When do babies learn to sit? – ParentFresh.com : Leading Magazine & encyclopedia of useful information for parents, which is carefully collected and daily uploaded.
What are the signs that the baby is ready to sit up?
How to help the child sit up?
When to talk to the pediatrician?
Learning to sit is one of the fundamental goals of the first year of life. Goals that follow one another quickly under the enthusiastic eyes of the parents. Sitting is particularly attractive to a newborn as it opens up a whole new world to him, a world to explore that he can see from a new perspective.
Sitting also simplifies mealtime. Weaning, recommends the WHO, begins at 6 months of the baby, and it is at this stage that the baby is able to sit upright with a little help. Sitting independently, on the other hand, is a skill they can master between 7 and 9 months of age.
Sitting independently requires controlled weight shifts from left, right, back and forth. This means that it takes a lot of strength and practice to be able to do it right.
The child may be ready to sit down if he has good head control. The other body movements also need to be more controlled and purposeful.The main signs concern the ability to push up when placed on the stomach, and the ability to roll.
In the beginning, don’t expect the session to last more than a second or two. It falls easily so you are always close at hand. You will need to use supports to help him sit a little longer.
As your child’s muscle strength improves, he is able to sit a little longer, but will likely fall over when he fidgets and moves his legs. He will develop greater control once he begins to lean forward and support himself with one or both arms.
However, when the baby is able to sit alone, unaided, (around 7-9 months of age), he is probably already able to roll in both directions when lying down.
After your learns to sit, he will start moving in different positions and will learn to rock back and forth to get on his hands and knees. At that point he is ready for another goal: to crawl.
Recall that sitting with minimal support means that the baby has adequate muscle control needed to switch from a liquid or formula-based diet to solid foods.
A child cannot switch to solid foods unless he is able to sit upright and hold his head and neck up, this helps him to avoid choking.
When is it ready for solid foods?
You can help your child learn this new skill by grabbing his arms when he is on his back and gently pulling him into a sitting position. He’ll love the back and forth motion, so you can add some sound effects to make it even more fun.
The baby needs good head control to sit up and the best practice is to practice on his stomach.
Not all babies like to play in this position for a long time, so start with a few minutes a couple of times a day. Make sure the baby is well rested and has a clean diaper. Put yourself on your stomach too so that you are at eye level with the baby. Seeing your face can motivate your baby to stay in this position longer.
As they get used to this position, you can slowly increase the time.
While he’s on his stomach, talk to him, interact with him, place some toys just out of his reach so he has a reason to look around. When you notice that he is holding his head more still, that he is able to lift himself to higher positions then you can try to put him in a sitting position with the right supports for five to ten minutes at a time. For example, when you are sitting, you can hold the baby on your lap so that his head and back rest against your chest, or you can use a good nursing pillow to help support babies in a sitting position.
Often children are placed into a sitting position too early or for long periods of time, and this can affect the development of this ability.In other words, although the child may actually be sitting upright, he is not working on critical trunk control and of the head that will develop best when you practice new body movements on your own.
Each child develops differently and milestones are achieved at different times, some with a little more time and patience. In the event that the child cannot sit for at least a few minutes within 9 months, it is good to talk to the pediatrician.