What time do children sit down? At what age does a child begin to sit independently? What contributes to timely development

The newborn baby is growing so quickly, it’s almost six months already, but she still can’t sit up on her own. And the mother has a question: when does the child start to sit and is it time for me to do something about this? No matter how much parents want to speed up the process of their child sitting up independently, they will hear one thing from pediatricians - don’t rush, don’t rush him.

Usually babies sit up on their own closer to 6-8 months. By this time, the muscles are already strong enough and ready to support the body in a new position. Individual development also plays a special role in this process, so you should not demand from a baby at six months something that he is not physically ready for.

Quite often, when a baby begins to sit at 9 or even 10 months, pediatricians call this normal and attribute it to individual developmental characteristics.

Pediatricians have different opinions about when children begin to sit independently. Generally accepted standards are considered to be between 6 and 8 months of age. At the same time, strong, active children can sit up independently at 5 months. But those who are plump, large or born prematurely, on the contrary, begin to sit down late - by 9–11 months.

The gender of the child also plays an important role. The girl will definitely try to start sitting down earlier. And she will be able to do this even at 4–5 months. Then parents should hold the baby a little, giving her another month to completely strengthen the musculoskeletal system.

But boys in this regard fit more into standard norms and rarely sit down until six months.

Should I sit the children down or not?

There are no options here - pediatricians around the world categorically do not recommend dropping off a child. After all, how many months a child begins to sit depends entirely on the readiness of his muscles to support the body in this position. In addition, orthopedists are confident that up to six months the vertical position of the baby is not natural.

Why is it dangerous to sit down an unprepared baby early?

Excessive stress on the spine can cause its curvature, and with age, back pain will appear. It is possible to develop early radiculitis and other spinal problems.
Also, sitting down earlier also harms muscles that are not ready for stress. Hypertonicity and painful sensations appear, which leads to moodiness.
The baby's weak bones are prone to deformation. Early squatting almost always leads to deformation of the hip bones of varying degrees of severity.

In order to avoid problems with the musculoskeletal system and the formation of the child’s bones, there is definitely no need to specifically force the child to sit down. You need to be patient and wait, because only when the baby begins to sit on his own can we say with confidence that he is ready for this.

Step-by-step development of sitting skills in children

Until the moment when a child begins to sit without assistance, he goes through several successive stages in the development of this skill:

At first, usually closer to 5–6 months, the baby gradually learns to lift his chest from a position lying on his stomach, and can already confidently hold and turn his head. In this way, he trains the muscular system, preparing it for further development. This is precisely what determines the age when the baby begins to sit on his own, without support. It is important to encourage his desire to crawl and raise his chest, but under no circumstances should he sit down. For now, he will try to sit up, falling first on one side, then on the other, then on his back. This indicates his unpreparedness for full sitting.
By the age of 7-8 months, when the child sits more confidently, you can help him a little, teaching and stimulating training, trying to change position. Quite quickly he will stop falling in different directions and will begin to happily try to sit up from a lying position, leaning on his hands.
The child almost always sits independently at the age of 8–10 months. His movements are confident, he easily changes his position to a sitting position from lying on his stomach or side. At this point, mastering the skill can be considered complete.

From this we conclude at what age a child should sit without the help of others. This most often occurs at 6-9 months, but sitting at 5 or 10 months is also an option for normal, individual development.

Photo from pixabay.com

How to prepare your child to sit independently

To bring the moment when the newborn begins to sit, you need to put in a little effort and help him. To do this you need:

Develop the baby’s musculoskeletal and muscular system through regular exercise without heavy load.
Give your baby a relaxing massage. Once a day is enough.
Place it on the stomach more often to encourage crawling.

By following these simple tips, you can bring the moment when children begin to sit on their own.

What to do if the baby has not learned to sit by 9 months?

There's definitely no need to panic. There are cases when a baby begins to sit closer to 10–11 months due to individual developmental characteristics.

However, if by the age of nine months the baby does not attempt to sit up on his own, then it is necessary to consult a neurologist, orthopedist, or pediatrician. They will be the ones who will tell you for sure whether there is cause for concern. To help, a course of special exercises and massage will be prescribed.

What not to do when teaching a child to sit on his own?

