Life with a baby is full of ‘Firsts things’ – first smile, first word, first name, first birthday, first movement, and first sit up. For new parents, it’s pretty common to wonder, ”When do babies sit up?”, and “Is it actually bad for babies to sit up too early?”.
Generally, it varies from baby to baby. Most babies sit up between 3 to 5 months, either propping themselves with their hands or with their mommy or daddy’s help. Your baby may be able to sit as early as six months old with a little help from parents getting into the sitting position. Generally, many kids become masters at sitting independently around 7-9 months.
I was also quite conscious and excited to know when my baby will sit properly without any help. To be very honest, sitting is incredibly exciting for your little ones. It will open up a whole new experience and world of play.
It also helps your kids to have mealtimes easier and gain a new sense of view of their surroundings.
Of course! What could be more exciting when your baby is finally sitting up on their own with those chubby legs sticking around always. Are you ready to discover a new world? Let’s read about the experience of babysitting up!
How do you know when your baby is ready to sit up?
If your baby has good control over his head, he may be ready to sit by propping himself with the help of his hands or maybe with little help from his parents.
In fact, other bodily motions will also get in more control as soon as he can handle his head perfectly.
In the starting period of sitting up procedure, he is more likely to push himself up when lying face down or trying to roll over to balance his body. I was also excited when I saw my child pushing up his head perfectly like he just wants to fly and explore a new environment.
Generally, a baby starts sitting within 3 to 5 months of age, if you position them upright. During the early stage of sitting up, your babies need support from parents so that they don’t fall.
My baby started sitting at 6 months, and I took care of his sitting posture so that his neck or spinal cord won’t get hurt.
Babies closer to 7 to 9 months are more likely to enjoy an independent sitting milestone because they started to roll in every direction at that time. Some babies may be hurrying back and forth, getting ready to crawl.
However, other babies may just push themselves into a tripod position when they are nearly 4 to 6 months old. In this posture, normally, the baby takes the support by keeping hands on the floor. This is the stage where immobility is no more in their life.
With enough practice, he will gain strength and confidence and will learn to sit up like a pro in no time. Doesn’t it sound amazing? Yeah! I was also very excited to see my child sitting when I saw my child handle his head.
How do babies learn to sit up?
To be honest, it is not at all bad for your babies to sit up early. When your babies mastered the skill of holding his head up without falling down, he may be ready to sit.
Your baby will first start rolling over back to front before learning the art of sitting up. Rolling gives more torso strength, confidence, and good coordination between the upper and lower part of the body.
Moreover, your baby will draw his own experience when he starts to sit independently. It will be like knocking new doors of life. If he is feeling uncomfortable while sitting on his own, you can help him sit upright on his lap or encircle him by a Boppy pillow. This will encourage the baby to feel more relaxed and comfortable in a seated position.
In the starting period, let’s say 4 to 6 months, in tripod state, the baby’s balance won’t be developed entirely. He will be likely to wobble and need some extra assistance and support from parents. So, don’t worry, he may not be able to stay upright for so long.
Some babies are not masters of sitting up early and doing other activities while sitting, such as reaching, leaning, or grabbing for things. That’s why, in 4 to 6 months, he will prefer to use a ”tripod” position so that he can get support from his arms in order to maintain balance.
How can you help your baby to sit up?
As the adage goes,” practice makes perfect”, so encouraging your babies to sit independently upright is an excellent way to help them learn the art of sitting up. As a matter of fact, for a baby to sit independently, he needs to learn controlling weight shifts from forwarding, backward, left, and right.
In short, it requires a lot of practice and strength to move in all different directions to move in the right direction. Do you want to help your baby to sit up? Below shared are the tips that you can incorporate in your daily regime to help them move freely and increase their mobility.
Try one or two tips to help them tackle this latest milestone. Let’s read about it:
It’s tummy time!
One of the best and easiest ways of teaching a baby to sit up in the starting period is with tummy time.
Place a soft blanket or pillow on a flat surface and set their baby belly-down on top of it, and then start noticing your baby’s activity. Here is one piece of advice for all first-time parents: start this exercise with small intervals of time in time, let’s say, five minutes in a day.
Then you can always increase this exercise for around 30 minutes a day when your baby is 3 or 4 months old.
You can also place a few toys out of his reach and encourage them to raise their head, hands, and body to grab that. It will help them build core muscles and coordination between muscles required to hold up his head.
Why not be a helping hand!
Another tip that I would like to give to new parents is that you should always support and encourage your baby to sit, crawl, and walk.
No matter how many times they will fall, you have to keep them motivated. After all, this is about the trial-and-error practice session. Baby should feel it like a fun session to lift his head up and hold it gently without falling down.
It also helps them to get a better feeling of motion needed to go from lying down to sitting up. Remember to keep a close eye on his activities when you are trying to teach the baby to sit up. Be cautious to avoid baby toppling over and getting hurt.
Trying to prop your baby up
Propping your baby in a seated posture can help them strengthen their spinal cord and neck muscles. Well, you can prop your baby up by using a boppy type pillow, firm pillow, or the cushion, so that they can sit properly.
Breastfeeding or a boppy support pillow makes a great bolster in order to try them sitting on the floor. You can also give a try by making your kid sit between your legs so that they can actually get support. But don’t prop your baby for too long if they are developmentally not prepared.
This session can be tiring and make your kids cranky. So, walk through the baby steps and help them to sit properly while keeping a close eye on his activities and emotions.
Help your kiddo sit up!
All in all, you and your baby are not alone! It is never too early for kids to sit up. Normally, a baby learns to sit independently closer to 7 to 9 months and start rolling back and forth on hands and knees at 6 months.
Just be cautious about the activities when your baby is just learning the art of sitting up. Sometimes, you may have to give them support so that they can keep on trying. After all, practice makes a man perfect!
But if you are still worried about your baby’s sitting posture, you can always head over the pediatrician to help your baby. Every child is different; some become a master of sitting up independently at 6 months old. At the same time, others take time to be in a tripod position!
