Wondering when do babies sit up? Find out the average age babies sit up and get tips on how you can help encourage independent sitting. This article is originally from www.bellybelly.com.au, posted by Fiona Peacock. Fiona is a writer, researcher and lover of all things to do with pregnancy, birth and motherhood (apart from the lack of sleep). BellyBelly is “Pregnancy, Birth and Parenting Website For Thinking Women and Men”. Image Created by Pixabay from Pexels.
If you are the proud owner of a horizontal baby, you are probably wondering, ‘When do babies sit up?’
You might even be asking yourself whether you can help your baby learn to sit up.
Learning to sit up is not something your baby will learn overnight.
It takes a lot of work to master the art of sitting up.
Over the course of the next few months, your baby will develop the strength and muscle control to sit up unaided.
Sitting up will give your baby a whole new perspective on the world.
You are probably keen for your baby to reach this next milestone, and you might be wondering whether there’s anything you can do to help speed up the process.
All babies are different. Your baby will develop at his own pace, but there are ways you can support him in his quest to sit up.
Firstly, you need to know a little more about the process of learning to sit up.
Many babies sit up for the first time when they are between four and seven months old.
Most babies sit unaided around the time they are eight months old. Almost all babies have mastered this skill by nine months.
All babies are different, so try not to compare your baby with the other babies at playgroup. Remember, your baby will do things in his own time.
Newborn babies do not have the strength or muscle control to sit unaided.
From birth, your baby will gradually develop the strength to hold his head up and, eventually, hold himself up.
This process will take months and it isn’t something you can rush. Your baby will need to develop full head control before he can master sitting up by himself.
He will start by lifting his head and looking around while he’s lying on his tummy. As he grows bigger, this will develop into a baby push-up, as he forces himself off the ground to take a look around.
Eventually, when he’s four to six months old, he’ll master a sitting position while leaning on his arms. As soon as his arms move, however, he’ll fall forwards.
He might even get excited about his new skill and wave his arms in celebration – only to come toppling down.
While his muscles are getting stronger, he’ll also be figuring out how to balance. This will probably be a case of trial and error, so make sure your baby is in a cushioned and safe environment.
There will be a lot of tumbling over before your baby manages to sit up for any length of time.
In truth, there isn’t much you can do to help your baby to this next milestone. He will learn to sit up when he has the muscle control and balance to do it.
However, that doesn’t mean there is nothing you can do. There are steps you can take to give your baby a gentle nudge in the right direction. Try these:
When they sit up, not only are babies able to see the world around them in a new light, but they have their first taste of independence.
Just as important, when your baby can sit up, you’ll get back the use of your arms.
Imagine all the things you’ll be able to do with them – drink tea, read books, fold washing – the possibilities are endless.
It will also change the way you interact with your baby. The way you communicate with each other will develop now you can sit facing each other during floor play.
Eye contact is an important part of communication, and that will be easier, too, once your baby can sit up. He will be better able to explore his environment and choose the toys he wants to play with.
Your baby might also be happy to sit and watch you while you get things done – talk about a game changer!
If your baby has reached nine months and is showing no signs of sitting up, it might be worth alerting your healthcare provider.
Premature babies often reach milestones a little later, so it’s worth bearing this in mind.
If you’re concerned about your baby’s development, speak to your healthcare provider.
Now that your baby is an expert at sitting up, he can start work on learning to crawl. You might notice your baby switching from a sitting position to an all-fours position, but it could still be some time until he figures out how to crawl.
With this in mind, it’s probably time to start baby-proofing your house. Get down to your baby’s level and explore the room to seek out potential dangers.
It’s wise to do this before your baby starts crawling because he just might take you by surprise and master that skill sooner than expected.