Do you want to know how long a child can sit without harm to health? Take a closer look at it. If he is trying his best to stay seated, but his back is not rounded, the blockages in different directions become less and less frequent - this means that the child is almost ready and will soon sit up on his own.

But even in this case, it is strictly prohibited:

Covering with pillows and other devices to support the body in an upright position.
It is special to sit the child down until he does it himself.
Carrying in kangaroos and carriers that do not provide physiological position of the body.
Sit the child on your lap.
Early sitting in a stroller.

Neglecting these prohibitions will lead to significant problems with the child’s health.

The main rule for parents is not to rush things and under no circumstances make the child sit down until he does it himself.

You can help your baby sit up on his own faster by doing light physical exercises with him, teaching him to sit down, giving him a massage and encouraging him to crawl and lie on his tummy. This is the only way modern mothers help their children, while taking care of their health and full development. Work with your children and everything will be done on time. And this is the most important thing!

Useful video about when a child begins to sit

One of the key moments in the life of a small child is the period when the baby begins to sit. Parents look forward to this moment, because in this way the possibilities of games and knowledge of the world, as well as the possibilities of complementary feeding, expand.

At what months do children begin to sit and how can you help them master the skill faster? This question always worries me.

At what age does a child begin to sit?

With the question of when a child should sit, parents often turn to a doctor, and they are very worried if by six months the child has not yet begun to sit on his own. But it is worth knowing that the development of a child is an individual process, and the baby does not owe anything to anyone.

The age of sitting at six months is the average time for the formation of the skill, when the child begins to make his first attempts to sit up independently.

Individual time frames for developing a skill range from 6 to 8 months, and it is difficult to say exactly what time your child should sit.

He will be ready for this as he strengthens his back and limb muscles, masters the skills of turning from his stomach to his back and back, and attempts to crawl.

Parents often mistake some of their children's actions for a desire to sit down when children try to lift their heads at the age of 4-5 months to see their surroundings.

If such children are pulled by the arms, they can sit down.

When do babies start sitting? By about six months of age, many babies already actively control their muscles, which allows them to sit for some time without support. But most often they can sit more or less confidently only with support or in cushions, a chair or a chaise longue.

Gradually, the muscles become stronger and children can maintain a sitting position for longer periods of time.

By the age of 7 months, the baby can sit, leaning lightly with his arms and not for very long, since his muscles are still very tired, but by 8 months the skeleton is so strengthened that the child can sit confidently and evenly for a long time.

That is, the age when a child sits independently is approximately 7-8 months.

When do boys start sitting?

There is a misconception that boys can be seated earlier than girls, and they can sit as early as 5 months. This is not true, and the pace of development of boys is also individual.

At what time a child begins to sit largely depends on the strength and degree of development of previous skills, muscle tone and the activity of the maturation of the nervous system, as well as on the child’s build and weight.

On average, a child sits down by the age of 7-8 months, confidently holding his back and not changing position for a long time.

When do girls start sitting?

It is popularly believed that girls should not be placed early, otherwise they will develop a curvature of the uterus - this is a wrong idea; early placement of a girl has no effect on the internal organs, which cannot be said about a fragile spine.

At what month does a child begin to sit does not depend on gender characteristics, but on the pace of development, muscle tone and skill development.

It is believed that girls are slightly ahead of boys in development and usually sit down between 6 and 8 months. Although there may be individual fluctuations in terms within a month.

How does a child begin to sit?

When children begin to sit, they do so in a certain sequence.

If the child’s muscle tone is developed according to his age, then in the period of 4.5-5 months they can sit with the support of their arms from a reclining position. At the same time, they will fall forward or fall on their side, since the muscular frame is still too weak to fully hold the body in an upright position.

You shouldn’t sit children this way often so as not to negatively affect the spinal column.

Such sitting up a couple of times a day can be considered training for future independent sitting, and when the child begins to sit independently, he will no longer need such support.

At first, when the baby begins to sit, he will need support for his back or he will lean on his arms, gradually manipulating them more and more actively and maintaining balance while sitting.

Special situations

When babies do not begin to sit by the age of six months, as they write in many books on child development, parents begin to worry and try to stubbornly try to get their child to sit up. But this should not be done, since often children may find it more interesting to move around than to sit in a static position.

