It’s a proud moment when you watch your child achieve their gross motor milestones and watching your child sitting independently is a proud moment. Once babies achieve sitting independently they can see the world from a new perspective and focus on playing with both hands. In order for your baby to sit they need to have strong enough tummy muscles. Babies usually learn to sit by 6 months but they may need some encouragement. Here are some quick tips to help them achieve this milestone.
- Start by sitting them between your legs with toys in front of them. Let them lean on you but then encourage them to lean forwards and prop on their hands.
- Move on to sitting them away from you, but hold them at the trunk or hips and then slowly reduce the support until you can take your hands off for a few seconds.
- Some parents may find that their baby pushes backwards looking for support. If this is the case, then try placing pillows behind them so that they learn that there is not always support and that if they lose their balance they need to put their hand down to save themselves.
- To help improve their tummy muscle, sit them on your leg sideways so that their feet are between your legs and give them a small amount of support with one arm behind them. Now gently bounce them up and down and gradually try to reduce the support from behind so that they are sitting on your leg by themselves.
Some babies may need extra help to strengthen their tummy and back muscles to assist with sitting. If you find that your baby is still having difficulty sitting independently by 7 months, then contact us to arrange for one of our paediatric physiotherapists to assess them on 0207 884 0374 or email us at info@physiocomestoyou.com.
Post by Victoria Healey, Head of Paediatric Physiotherapy at Physiocomestoyou.