Children begin to sit when they are good at turning over in both directions, they keep their heads well in an upright position and when they are ready for this themselves! According to the existing medical standards by which pediatricians assess the development of children, most babies begin to sit at 6-8 months. All children are different, all develop according to their own individual scheme and each has its own developmental standards.
Approaching the age of five months, the baby becomes very active and inquisitive. The child gazes around, turning his head in different directions, confidently grabs and holds toys, easily turns over on his tummy. Some kids even try to sit down, which for parents becomes a reason for pride and admiration, because every mommy is looking forward to that happy time when their child begins to sit on their own ass.
The timing of the child's readiness to sit in the opinion of Russian pediatricians
According to pediatricians, a child should sit down approximately according to the following indicators:
- at 6 months - sits with support;
- at 7 months - sits without support;
- at 7.5 - 8 months - easily sits down on its own.
Union of Pediatricians of Russia: The transition of a child from a supine position to a sitting position
It happens that active and physically strong children sit down a month and a half earlier. In other babies, this happens a little later. According to doctors, such indicators are also considered normal.
If an experienced doctor is asked the question at how many months children usually begin to sit, he will answer that each child has its own term and development time. Each baby is individual and unique.
Is it possible to seat the child on purpose
The opinion of pediatricians and orthopedists on a popular question from young parents: "Is it possible to help and sit down the child" unequivocally: the vertical position of the spine is unnatural for a child under six months of age. Artificially seating the baby would-be parents can harm the health of the child. Already at school age, this can backfire with serious problems with the spine. If the back muscles are not sufficiently strengthened, then the crumb itself will not sit down, because not yet ready for such a serious load.
It is another matter if the child sat down on his own earlier than he was six months old. But even in this situation, the baby should not be in the "sitting" position for more than 1 hour a day.
Important to remember: all of the above are average indicators, each child is individual. You shouldn't rush things and worry.
Signs by which you can understand that the child wants to sit down
There are signs that indicate your baby is trying to sit up:
- Lying on his tummy, the child all the time tries to rest his arms on the floor and raise his chest;
- Resting his hands on the floor, the baby tries to raise his body;
- If a child lying on the back is taken by the arms, he will firmly grasp his fingers and try to rise;
- Knows how to roll over in both directions
These signs indicate that the muscles of the neck and chest are strong enough and the child is ready to sit down.
Attention!If the child begins to sit down on his own, then his skeletal and muscular system is ready. It is very harmful to sit the baby in bed, throwing pillows on all sides so that he does not fall on his side. If the child cannot hold the torso on his own, this means that his back muscles are still weak and cannot cope with the task at hand. The ability to sit on your own, with a fairly straight back, without leaning on pillows, depends on the strength of the muscles. And it comes only with age - at 6-8 months.
Correct sitting child posture
- Neck and upper spine extended
- Loin bent
- Support on the lateral surface of the legs
- Legs spread and turned outward
- Flexion and forward bend in the hip joints
- Rest on hands in front of you
- Chin down
Doctor Komarovsky advises: When to sit the baby? How many months?
A series of exercises with a child to strengthen the back muscles
What should parents do to help their child learn a new and necessary skill?
Every day, from 3 months of age, do gymnastics and massage with a child, swim in a bathtub or pool (in large cities there are pools for visiting with young children). This will strengthen the muscle corset well.
From the age of four months, pediatricians are advised to do exercises to strengthen the muscles of the back. They need to be performed on a changing table or other rigid surface.
Exercise 1. Pulling the handles. The child lies on the table. As soon as he reaches out with his hands to his mother, extend his index fingers to him. The kid will try to sit down, grabbing his mother's fingers. The child's back is torn off the surface by 45 degrees, in this position the baby is held for several seconds and again returns to the "lying" position. Thus, the muscles of the press and arms are trained.
Exercise 2. Aircraft. Put the baby on the tummy. Raise the child, supporting him with one hand under the chest, with the other under the legs. The legs rest against the chest of an adult, the buttocks and back are tense, the head is raised. Fix the position for a few seconds.
Exercise 3. Balance. Keep the child on his knees, reclining so that he rests with his legs on the palms of an adult. This develops the balance of the body and brings the muscles into tone.
Exercise 4. Coups. From the “lying on your stomach” position, help the child roll over on the back and back. This exercise will be easier to complete by making the baby interested in a bright toy.
Fitball exercises
The child lies on the ball with his stomach down. Leaning on the handles, the baby will try to keep the back straight, thereby training the muscles of the back and cervical spine. At some distance from the ball, lay out brightly colored toys and, rolling the child forward on the ball, let them try to grab any of them. In the process of such a game, the back muscles are well trained.
Valentina Ershova: How to teach a baby to sit
It is recommended for the physical development of the crumbs to hang over the crib rings, for which he can grab and try to rise. While laying out on the stomach at a short distance in front of the baby, place a bright object (toy) to which he will try to crawl.
It is important for every young mother to know how to sit down the child correctly (this was already mentioned above) and what cannot be done.
If the child does not sit down on his own, then you cannot:
- Sitting him in pillows;
- Carry in a stroller in a sitting position (you can fix the back of the stroller at 45º)
- Carry in various carriers such as "Kangaroo" in the "sitting" position;
- Sit on your hands (you can keep it on your knees in a "reclining" position).
Boys and girls: assumptions and facts
In the philistine environment, there is an opinion that boys can be placed before girls. In fact, regardless of gender, sitting down earlier than six months is harmful to both those and others.
In addition, when girls begin to sit up early, in the future this can lead to deformation of the pelvic bones and serious problems of the female reproductive system. Therefore, pediatricians of the older generation often express the opinion that a girl should not be put down at all until the baby is 6-7 months old. Modern sources adhere to a less categorical position: it is believed that there is no great fear if the little princess decided to sit down on her own before six months, and the fears of grandmothers on this score are greatly exaggerated.
More about when can the girl sit down (will there be any harm from early sitting down?)
Also, the age at which the child will sit on his own does not depend on the gender. Everything is individual, only physical development and mental maturity of the baby matter.
When boys or girls suddenly sit down before six months of age, this event serves as a reason for parental pride and even bragging in front of other mothers. Don't rush things. Your baby is unique and unique, therefore, the path of his individual development will also be unique and unique.
If your baby is not sitting up by 11 months, you should see your pediatrician.
We continue to read further:When can boys sit down
We wish you healthy and smart children and happy motherhood, dear mothers!
Reading on the topic of child development
- After the baby learns to sit, the next step is to crawl: (see the link when the baby starts to crawl) But the baby can skip the crawling step, it's not scary;
- Next, the child should start walking, we read the article at how many months the children begin to walk (here, too, everything is individual);
- Look at the link to the article where the child's development is scheduled by months (calendar);
- And it is also useful to familiarize yourself with the material that a child can do at 1 year old - link to a useful article.