If by the age of seven to eight months children are actively crawling, while hardly sitting, this indicates the active development of the muscles of the arms and legs, and insufficient development of the back muscles. Such children sit up a little later, actively exploring the world while crawling.

Often children sit up on their own after they have learned to get on all fours and are trying to crawl. They simply lower their butt to the side and sit on it, letting go of their arms.

Hence the conclusion at what months the baby begins to sit - this is approximately the period from 6 to 9 months, as he masters the skills of crawling.

At what months can a child sit with support or on an adult’s lap? If the baby's back is weak, you should not rush him into sitting; before 5-5.5 months, you should not even sit children down for a short time, this is harmful for their spine.

Moreover, it is impossible to place them in pillows or chairs at this time - usually children begin to bend to the side due to muscle weakness.

If by the age of 8-9 months the child does not make attempts to sit up and crawl, you should consult a doctor for advice, as it may be necessary to prescribe therapeutic massage and gymnastics to strengthen muscle tone and help in developing skills.

A newborn baby can only lie down, cry, suckle and soil diapers. Everything that an adult can do, he has to learn. He doesn't even begin to sit right away. When will this happen and why?

Any physical action requires the development of the corresponding muscles. In order for a baby to learn to roll over and stand up, sit and walk, his muscles must become stronger. What determines the time frame within which he can sit down himself?

At what age does a child begin to sit up independently?

There are average standards for independent sitting. The baby sits down for the first time around six months, grasping the fingers of an adult. Some start doing this earlier, others later. Sometimes parents want to help the baby, teach him to sit, speed up his development.

The sitting position provides a number of advantages: it allows you to move your arms more actively and increases your visibility. However, the child begins to sit when his body is ready for it. The muscular system must strengthen to withstand prolonged sitting.

When do boys start sitting?

It is believed that boys begin to sit a little earlier than girls. However, most pediatricians are confident that there are no gender differences in preparation for sitting; it all depends on the physical development of the baby. Boys are more mobile, so on average they develop a muscular corset faster, which leads to the ability to sit up on their own.

Of course, this does not mean that all boys sit down at 6–6.5 months, and girls do it later. Those children with whom they exercise, who are not overweight, have a chance to start first. Those who are too plump and phlegmatic will lag behind them. However, if the baby learns to sit by 9 months, this will be within the norm.

When do girls start sitting?

Regardless of gender, the rate of mastering the skill of sitting ranges from 6 to 9 months. There are pediatricians who give the palm to girls. They believe that girls, being more active, learn to sit earlier than boys. The child’s character plays an important role in this.

A child of any age needs to practice to sit up on his own. It is possible and necessary to help him by pulling him up with his fingers. Planting is another matter. For a long time there was an opinion that early sitting is especially dangerous for girls. This was explained by the fact that premature planting leads to bending of the uterus and deformation of the pelvis, which subsequently prevents one from conceiving and giving birth to a child. Modern pediatrics does not share these views, but it never hurts to be on the safe side. The girl will begin to sit down when she is ready.

Is it possible to sit down a child?

Seating a child on pillows or placing him in a sitting position in a stroller means entertaining him and giving him the opportunity to see a lot of new things. When starting to place their baby, parents are guided by the desire to speed up their development and captivate them with something unusual. Is it worth doing?

Strengthening the muscle corset and helping a child become more independent is a natural desire. However, artificially accelerating the process can cause great harm to the baby. Weak muscles will not hold the body in a sitting position; the entire load will fall on the skeleton.

If the baby is unable to maintain balance and falls to the side, do not rush him. When the spine is forced to bear the weight, the back becomes crooked, which can lead to problems with posture in school.

You can help your baby learn a new position more quickly by doing exercises with him and strengthening his muscles with massage. This can and should be done, but things should not be rushed.

Stages of a child mastering the skill of sitting

Before starting to sit down, the child needs to consistently master the following skills:

Hold your head. At 3–4 months the head stops falling, and the muscles of the shoulder girdle become stronger.
Lean on your hands while lying on your stomach (4th month). This will help you sit up on your own later.
Roll over, even crawl on stomach (5th month). At this time, the child can remain in a sitting position for several seconds if he is seated.
Sit more confidently, supporting yourself with your hands, try to sit up on your own, crawl on your stomach, sometimes get on all fours, but unsteadily (6th month).
It is good to roll, crawl, and sit successfully. Some can even sit up on their own (7th month).

