Twin Babies Not Rolling Yet?

I recently received a question from a parent of twins:

What should I do if my 6 month old twins aren't rolling yet?

I have 6 month old twins (5 months adjusted age). One twin is still not rolling, the other just started but only front to back towards the left.

Compare Baby Milestones to Adjusted Age for Preemies

If any comparison to a development norm is to be made here, it should be made to 5 month olds due to these babies being born a month before their due date.

Remember Developmental Milestones Happen Within AGE RANGES

5 months is within the expected age RANGE for babies learning to roll. Nothing this parent describes is a sign of delayed development. One twin is showing progress toward rolling - going in one direction. The other will likely show signs of rolling soon.

What Should A Parent Do To Help Their 5 Month Old Baby Learn To Roll Over?

Development happens. Most babies don’t need any help to learn to roll over - they figure it out on their own if given adequate practice opportunities.

A small percentage of babies need more time to reach this milestone. A smaller percent also need intervention / therapy to reach this milestone. And an even smaller percent don’t reach this milestone.

Since nothing this parent describes indicates that development is off-track at this time, there is no indication that this parent should be doing anything to help other than providing daily practice opportunities through active awake time on the floor in a variety of body positions.

While there is nothing this parent SHOULD be doing or NEEDS to do, often while anxiously waiting for a milestone that feels like it's taking "too long," it feels better to know that you're doing something to help. So what can this parent do to support their babies rolling in all directions?

increase floor time play, decrease time spent contained in baby gear (car seat carrier outside of the car, baby swing, infant seat, etc.)
encourage head turning and reaching in Tummy Time by offering toys just above and in front of baby's shoulder; repeat both sides
encourage lots of rotation during play - looking and reaching to the sides of the body in all body positions
encourage foot play - use foot rattles or silly socks and kicking play
offer plenty of sidelying play - even if baby mainly rolls out of it
roll baby into and out of Tummy Time slowly, waiting for them to help

What Do Mini-Milestones Tell You About How Close Baby Is To Rolling Over?

How does each baby look in Tummy Time? If a baby is close to rolling I would anticipate them holding their heads fully lifted and able to turn to scan the room. If baby is still low in Tummy Time, swimming their arms to the sides or just not pressing down through them to lift the upper chest, not using the hands for play in TT and/or not able to fully and freely turn the head to look around the room, they are less likely on the verge of rolling. When you roll them into and out of Tummy Time, compare how much help they need now compared to a month ago (*NOT compared to each other)?

*Need Tummy Time help? I’m here for you.

What does each baby look like on the back for play? I would look for a baby on the cusp of rolling to be active on the floor - reaching for and playing with their feet and looking fully to each side - cheek almost to floor - reaching for toys beside and around them.

What is baby doing in sidelying? Is baby turning face to floor - this is often a signal that baby is trying to roll to belly. Another good sign of progress toward rolling is intentional rolling side to belly and side to back.

The Real Question

If we look deeper at the question as asked, the "still not rolling" language hints that this parent may have been on the lookout for the milestone of rolling for days or weeks now. I can relate - can you?

That milestone eagerness can come from a place of excitement and joy or from a place of anxiety. For some parents, especially those who experienced the added stress of complications during pregnancy, birth or immediately following birth, each milestone offers reassurance that their baby is okay - healthy, thriving, not harmed by the complications. But that reassurance quickly fades as the next milestone looms.

Because the parent asking had multiples a month early - their milestone anxiety might be high.