Sitting is one of the first “upright” milestones. Once your baby learns to sit, they’ll discover a whole new perspective on the world. Just think “tripod, tall, and transition!”
This will be your playbook for a couple simple, but effective exercises to find your sitting era.
Advanced Tummy Time Tips
Tall tummy time: The tummy time blog provides a few tips for tummy time that your baby should be able to master to help progress to sitting. Once they master these skills, try getting your baby up nice and tall. We want them to be comfortable pushing up on their hands like a cobra pose. Below are a few ways to encourage this:
- Supported – Give them a boost at their chest by helping them push up
- On a ball
- On an incline
How to Start Practicing Sitting With Your Baby
Propped sitting: Sitting with arm support, like a tripod is the first phase of independent sitting. A few tips are below.
- Try at an elevated surface like a nursing pillow or incline
- Give them a little assist
- Elevate your toy to eye level – you may have to place this on a step or book
Learning to Get Into Sitting
Transition: Encourage baby to move in and out of sitting rather than placing them in a sitting position. Help them roll to their side and push up to a seated position. This will not only help strengthen those core muscles, but help incorporate arm strengthening they will need for crawling!
Tip: Baby seats are a great place to keep a child safe when they have the strength to hold their head, but it will limit their ability to use their own muscles. We also know that babies that spend more time out of devices will progress through milestones quicker. It’s all about moderation! I used the Upseat and Fisher Price Sit Me Up with my own kids. I found they were able to maintain good posture in these devices, but I did limit the time to less than 30 minutes a day and prioritized floor time.
When should my baby start sitting? While baby milestones are a range, most babies prop sit around 4-6 months and sit without their hands 6-9 months.
Try these exercises out and let us know in the comments if it was the secret sauce to get your baby sitting.
If your baby isn’t showing signs of sitting by 9 months, this is a good topic to bring up with your Pediatrician or a Pediatric Physical Therapist.
A great resource is the CDC milestone checker. Try this link if you are wondering what else your child should be doing around 9 months
Want more tips?
If you are concerned about your baby’s sitting progress, our pediatric physical therapy team can help! Contact Savannah Speech and Hearing Center for an assessment.
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