At 8 months, most infants already sit down confidently and know how to take a sitting position from different positions. A correctly sitting baby does not round his back. He slightly straightens his neck and thoracic spine, leans forward, bending his lower back, and spreads his legs. When sitting, it rests on the outer surfaces of the legs.

Should I be worried and what should I do if my child doesn’t want to sit?

If a child is not sitting at 8 months, it is too early to sound the alarm. Physical development standards allow for the development of this skill for up to 9 months. If the baby continues to be unable to sit up on his own, you should pay attention to this.

The reason for the lag can be completely harmless: a little excess weight interferes, the child is phlegmatic, lazy. However, there may be other reasons for this behavior. A qualified doctor will help you determine exactly why your baby doesn’t want to sit.

Delayed physical development is caused by:

After consulting with a doctor, parents will be able to exclude or confirm objective reasons for the delay in mastering the skill. In order for the baby to sit down quickly, you need to help him.

How can you help your child learn to sit?

The best help for a baby is exercise with him aimed at strengthening his muscles. Light massage and gymnastics will help form a muscle corset. When a child begins to sit, the muscles take on the main load. The video shows how to properly engage with a child. It is recommended to do simple exercises every day:

It is important to remember how many times to do gymnastic exercises. Each movement is repeated no more than 6 times, the duration should not exceed 2 minutes.

The exercise is aimed at strengthening the back muscles and training the sense of balance. Gradually, the baby will sit more and more confidently.

Massage is also useful for babies. If you start doing it at an early age, the muscles will develop well and get stronger. Massage will help the baby master the required skills in time. If by 8 months he has not started to sit up on his own, you cannot do without a good massage therapist. Let a professional perform the procedure, as it affects the entire body of the baby. Proper development of muscles, effects on nerve endings and blood vessels have a beneficial effect on their tone and stimulate development.

If the baby has not started sitting at either 8 or 9 months, there is no need to despair. Of course, it’s worth showing him to a doctor and getting examined. However, most likely, after a while everything will go back to normal, you just need to not give up and work with the child.

What not to do?

The norm indicates at what month on average children begin to perform this or that action. However, each child is individual. Depending on heredity, health, weight, character, everyone begins to sit and walk at different times.

There is no point in rushing these processes - the baby does not try to master a new action because he is not yet ready and is not physically developed enough. Forcibly sitting down, especially against the baby's wishes, not only will not help, but can also cause stress. Strictly not recommended:

The introduction of the first complementary foods to mothers is often combined with the start of using a high chair. This should not be done, since the baby is still too small. It is better to feed him with a spoon in a reclining position.

When purchasing a car seat, you need to choose a model that is suitable for the baby’s age. The youngest should ride lying down. The chair will quickly become small, but saving on the child’s health is dangerous.

There is no need to rush to potty train your children. There will still be no results until a year later. Let the baby’s body develop naturally, at a pace that is convenient for him.

By the age of 4 months, the baby learns to roll over. By 5 months, he already shows an active interest in the world around him, turns his head to the sides, confidently takes rattles, and firmly grasps his mother’s fingers. When a child begins to sit, the parents’ joy knows no bounds, because this is a huge step in development.

You can sit your baby down with pillows and take pictures in different outfits. Particular pleasure comes from the moment when a child plays independently at the children's table, and there is time to complete some of the homework.

Age at which children try to sit

New parents often wonder at what age children make their first attempts to sit up, and how long it takes before they can do this without support. The child develops according to his nature and there is no need to follow other children whose impatient mothers sit him down at 5 months, placing soft pillows under the back. No one forces a person to form organs, hold his head or breathe. The baby goes through each stage of development when its time comes.

The approximate time frame at which children try to sit up is 4 - 7 months.

Almost all children can sit independently by 8 months of age.

One child, starting at 4 months, actively strives to crawl and then sit, while the other, calmer one, begins to sit by 8 months.

