In the first year of their life, each child gradually learns many skills. A completely helpless baby first learns to raise and hold his head, grab toys with his hands, roll over on his tummy and back. After mastering these skills, it is time to learn to sit.
Norms for boys and girls
Previously, it was widely believed that girls need to sit down much later than boys. This was explained by the possible harm to the pelvic bones and the formation of female genital organs. Now pediatricians believe that there is no particular harm to a female child in early sitting, provided that the girl began to try to sit on her own. According to experts, gender does not in any way affect the age at which the child begins to sit down on his own.
Pediatricians note that the normal development of sitting skills for children of any gender is in the range of 6 to 9 months. On average, babies learn to sit without support by 7 months of age. Some children master this skill a month earlier than their peers, while others only manage to sit on their own by 8-9 months - these are also variants of the norm.
Skill development stages
- At 6 months, many babies sit with support, leaning on their hands, but at the same time they often fall to the side and lose their balance. They still do not know how to sit on their own, but are able to sit only by pulling themselves by the arms of their parents. The baby should sit at this age only for a few minutes to train the skill.
- At 7 months, babies sit more confidently and often no longer lean on their hands. While sitting, they turn the body to the right and left, maintaining the balance of the body. Also, children of this age are already beginning to master the skill on their own, sit down from a prone position with the help of support with their hands.
- At 8 months, most babies are able to confidently sit and take this position from any variant of the lying position, and also easily change position.
Is it worth making a child sit and why is premature sitting down dangerous?
Pediatricians consider the vertical position of the spine less than 6 months of age harmful for the formation of the skeleton of a child. When sitting down, parents can harm the health of their child, while problems with the spine may appear later, for example, at school age. First, the child's back muscles must be sufficiently strengthened, and only after that the spine will be able to withstand the load from a sitting position. If the baby rounds the back or falls to the side, it is too early for him to sit.
If the baby has not yet learned to sit on his own, parents should not:
- Plant the baby by laying pillows around the baby.
- Carry the baby in a "kangaroo" in a sitting position.
- Carry the child in a stroller while sitting (the back should be at an angle of no more than 45 °).
- Sit the child on your lap.
Dr. Komarovsky: how to sit the baby and at how many months?
A well-known pediatrician advises doctors not to focus on developmental norms, especially since their range is quite large, but to remember that each child develops at its own pace.
If the baby is healthy, then, according to Komarovsky, parents just need to create favorable conditions for his physical development, and the child will learn to sit by itself.
In addition, a popular doctor focuses the attention of parents on the fact that sitting for a small child is not at all useful. And the later the baby masters this skill, the smoother his back will be and the better for his spine. Therefore, Dr. Komarovsky advises not to help the baby to sit down, but to encourage learning to crawl.
Watch a short video below with advice from Dr. Komarovsky.
Correct baby position
When the child is sitting correctly:
- His head tilts forward a little.
- His neck extends slightly, as does the upper spine.
- His arms are positioned in front of his body to support him.
- His lower back is bent, and his hip joints are tilted slightly forward.
- Its legs are spread apart and turned outward (the baby rests on their side surfaces).
In a different position, the baby will be very tired, and the formation of the natural curves of the spinal column will be disrupted.
Helpful Exercises to Promote Sitting
The correct physical development of the baby is facilitated by daily gymnastics, swimming in the bathroom (excellent if you can additionally visit the pool) and massage. These actions strengthen the muscles.
From 4 months you can start doing the following exercises:
- Lay the child on the table, and when he stretches out his handles to you, give the baby your index fingers. The baby will grab them and hang for a few seconds at an angle of 45 °, after which it will lie down again.
- Give the baby a prone position and rest his legs against your chest. Place one hand under the baby's chest and the other under the baby's legs. Hold the child in this position for a few seconds.
- Hang rings over the baby's crib so that the baby can learn to grab them and try to pull up to them.
- Putting the baby on the stomach, put a bright toy a few centimeters away from the baby so that the baby tries to get to it.
Remember that it is safest for your child to sit down on all fours. So the spine will be the least loaded.
