# Baby who rolls over back to front & lies face down moaning because she can't go back the other way? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 16, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-who-rolls-over-back-to-front-lies-face-down-moaning-because-she-cant-go-back-the-other-way/589283 "2011-07-16T20:52:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-who-rolls-over-back-to-front-lies-face-down-moaning-because-she-cant-go-back-the-other-way/589283/1 "2011-07-16T20:52:59Z")
What do you do with a baby who rolls over back to front and just lies face down moaning cause she can’t go back the other way? Posting this for new parent friends of mine with a darling, perfectly normal little girl. Mom is concerned about baby because she can’t roll over all the way yet, and gets stuck in the face down position. Anything to be concerned about? ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-who-rolls-over-back-to-front-lies-face-down-moaning-because-she-cant-go-back-the-other-way/589283/2 "2011-07-16T20:57:44Z")
I don’t know if it’s something to be concerned about, but it is unusual. Being able to roll from front to back but not vice versa is much more common in my experience. It’s much easier for babies to use their arms to push with when on their tummies. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-who-rolls-over-back-to-front-lies-face-down-moaning-because-she-cant-go-back-the-other-way/589283/3 "2011-07-16T21:05:45Z")
Babies always learn to go one way before they can go the other way, so that’s normal. Bonus tummy time! ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-who-rolls-over-back-to-front-lies-face-down-moaning-because-she-cant-go-back-the-other-way/589283/4 "2011-07-16T21:27:47Z")
My niece used to get really frustrated (when she was less than a year old) when she would do this-she’d have this puzzled look on her face and couldn’t figure out how to get her stupid baby body to flip back over. ---
**Author:** ![FeAudrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7feea3/32.png) [@FeAudrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FeAudrey)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-who-rolls-over-back-to-front-lies-face-down-moaning-because-she-cant-go-back-the-other-way/589283/5 "2011-07-16T22:35:40Z")
We’ve all had the experience of not being able to figure out something that’s really simple once you know the trick. If I were mom, I’d get down on the floor and demonstrate the front-to-back rollover technique to baby. Then mom can start worrying about whether baby can hurt herself going :smack: . ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-who-rolls-over-back-to-front-lies-face-down-moaning-because-she-cant-go-back-the-other-way/589283/6 "2011-07-16T23:07:14Z")
The only thing I’d worry about is her flipping onto her tummy in her sleep and not being able to get back onto her back. Small babies aren’t supposed to sleep on their fronts - it increases the risk of SIDS. Me, I’d be putting rolled-up towels on either side of her when she’s sleeping, so she can’t flip. Apart from that, no, I wouldn’t worry at all. (Unless the baby is like six or seven months old.) Kids learn stuff in their own order. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-who-rolls-over-back-to-front-lies-face-down-moaning-because-she-cant-go-back-the-other-way/589283/7 "2011-07-16T23:49:56Z")
> [@eclectic\_wench](#): > > The only thing I’d worry about is her flipping onto her tummy in her sleep and not being able to get back onto her back. Small babies aren’t supposed to sleep on their fronts - it increases the risk of SIDS. Me, I’d be putting rolled-up towels on either side of her when she’s sleeping, so she can’t flip. > > Apart from that, no, I wouldn’t worry at all. (Unless the baby is like six or seven months old.) Kids learn stuff in their own order. My baby daughter used to do that, but the doc said that if she could get that way on her own, it was nothing to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2011, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-who-rolls-over-back-to-front-lies-face-down-moaning-because-she-cant-go-back-the-other-way/589283/8 "2011-07-17T09:03:08Z")
How old is the baby? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-who-rolls-over-back-to-front-lies-face-down-moaning-because-she-cant-go-back-the-other-way/589283/9 "2011-07-18T19:18:40Z")
> [@chorpler](#): > > How old is the baby? 4 months old today. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-who-rolls-over-back-to-front-lies-face-down-moaning-because-she-cant-go-back-the-other-way/589283/10 "2011-07-18T19:21:16Z")
> [@astro](#): > > 4 months old today. Completely normal. She’ll figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baby-who-rolls-over-back-to-front-lies-face-down-moaning-because-she-cant-go-back-the-other-way/589283/11 "2011-07-18T19:22:32Z")
Yep, just give her a little time. Her mom will soon be longing for the days when she couldn’t roll off the bed or crawl around on her own. 🙂