It is important for parents not to interfere in the process and not to drop off the child prematurely . A disservice in the future may result in scoliosis , deformed pelvic bones and diseases of the spine - the load on fragile bones while sitting is very large .

You should not sit down, but lay the little one on his stomach or lower him to the floor so that he can learn to crawl freely. Then the back muscles will develop more dynamically, which will contribute to good posture and proper sitting.

Stages of sitting development

Pediatricians distinguish several stages in the development of sitting skills:

5 months - the baby, reclining on his hip, can play, holding his back for a short time;
6 months - able to sit unsteadily, leaning on his arms, and easily lose his balance and fall on his side. You can plant it for a short period of time for training;
7 months - he sits better, without support or pillows, turns in the right direction without losing balance. From a lying position, leaning on the handles, he can sit up independently;
8 months - babies sit perfectly from any position - lying on their back, stomach or side.

If the baby began to sit confidently at six months, this is normal; if he began to sit at 8 months, this is also normal..

Chubby, strong kids sit down later than thin kids, since their body weight has a stronger effect on the fragile spine.

Is there a difference between a boy and a girl

People of the older generation are sure that boys can be started early, and girls at 7-8 months. But regardless of gender, Children under the age of six months are prohibited from sitting. Girls try to sit earlier than boys, but they can confidently sit a little later. If the baby is planted prematurely, in the future this can cause diseases of the female reproductive system and lead to improper development of the pelvic bones. If a girl sits up independently before six months, this is considered the same norm as for a boy.

Important: At what months do you start babying boys?

Why doesn't the child start to sit?

It is not recommended to force a baby to sit. When his bones and muscles are stronger, he will be able to sit up on his own. If a baby is not sitting well at 8 months, then mommy should not worry and desperately try to sit him down. The spine will get stronger, it will sit down on its own. It's better to teach him to crawl.

But what if the child has not acquired this skill at 9-10 months and does not even try to do so? In such cases, it is necessary to contact a pediatrician and neurologist. After the examination, they will prescribe treatment or advise how to help you sit up. When the baby rolls over, tries to crawl, but does not sit, the doctor will recommend a special massage and perform a number of exercises at home that strengthen the muscles and teach sitting.

Despite the individual development of children, there are certain norms when a child must overcome the next stage of his mental and physical development. If a 6-month-old baby cannot hold his head up (causes of head incontinence) and does not rise on his arms while lying on his tummy, he needs to be shown to doctors. Timely measures taken - gymnastics and massage - will help restore motor skills, develop correctly and catch up with lost time.

How to help your child start sitting

The main teaching methods are aimed at the physical development of the baby. This is massage, swimming, gymnastics. Savvy parents resort to little tricks - they hang rings above the crib, which the tenacious baby will grab onto while trying to rise. When laying the baby on his stomach, you can put a bright toy in front of him, to which he will want to crawl.

How much exercise do you need to do to help your baby develop fully and in a timely manner? Every day the baby is given a massage - light stroking along the arms, legs and back. At the same time, he should feel comfortable and be in high spirits. To strengthen your back muscles, you can sign up for a joint swimming pool with small children, which is assigned to the clinic. If this is not the case, you can practice in the bathroom.

Strengthening the back muscles

At 4 months, pediatricians advise doing exercises so that the baby sits up on time.

They are carried out in a convenient place on a hard surface:

Press. The child, lying on his back, grabs his mother’s thumbs. You can’t sit him down suddenly, but give him the opportunity to work on his own and hold on to his half-bent arms. If he does not want to hold on, you can carefully pull him by the handles to a semi-sitting state. Hold and release.
Airplane. The baby, who is lying on his stomach, is lifted, supporting him with his hands under the chest and under the legs, which rest against the mother. His butt and back tense, his head rises. It is advisable to hold in this position for several seconds.
From 7 months they try to pull up not by both handles, but by one, using the other as a support. Then the baby will understand how to sit up independently.

Exercises for a child from 3 months

If the child does not sit up on his own, then it is strictly prohibited:

sit him down, covering him with pillows, blankets, soft toys;
transport in a stroller with the backrest at a right angle;
transfer it to a “kangaroo” with a soft back in a sitting position. If this is a high-quality model, it has a special rigid pad that ensures that the emphasis is not on the crotch. Children are allowed to wear such accessories for no more than 3 hours;
sit on your knees (only reclining);
teach the skill of sitting in a potty. Many people think that by falling into it, the child will be able to sit for a long time.

