When Do Babies Sit?: Exercises, Recommendations And When To Sit

In the first months of your baby’s life, from an unusual perspective he begins to contemplate everything around him. Practically all day he lies on his back watching the ceiling, until you take him in your arms and he can see other people in a more natural way. When your baby’s muscles have more strength, the change begins, it is the moment when he has the ability to lift his head. With your help, he will probably try to sit up, even if he ends up falling over right away. You should know that your baby’s muscles develop slowly, so you need a lot of patience. When you least think about it, your baby has passed this stage and will be able to sit up without your help.

When your baby is sitting up, he already has a new perspective on the world around him. Once the muscles of the neck and his back are strong enough to be upright and he places his legs to stay seated, in less than you think he will try to crawl, then stand and finally walk. Read on so you know when your baby can possibly stay seated.

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Time when baby sits

When your baby is 3 months old and experiences sitting, try as much as possible to keep him in that position. Finally, you have the strength to get up, even though you still cannot balance to remain seated. This is why your baby adopts the tripod position.

Usually between the fourth and seven months of life, most babies try to sit up on their own. At this stage, the muscles of the back, legs and neck are already developed and your baby can stand up and maintain the position, which fascinates him . This usually happens by 5 months of age, although some babies are unable to sit up until 8 months. The baby begins to enjoy what he sees in his new posture, in addition to using his hands and arms freely. You can also reach and examine objects.

From the seventh month and up to 9 months of life, your baby can sit for a few minutes. After sitting up, your baby is close to crawling. You only need to drop forward while sitting and place your hands to support yourself on the floor. Finally, when he manages to control his balance, he begins to move to crawl.

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Recommendations for sitting your baby

For your baby, being able to sit without the need for support represents an evolutionary step in the maturation of his muscles and in his motor coordination. You can make learning more pleasant and easy by helping him and sharing some exercises and stimulation games with him so that he can sit alone.

At 6 months it begins to sit

From 6 months you can start to sit your baby on your lap for moments, making sure that he is looking at you, with your hands you should try to hold his neck and back. You can sit him on you but looking straight ahead, your baby’s back should remain supported by your chest. In both cases, your baby will feel safe and stable, and you will also prevent him from adopting forced postures.

Sitting on the couch

Between 6 months and 12 months you can sit your baby in a corner of the crib or sofa, but in an ergonomic seat (without cushions) that helps him stay stable and seated. You shouldn’t leave him alone because he can easily lose his balance (remember he’s learning) and freak out or fall over. It is not advisable to use soft support cushions and pillows, due to the risk of forced postures that harm your back. Never force him to remain seated if he is upset or trying to lie down.

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Little by little he stays seated

You will feel excited and proud to watch your baby’s accelerated progress: he can stay seated for some time now, as long as he has firm support on his back. At about 8 months, it no longer requires any support, as many times as you want you can lie on the sides and forward, perfectly preserving stability.

Final recommendation

When you take your baby outside, always remember to adjust the special seat for him and place it straight (it is no longer necessary to place it in an obtuse way). In this way he can observe things around him from a different angle and unknown to him until now, he will be delighted with everything new that he can see.

Games and exercises for the baby to stay seated

Your support is vital so that the baby remains seated, practice exercises and games together especially for this . Here are some games recommended by traumatologists, pediatricians and child physical therapists:

Best Game: Up and Down

In your bed or on his blanket, lay the baby down and then take him by the hands, in this way the baby will make an effort to get up. When you are able to get up, return to the previous position and repeat the movement 3 or 4 times (if you notice that the baby is restless or tired, stop the exercise). This game will allow you to strengthen the abdominal area. You can also place him in the same position and show him his favorite toy or rattle, slightly away from his face. You will have to get up to take the toy.

Play with the baby on his back

It is also advisable that you place your baby lying on his back and little by little you tilt him from left to right and vice versa. Another way can be: place the little one lying on a towel and slowly start to pull the ends, letting him roll from one side to the other. By practicing this very pleasant gymnastics daily and always respecting your individual rhythm of evolution , improvement and the progressive conquest of your new achievement, it will become a rewarding experience for both of you.

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A toy for support

Already in a month the baby can remain seated for several minutes without having to support his back, but to support himself on his hands he will need to stretch his arms forward. Sitting, you can turn your waist from left to right to grab a toy you like, keeping your balance. In any case, for greater safety, place a large enough pillow behind the baby, to avoid hurting the head if it falls suddenly, remember that the back of the head is very prone to blows.

