Observing the baby's independent movements is exciting. It looks very cute when the child starts to sit on his own and play with his toys without needing any support. Babies begin to sit when they have mastered the art of flipping in both directions and can also hold their head upright. Sitting is an important developmental achievement that gives the child a new perspective on the world and at the same time gives the child a new level of independence. Only after the infant is able to sit can he crawl and finally get to his feet.
How many months does the baby start to sit?
When do children start sitting? Most babies can start sitting when they are 4 to 7 months old. Up to this point, the child has definitely learned to roll over and hold his head. Upon reaching 8 months of age, the baby should sit upright for several minutes without tipping over.
Rolling over, however, is not uncommon, even for those children who have already learned to sit on their own, as they may be tired of sitting for long periods.
Gradually, the muscles of the baby become stronger with each coming month, he will be able to sit without support for a longer time. When the child is eight months old, he tries to sit on his own, leaning on his hands, when he lies on his stomach. During these attempts, the back muscles are strengthened and the balancing ability is improved. However, most babies should be able to sit up on their own by eleven months.
Babies who spend a lot of time in a crib or without much physical activity reach this stage around their ninth month.
How do children learn to sit?
3 - 4 months
At this stage, the baby's neck muscles are strengthened at a rapid rate and have enough strength to allow the baby to raise his head while lying on his stomach. Soon, the baby's shoulder muscles will become strong enough to support the body, and the baby will begin to load them and lift the chest from the support, as if doing a mini push-up.
5 - 6 months
When the baby reaches six months of age, he will be able to sit properly, keeping his head straight. However, the baby will not be able to stay in this position for long and will need support to stay in this position.
At this stage, it is best to surround the baby with pillows so that if the baby topples over, he will not be hurt.
Always keep your baby in sight. Don't use overly plump pillows. This will reduce the risk of suffocation.
When a child reaches six months of age, he will understand how to maintain balance while sitting in an upright position and will begin to use his arms to provide support.
7 - 8 months
At 7 months of age, a baby can sit upright without support, even without relying on her hands to maintain her balance. He will most likely be able to turn around while remaining seated to reach the toy with his hands. Soon, using the hands, the child will confidently sit up from a lying position.
How to teach a child to sit?
At what age a child begins to sit independently depends on the readiness of his muscles to support the body. Therefore, you cannot teach the baby to sit ahead of schedule.
But parents can help the baby to train the muscles so that sitting will be easier for the baby when his body is ready for it.
1. Let the child spend more time lying on his stomach.
The first step to an ideal seated position begins with the ability to hold your head firmly. The best way to achieve this is to strengthen your neck and back muscles while lying on your stomach.
Place the baby face down on his stomach and place his favorite toys in front of him. Encourage your little one to look at these toys with their head slightly raised.
When the baby learns to sit, repeat the exercise. This will help the infant learn to maintain and shift body weight while sitting. Hide the toys and have your child look for them with his eyes while he is on his tummy. This will cause the baby to lift his body.
2. Move the child yourself.
One way to introduce a child to movement is to first show him the movement itself. Place the baby on a soft surface and turn gently. This will help your toddler develop a sense of orientation so that he can move himself.
3. Sitting with support.
As your baby is six months old, you can teach him to sit with support. The best way to do this is to use your body as a backrest for the baby.
Sit on a bed or soft rug and place your child's favorite toys in front of you. Let your baby sit on your lap with your back on your chest and stomach. Let your baby play with her toys.
This will strengthen the back muscles and train the child to feel when sitting.
4. Use the infant's curiosity as a tool.
By the ninth month, the baby will be able to sit up by itself. Now is the time to encourage him to stay in this position as much as possible.
Place objects of interest within his arm so that the toddler can access them while sitting. You can also sit next to your child and play with him.
5. Focus on strengthening your muscles.
Any movement of the body involves the use of muscles. Stronger muscles mean that the child will learn to sit faster. Massage your baby regularly and use active games daily to strengthen the baby's muscle frame. In addition, activities such as crawling, rolling over, and lying on your stomach are natural ways to strengthen your crumb's muscles.
How to teach a child to sit down. Exercises and games to help your child sit up
Here are some simple yet great games and activities you can use to help your child sit up.