When the baby is sitting, you need to look at the position of the head, neck, legs, and lower back.

If parents notice:

head tilted back;
straightened neck and upper spine;
bent lower back and hip joints tilted forward;
legs spread and spread outwards;
the main emphasis is on the side.

then the baby is sitting correctly. If not, his body is not ready to learn a new skill and if he takes the wrong position, he will get tired quickly.

Trying to sit independently is another step for a child to master a vertical lifestyle and a reason for parents to be proud. It must be remembered that all children develop individually. It is not entirely correct to say that a child should be able to do something within a clearly defined time frame. The time frame within which a normal child must learn to sit is quite wide: from 6 to 9 months, with deviations ranging from 1 to 1.5 months.

Do I need to sit my baby down?

All parents are interested in whether their child is developing according to norms and when he should learn various skills. Among others, the question arises at how many months can children be seated and how to help them find a new position without harming their health.

The newborn's spine is designed to be in a horizontal position. It does not yet have the natural bends necessary for an adult to walk upright. They form over time and ensure normal posture. Active children who are able to roll over independently, turn their heads, and make various movements with their legs and arms gradually strengthen their muscles and spine. They learn to sit on their own, without the help of their parents. Acceleration by parents of this process, early sitting down (because a friend’s child “has been sitting with all his might since four months”), is fraught with disturbances in the functioning of the motor system, bones, muscles and some internal organs at the stage of formation and development.

Approximate dates

The baby makes attempts to take a vertical position starting from 5 months. He already has a sufficiently developed interest in the world around him, he knows how to hold his head up well, holds objects in his hands, examines them, and rolls over onto his stomach from a lying position. The ability to sit, like any other skill, is developed consistently. If the pediatrician, orthopedist and neurologist observing the child do not find any serious disorders in him, at 6–6.5 months the baby will sit for a short time, unsteadily, with support . The muscles of the back and abdominals are already quite well developed in children at this age. But when sitting, they need support on both hands or on one of them; they quickly lose their balance and fall to the side.

By 7 months, the skill of sitting without support on the hands is developed. The child is able to sit for longer periods of time while maintaining balance; sits down from a prone position with the help of his hands.

By 8–9 months the skill improves. The child can sit for quite a long time, sits down from a lying position, lies down from a sitting position, and maintains balance when turning the head and body to the sides. But even a one-year-old child can help himself with his hand when sitting down. Gradually, the muscles of the abdomen, pelvis and thighs become stronger and the need for hand help disappears.

Some children master crawling, stand at a support and take their first steps in a crib or playpen before they begin to sit up. This is also the norm. Going to a sitting position from a pose on all fours is quite comfortable, and it happens naturally.

All parts of the body should be in the correct position when sitting. Parents should ensure that the child's head is slightly tilted forward, the chin is down, and the neck and upper spine are straightened. The hands initially serve as support and are in front; at 7–8 months they are occupied with play objects. The lower back is bent. The hip joints are bent and provide a slight forward tilt of the torso. Legs spread, turned outward; the main emphasis is on the lateral surface of the leg. A persistent violation of the position of at least one part of the body is a reason to contact a pediatric orthopedist or neurologist.

A premature, low-weight baby or, conversely, a large, inactive toddler will sit up on his own a little later, since his muscle corset may be sluggish. The pediatrician will prescribe a massage, and parents are advised to do strengthening exercises, exercise on a rubber ball, and give the child the opportunity to swim in a bathtub or pool.

Exercises to strengthen the muscle corset

It is quite easy to determine what a set of exercises should be aimed at. If a child does not keep his back straight, or rounds it, it means that he has weak back muscles; if you fall back, you need to strengthen your abs; falls to the side - the lateral muscles require attention:

1. To train your back, you need to place the child on a hard surface with his back to you, holding him firmly by the legs and lightly supporting him by the stomach. In this position, lightly press on the child’s back so that he leans forward. After holding the tilt for 2-3 seconds, you need to push the baby with your hand under the stomach so that he straightens up.
2. Exercises for the abdominal muscles are performed from a supine position. The right hand reaches for the left leg, and the left hand for the right. During this gymnastics, the baby should not be fixed in a sitting position for more than 4–5 seconds.
3. The lateral muscles are strengthened through circular movements. To do this, the baby, lying on his back, needs to put his thumbs in his hands, lift him slightly above the surface (30–45 degrees) and swing him left and right and back and forth. This should be done slowly and smoothly. Sudden movements will bring discomfort and even deterioration in well-being.

