The Play Space
Sitting skills.
You don’t need a fancy seat for your baby to learn to sit up. The floor will do the trick.
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Continuing to prioritize tummy time provides your baby with the opportunities they need to develop the balance and strength required for maintaining sitting, as well as learn how to get in and out of sitting on their own. The more tummy time, the better!
Just a heads up: If you begin practicing sitting, don’t be surprised if your baby wants to sit all the time.
Especially if they don’t enjoy tummy time or rolling. Sitting takes very little effort, while tummy time is a workout. But rolling and crawling milestones originate from tummy time, not from sitting.
So don’t forget about the importance of tummy time, even after your baby begins to sit.
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The key to helping your baby progress from propped sitting to unsupported sitting is setting their sights higher.
You’ll want to have some taller toys on hand. A toy that is about chest height is handy for your baby to put their hands on for support in sitting.
Elevating a toy encourages your baby to lift their head and bring their gaze upward and sit up taller. It also encourages them to let go of support and reach for the toy, which challenges their sitting balance.
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Helping a baby learn to sit can feel like balancing an egg. Every little wobble brings in a flow of information to your baby’s brain, and elicits a balance response from your baby.
In the beginning, these responses will be big and over correct, usually causing loss of balance.
But with practice, your baby’s body learns how to fine tune its balance response. In the meantime, keep lots of pillows around as a crash pad.
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As your baby’s sitting skills develop and they become more and more stable on firm level surfaces, try introducing a variety of sitting surfaces.
Sitting on surfaces with different levels of firmness (soft to firm), inclines and declines, and uneven surfaces (like a blanket over grass) can help your baby learn about how gravity affects their body in relation to the world around them.
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You do not need to buy a seat for your baby in addition to a high chair.
There’s no need to support your baby in a sitting position for play before they are able to sit independently. A piece of equipment like this will not help your baby develop sitting skills, and does not offer any opportunity for your baby to learn to sit on their own.
But, if this type of device is a non-negotiable in your home, look for a seat that positions your baby’s hips higher than their knees. If your baby’s hips are lower than their knees, it will make it very difficult for them to engage the muscles that are used for sitting. Their hips and back are slouched and their head is positioned too far forward.
Seats make it impossible for your baby to move around on their own, it limits opportunities for sensory input from the world around them. If you need a way to safely contain your baby, consider using a pack ‘n’ play that allows for free movement.
If babies are unable to sit unassisted, the best way for them to engage with their environment in a curious way is on their tummy.
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The highchair your baby is sitting in has a lot to do with your baby’s postural control.
If it seems like your baby has a lot of wiggle room to lean over in their highchair, make sure it has a foot rest, and try tucking a rolled towel behind their back.
If you already own a highchair that does not have a foot rest, there are add-on foot rests available that do the trick nicely.
A foot rest helps “ground” your baby. Without one, they will feel like they are floating in their seat, making it much more difficult to sit upright. Try sitting on a barstool and removing your feet from any support while you try to eat. Not so easy, is it?
The rolled towel provides added stability around your baby's trunk if the seat is too roomy. You can wrap it around their sides, if needed.
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The corner of couch, a low laundry basket or a sturdy box all make great places to practice sitting skills. See the activities section for how to use them.