to. My son started doing this around the 8/9 month mark too and it freaked me out so I would move him and he would wake up. Eventually I gave up and now at 17 months he still sleeps on his tummy. Jessie

• My lg has been a tummy sleeper from 5 months after i stopped wrapping her.. She would alway roll straight back to her tummy if i flipped her.. Jannell

• At 8 months just leave her. She is a tummy sleeper by the sounds of it. Rosalie

• I’d leave her, if she likes sleeping that way then let her. Joeanne

• I used a thing called a Safety Sleep – i think thats what it was called. It is a fabric band with velcro that you lay baby on and wrap around their waist and one bit comes up between the legs. Its secured to the bed by a large fabric band that wraps around the mattress. A bit hard to explain but it stopped my second boy throwing himself around in bed at night and waking himself up. Jenna

• I was concerned when my first dd started doing this. Spoke to my CHN and she said leave her. If she wants to sleep that way, no matter how often I turn her over she will roll back. Some people are tummy sleepers and if she is comfy, sleeping well and can lift her head she will be fine. My youngest dd is 9 1/2months and is a tummy sleeper too Stacey

• it’s more dangerous to use something to prevent them from rolling than it is to let her roll. She can lift, support and turn her head I presume. Soon she’ll be crawling in her sleep! Brooke

• Once they can flip themselves it’s perfectly fine to leave them Leeann

• Just Let her be, once she can roll she knows how to move her face sideways if she can’t breathe. At 8 month they are old enough already.my son roll at 4 months and already a tummy sleeper, still is now at 10 months old. Wendy

• Chill. As long as her arms are free so she can roll back over and there’s nothing up by her head she could push her face into she’ll be fine. Kara

• leave her, if she can roll there, i am sure she can roll back, my dd was a tummy sleeper from 5 months and at 3 us still a tummy sleeper. Renee

• A safety sleep wrap. But 8m is fine to be sleeping on their tummy especially if it’s more comfortable Adej

• At 8 months your baby can roll back over if they need to so don’t worry. My baby much preferred to roll over to his stomach as soon as he was able to, from around 5 months. Laura

• Once they can roll the risk of SIDS reduces significantly! My daughter started rolling at 10 weeks and we left her to sleep on her belly Ashlee

• If she can move her head around she will be fine. If she is face into mattress just turn her head Jenna

• My 9 month old has always preferred her side or tummy to sleep. If they are peaceful leave them. 8 months is old enough to roll herself, turn head etc anyway Rebecca

• I would just leave her be she must be comfy like that my daughter was sleeping like that a the same age and still does it, if I’m worried I usually just sneak in to check she’s still breathing, but there’s not much you can really do Ellen

• My baby’s slept on her tummy from about 6mths… and I freaked out at first! I stopped wrapping her at this stage so she could lift head with arms if she needed to. Do you have a video monitor? That put me at ease Michelle

• It’s ok for an 8 month old to sleep on his tummy as long as he is capable of turning and lifting his head. Mine has been a tummy sleeper since 6 months old. The sleep school I attended when she was 4. 5 months said it’s safe by that age. Prue

• Stop flipping her back Marissa

• following. My dd hasn’t rolled yet but half doing n is 8 months n still sleeping in love to dream swaddle me up. Hands not free Kareen

• My son naturally wants to sleep on his stomach. It started about 6months of age. He is now 2 and a bit. I spoke to a tresillian nurse and she told me it was fine. I do have a sensor on his bed which puts my mind at ease! Emily

• My little girl loves sleeping on her tummy she started rolling at 3m and has done this since then. She just puts her head to the side. We’ve never had any blankets in her cot she’s in a love to dream sleep suit. I have a baby monitor that I can see her on also which is absolutely amazing wish I had had this with my 1st child. Laura

• My daughter is a tummy sleeper. She started at 5 months. As soon as she started rolling over I stopped wrapping her. Now even if she’s put in her cot asleep she stirs a bit and rolls over straight away. My husband and I are both tummy sleepers, so I can see where she gets it from! Carly

• I would say just let her sleep that way but if it’s keeping you awake with worry then you could try the safe t sleep sleep wrap which keeps baby from rolling, however no guarantee baby will sleep with it on if they are used to rolling they may not like it. Crystal
• My son was the same. Good luck Danielle

• We always had a tummy sleeper. We were very particular that there was nothing she could bury her face into. (Toys, blankets etc, as we’d dress her warm enough), and had the oricom monitor for peace of mind. Helen

• i agree with others. just leave her. She is at the age where she is able to roll over and lift her head. she will adjust herself in her sleep if she covers her nose or mouth. The main danger is for little babies who are not yet capable of adjusting their position in their sleep. Having said that, I freaked out when my daughter started doing that too… Justine