What should you avoid?

It is a mistaken opinion of some parents that the child is lazy and needs to be hurried: sit him down, or even sit him in pillows, so that he gets used to the new body position. If the baby does not begin to sit up on his own, this means his muscular system and skeleton are not yet ready for this stage. Any attempts to sit down a child who does not yet know how to sit and keep him in this state will lead to serious problems with the spine and deformations of the pelvic bones in the future. For now, you cannot carry him in a stroller with a vertical back, carry him in carriers and backpacks in a sitting position (only reclining), sit him in a high chair or in your arms at home, in a clinic, or on a bus. You can hold the baby on your lap in a reclining position, facing or with his back to you. The haste of parents in this process also affects the psycho-emotional state of the baby. The vertical position, while still unusual and uncomfortable, causes fear and uncertainty in many children; it is no coincidence that they cry and try to take a familiar position.

The later a child begins to sit, the more beneficial it is for his spine. But lying on your stomach and crawling must be supported in every possible way. When the child is lying on his stomach, you need to place an interesting object or a favorite toy at a short distance in front of him, to which he will try to crawl. If you hang bright, attractive rings over the crib, the child will train himself: from time to time he will try to grab onto them and pull them towards himself, thereby lifting himself up.

If a child sits up on his own before reaching six months of age, he can be in a sitting position for no more than one hour a day, because the muscles and spine are not yet ready for such loads. The effect of novelty from unusual body sensations leads to the understanding that while sitting it is more interesting to observe everything that is happening around. Having learned to sit with support, the baby will strive to take this position as often as possible. Returning the child to a horizontal position is not only useless, but also undesirable: it can slow down natural development. If parents notice that, having learned to sit, a child under 6 months of age spends a long time in this position, he needs to be distracted, held in his arms, walked around with him, or looked out the window.

A child's attempts to sit up on his own at 3-4 months are considered extremely early and may be associated with muscle hypertonicity. A consultation with a neurologist is required.

When the baby is still sitting unsteadily, leaning to the side or backwards, it is not recommended to correct him every time. Gradually the muscles will get stronger and he will stop falling. You should not cover your baby with pillows, as it will be very difficult for him to change position whenever he wants.

Do boys sit down before girls?

The age at which a child learns to sit (crawl, stand, clap his hands) does not depend on gender. What matters is only the physical development and mental readiness of the baby for a new stage of development. You may come across the opinion that boys can be taught to sit down before girls. Regardless of gender, it is harmful to sit down both a boy and a girl under six months old. A relationship has been identified between early sitting up of children and the development of scoliosis and poor posture at an older age.

In girls whose parents began to sit until the child does it himself, disorders of the development of the pelvic bones are subsequently revealed. Deformed bones can create problems when it comes time to give birth many years later: the birth canal will be blocked and labor will be longer and more painful. But the bending of the uterus as a result of early sitting down of girls is a myth. Research shows that uterine deviation is not a pathology, but a structural feature of the female body, which occurs due to inflammatory processes in the pelvis or is genetically determined.

If a boy or girl at 7 months, as at 5, cries, does not want to sit on something hard or in the arms of an adult, and tries to lie down, then this means only one thing - the child himself does not feel ready to see the world from a new position. Maybe he will crawl and even stand up first, and only then will he master sitting. This is within the age norm, and there is no cause for concern if the pediatrician does not find mental development delays in the child, and the baby himself knows how to roll over, and from time to time makes attempts to crawl or kneel down. It is recommended to consult with a specialist who will determine whether there is a delay in motor development. As a rule, physical exercise, massage and water treatments help.

All parameters within which a child’s indicators should “fit” are aimed at average children. Each baby is unique, so his individual development will follow his own path.