International Board of Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) Practice Exam

At what age can a baby typically start to roll over in both directions?

1. 4 months

2. 6 months

3. 9 months

4. 12 months

The correct answer is: 6 months

A baby typically begins to roll over in both directions around 6 months of age as part of their gross motor development. This milestone is an important indicator of a baby’s increasing strength and coordination. By this age, most infants have developed sufficient muscle control and balance to pivot and rotate their bodies, allowing them to roll from their front to back and vice versa. At around 4 months, while some babies may begin to show the beginnings of rolling, they often do this only from tummy to back and typically lack the muscle strength and coordination to roll over in both directions reliably. By 9 months, most babies have mastered rolling and are also starting to transition to sitting and crawling, but rolling over in both directions has generally been established earlier. By the age of 12 months, rolling over is a skill that is usually well-integrated into their repertoire of movements, with many babies developing more complex locomotion skills, such as crawling and walking.