Find the rattle
Age to play: four months.
An exercise: Place the baby on the tummy and bring the rattle into the field of view. When the baby begins to turn his head in the direction of the sound, bounce the toy over him so that the baby has the trouble to bend backward to watch the rattle.
Benefits: Work is underway on the muscles of the neck, lower back and on the bone framework. The infant can use their arms to move their torso and also use their shoulder muscles in the process.
Twisting
Age to play: four months (when the baby can hold his head).
An exercise: Place the baby on your feet with the legs facing you. Hold the baby by the arms and gently pull upward in a movement that resembles a swinging abs.
Make sure you move your child smoothly. To add some rhythm to the activity, recite a poem.
Benefits: The exercise will work on the muscles in your lower back and abdominal muscles, which are needed to help you learn to sit.
Rollover
Age to play: 6 months.
An exercise: Lay the baby on her back. Place the toy in front of him and slowly turn the baby on its side so that he does not take his eyes off the toy. By this age, many babies can roll over. Therefore, the child will try to roll over in order to better see the object. When the baby does this, praise him. Repeat this exercise regularly, especially when the infant shows a willingness to play.
Benefits: Strengthens the back and oblique muscles, which help the child to get into a sitting position.
A bike
Age to play: 6 months.
An exercise: Place your baby on a soft surface. Carefully lift the legs up. Slowly make circular movements with your feet, simulating cycling. Add some funny sounds and noises to keep your baby interested. Pause for a few seconds after cycling five times.
Benefits: Strengthens the muscles of the lower back.
Help in getting up
Age: Eight months.
An exercise: Plant the baby. Hold the baby by the arms and gently lift him to a standing position. Repeat this three to four times and then omit. Wait a few seconds before resuming the action.
Benefits: Strengthens the muscles of the back, abdomen and hips. By the age of eight months, babies can sit up on their own and make their first attempts to get up.
Caution: your child's body is delicate. Only do these exercises when you are sure you are not hurting your baby. Do not overdo it. In addition, precautions must be taken to ensure the safety of the child.
Precautionary measures
Respect the natural development of your child.
You will never give solid food to a child until a certain age. Likewise, you should never force your toddler to sit before he reaches the appropriate milestone in his life.
Children learn to roll over at the age of four months, and any chance of sitting will only arise after that moment in his life. Moreover, the baby's body is best ready for sitting only six months after birth. Therefore, encouraging the infant to sit before this age will result in unsatisfactory results. In addition, it will damage the development of the child.
- stay close to your child when he is learning to sit to avoid any danger;
- Place pillows around your child for support so that they do not fall and hit a hard surface.
Let the baby practice the ability to sit, preferably on the floor, using a play mat, and not a high surface or the edge of the bed.
What if the child is not sitting?
Some babies may slow down in their development, but what if your baby shows zero ability to sit even after nine months?
What to look for?
- If the baby is born prematurely, then it may gradually slow down in its growth and development. It is quite possible that the baby will miss the mark at the stages of development and reach them later in comparison with children born on time.
- Babies who have had a serious infection or a complex illness at an early age inevitably develop more slowly. The illness can delay their ability to exercise physical skills such as rolling over, crawling, and sitting. When the child is fully recovered, he will continue his course of development, albeit slowly.
If the baby is not premature, does not suffer from the consequences of a previous illness, but still cannot sit, you should first look for other disabilities in physical development:
- the child is unable to raise his head when lying on his stomach after reaching the age of five months. His face just falls, and the baby does not lift him up;
- the baby cannot roll over even after six months. Needs support even for basic movements;
- does not crawl after nine months;
- unable to crawl and stand up with support at 1 year;
- does not walk or run after 18 months.
If your child shows the above symptoms, consult your pediatrician. Usually, the inability to sit is accompanied by other developmental problems that the doctor must interpret.
It is always a good idea to keep a diary of your child's developmental milestones and discuss it periodically with your pediatrician.
Remember that not being able to sit should not cause panic or anxiety while your child learns other skills his age. Take your time, do not force the baby to sit. If this does not happen this month, it will happen a little later. The child sits down when completely ready.
