The Stages Of Sitting & How To Help Your Baby Sit Up Independently

Watching your baby gain independence during the sitting stage is exciting. Sitting independently gives your baby a new perspective on the world. At around 6-7 months, being able to sit up marks another milestone in your baby’s development diary.

Your baby might learn to sit independently between the age of 4 and 7 months. Don’t rush for it. Make sure she should be able to hold her neck up, have some balance, and have strong trunk muscles. While you can make your baby sit almost from day one however true independent sitting does not begin until she has good head control. 

Check out: Your baby's transition from sitting to crawling milestones

There is no need to rush things at hand, but wait patiently and let your baby learn at her own pace.

Stages of sitting in babies

There are different stages to know when your baby is ready to sit. The cues are here below:

Initial signs

The initial signs of your baby trying to sit are what you need to watch out for. Your baby’s neck, back and head muscles strengthen rapidly at about 4 months and she will learn to raise and hold her head up while she is lying on her stomach which is known as tummy time. She will try to roll over when on her tummy, and can even try to thrust forward on her elbows. All this exercise helps her to gain more muscle strength, and develop her gross motor skills that encourage her to move on to the next position.

Build the balance

It’s time for your little one to learn balance before being able to sit alone. Balance is neuromuscular, so before your baby is able to sit, she will need some specific brainpower. Keep her at the corner of a sofa or between your legs. This way she can lean safely to the right or left and can use her arms to push back to midline if they are tipping. Do not panic if she falls down as falling a couple of times will only help her learn better.

The tripod sit

When a baby is learning to sit up, it's common to put out one or both arms to help stabilize the torso, essentially turning arms into a kickstand to hold up her body weight. This is the tripod sit. Until your baby has developed that strong core, she will need a little help balancing when she is trying to sit alone. Be sure to keep your baby on something soft for these early weeks of sitting to help soften the fall when she trips. By 4 months, your baby becomes more aware of what's going on around her. She might get distracted while sitting up and lose her balance. Make sure she is supervised or away from the edges of a chair or couch, she could fall off of.

Make the room safer

You have to be prepared once your tiny one is able to sit independently. By 6 months, she will try to grab everything around her. So this is the time when you need to bring in some amendments to the baby room. Cover all possible edges and lower the crib’s mattress so that she cannot get out of the crib.

Important development milestones your child will reach before 1 year of life

How to help your baby sit up independently?

Knowing what to look for and how to help your baby learn to sit on her own is important. Give her plenty of tummy time to help her strengthen her neck and back muscles along with her spine. The strength your baby has gained in her neck and back muscles, as well as her core muscles to some extent, determine when she will be able to sit up.

Initially, she will have to support herself by anchoring on to her hands in the front she will not be able to hold this propelled sitting position for long. But within a few weeks, her back and spine will be able to support her sitting position. Then, your baby can take her hands off the floor and sit up without support. This is probably the first physical milestone towards your baby’s independent being. There are various ways in which you help your baby to sit up:

1. Stay close to your baby once she starts to sit independently. Surround her with pillows and cushions- place toys a little farther away to encourage your little one to reach and return to the midline. But make sure that you don’t surround her with too many pillows, so as to not to leave her any room for movement.

2. The importance of letting your baby play on tummy can’t be stressed enough. Placing a baby on her tummy is a good way to begin to strengthen the muscles on the back of her body.

3. Give her plenty of time to play on her back. This is a good way for your baby to begin to strengthen the muscles on the front of her body. When the baby lays down on her back and reaches for dangling toys, she is using the flexors of her chest and upper trunk.

To get more information about the development milestones of your child, check out the Parentlane app

Disclaimer : Content presented here is for information purposes only, please consult with your doctor for any health queries

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