You can now sit, then crawl, and you can finally walk

The previous step to be able to crawl is to be able to remain seated, remember that the crawling phase is essential for the development of the baby and will serve as preparation for walking better.

Is sitting earlier bad or good?

As you already know, every baby is different and the stages of development are not an exact rule. You don’t need to worry or feel anxious because your baby is breaking the sit-down rule at the exact moment. It is normal for you to worry and have doubts about it.

The best thing you can do in this case is to have common sense to know how and when it is a problem that the baby feels. Our concern focuses on the fact that your back may suffer some damage. According to the theory, babies do not have enough strength in their back and fairly flexible ligaments support their bones; any baby can sit in such a way that the back suffers an overload and consequently subsequent damage occurs.

It is necessary to understand that for this to happen, the force of the baby’s weight must be intense. Poor posture sustained on a regular basis can cause harm to the baby’s back. This is where the key is: your baby performs many movements and maintains a single posture, especially if it causes discomfort, when there is something that requires him to keep it.

If your baby can sit without any patterns that make it difficult for him to lie down if he is uncomfortable, it is unlikely that any damage will occur to his back. It is irrelevant how old the baby is. When your baby is uncomfortable, he will simply change his posture long before any major damage can be done.

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Restraints to seat the baby

When we talk about restraint systems, we refer to the devices where you place your baby in a certain position. The most used retention systems or devices to seat a baby are:

• Baby carriers: there are no complications with ergonomic backpacks, because they are perfectly designed so that the baby adopts the correct posture without burdening his back. Anyway, when the baby feels uncomfortable you just have to take him out to change his position.
• Transport seats for the car: it is the kind of seats that your baby uses the first months to transport him in the car. The seat is arched to protect your back, the baby’s weight is distributed by the arch. Despite keeping your head centered and keeping the baby from falling to the side, frequently when he falls asleep his head may tip over forcibly to one side. That is why the chairs make it easier for them to tilt, so that when the baby is sleeping, although it is very small, it is best to place the baby horizontally. While the baby is awake, he supports his head thanks to his strength it is possible to leave him in a more upright posture.
• The hammock: the hammock is similar to ergonomic car transport chairs, but they have greater freedom to move and are less inclined.
• Stroller: the most recommended are those that form an angle, although you should not sit your baby very soon, because his back is kept upright without alignment and the weight is overloaded in the lower back area.

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When does my baby sit in the stroller?

At about six months, you will be able to change the baby from the stroller to the stroller. In this way, your baby can be more incorporated, making walk time an ideal time to better see and enjoy the outside world. Try to keep the seat at a right angle, remember that this represents an important change for your baby’s life, with multiple benefits for their development and evolution.

Benefits for the baby when sitting

When your baby is sitting in the car for example, the field of vision is wider and he can see everything around him more easily. Enhancing your capacity for concentration and attention, as well as helping you strengthen and perfect your senses.

In this position, your baby has more freedom to move and will have a more accurate idea of ​​distances and sizes. Exposing your little one to these stimuli is a great way to stimulate their creativity and imagination, keep them entertained, and ultimately develop their intelligence.

If the chair is facing you, you can take the opportunity to tell it the name of the things they observe, the route, in which direction the bus is coming, who is barking, etc. You will be able to teach multiple words that the baby will file in his memory, later they will serve to simplify the speaking process. By looking at his face, you can determine what scares him, what he enjoys, if he is having a good time, if he is happy and very tired, then it is time to go home.

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Is your baby ready to go to the stroller?

The benefits of the stroller are undeniable, as long as you do not rush to move on to this novelty. If your baby goes to the chair prematurely, it can cause some damage to his back. Your child will be ready to use the stroller if, while sitting on your legs facing forward, he falls forward. You must remember that each baby is different and maintains an individual growth rate and this must be respected at all times. Although normally at 6 months your baby can remain seated in the stroller.

Exercises to help strengthen your baby’s back

At the end of the baby’s second trimester, pediatricians recommend practicing these exercises for 5 minutes daily.

• Sit the baby on your lap and start playing sawdust-sawdust.
• Place him on the blanket face up and show him an object of bright colors, he will try to get up to pick it up.
• On a small towel, place the baby on his back (you should be able to handle the towel very well), little by little let him roll from one side to the other.

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