• She’s obviously comfy. Leave her, she can get her self into her belly, she can move her head when she needs to. Emma

• Mine is doing the same thing, after a few nights of flipping her over I’ve just let her sleep like that it’s her favourite position, she’s now worked out to put her hands under her face so she’s more comfy. Vee

• this happened with a baby that was in a MBU I took my 12 week old too… And one nurse spend 3 days putting her on her back & everytime she would flip back over….. On the last night a senior midwife on said of she can flip onto her belly she will be fine at 8 months they can move their heads… As long as bubs is in a sleeping bag & there is nothing they can get tangled in leave them be… Let them sleep how they feel comfortable… At 8 months it’s less of an issue then if a new born where they have no head control Sherree

• Let her. My baby has slept on his belly since he was 4 months old. As long as bub isn’t wrapped or swaddled she will be fin. She will be able to lift her head up or roll around. Lizzie

• Google Safe T sleep Olivia

• By 8 months she would have perfect head control and wouldn’t be swaddled so there’s no issue with her rolling over. My bub started doing that at 4 months or so and the nurse said not to worry at all and not to flip her over. Joanne

• Safe t sleep Amie

• My son started sleeping on his belly as soon as he could roll over(3/4 months)- I just left him- still do ( he’s 9 months) Toni

• My daughter was doing that I asked my GP and he told me if she is able to roll onto her stomach in her sleep then she is fine she will role back over if she needs Christie

• As long as she is not swaddled and can lift her head at will, I wouldn’t worry. My 8 1/2 mo does this often with no problem. Roselea

• Doctors say it normal, but you can try a wedge thingy. But she is strong enough so its okay. Sanjuana

• As long as she can hold her head up she will be fine on tummy. just turn her head. Sarah

• My now 3yo use to do the same thing – slept face down…I tried for ages to flip her etc but she kept rolling back & was happy that way…I eventually gave up. She was fine. A wedge worked for a little while. Lisa

• I still put my almost 9 month old in those wedge things so he cant roll Zoe

• Make sure she is warm enough. Maybe put an extra layer of pjs on her or an extra blanket on her before you go to bed, as they often roll onto their tummies for warmth. But she may just be a tummy sleeper (my almost 2 year old still is!), so just make sure there are no toys or pillows etc in the cot, it doesn’t have cot bumpers or unsafe blankets. Kylie

• My ds started doing this at about 6 months. I didn’t matter how many times I turned him over he always turned back to his belly. He is now 13 months and sleeping on his belly still. Brooke

• Yep definitely Safe T Sleep, I had one for my son, they are excellent Sandra

• There is nothing you can do about the rolling. Just make sure everything else is SIDS ready. Nothing in the cot, less layers, don’t overheat the room. Feet the bottom. Fiona

• My 8mth old is doing the same thing ATM!!!! Only was waking up troubles by it and needing me to roll her back! I ended up using positioning wedges and tucking her in tight and so far it’s been working! Taneeka

• Are you maybe able to turn her head so shes facing out rather than flipping her over? I know its not recommended but my bubs have all slept on their tummies and I just make sure they are able to breathe. Carolin

• You can try one of the wedges to stop them rolling but I wouldn’t worry, as long as she can roll on her own she should be fine Bronwyn
• Maybe turn your baby’s head on their side so they can lay on their stomache and still breath properly. Amy

• some people are just tummy sleepers, as long as she can roll over from tummy to back, just turn her head to the side so she isn’t covering her mouth and leave her be Zarna

• My DS has been tummy sleeping since 7 months he’s now 1, and still sleeps most nights on his tummy. I always put him to bed on his back but he rolls straight away. As long as your bubs can lift her head up well and is rolling their herself I think anyone would tell you it’s fine. But that’s my opinion Natasha

• Once they have figured out to roll over, sleeping on their backs becomes a thing of the past. Always put to sleep on their back but once they roll just ensure she is able to move head from side to side. Jillian

• There isn’t a lot you can do it’s all part of development. As long as her face is to the side and can breathe it’s ok. SIDS guidelines say placing on their back to sleep but nothing you can do once she rolls. Nic

• she will move if she can’t breathe, don’t stop her from being comfortable Kellie

• Trying to stop her posses more of a risk than letting her do it. I’d remove any blankets and just stick to warm onsies and sleeping bags. Pru

Share your tips below

(Disclaimer: All information provided should be used in conjunction with safety guidelines such as those from SIDS and Kidsafe.  The hints and tips listed are from website users, not that of the website owner, and a doctor should be consulted before relying on the information found here. Please refer to Sids and Kids for more information on safe sleeping. Take this information into consideration in conjunction with the following practical advice from parents.)