When Do Babies Sit Up?

Babies look extremely cute when they start sitting up on their own and begin playing with their toys independently without needing anyone’s support. Sitting is an important developmental achievement which gives a child a new outlook of the world in front of him and at the same time grants him a new level of independence. This article is going to provide you details on how a baby sits up, what developmental stages does he have to go through and how can you help your baby in learning how to sit up properly.

Gaining the ability to sit up independently can open up new doors of discovery for a baby and he would become able to view his world from a whole new perspective. As his back and neck muscles get the required strength and he gets enough control over his head and legs, activities like crawling, standing and walking become that much easier for him.

Most babies are able to begin sitting up when they reach the age of 4 months. However, some of them might need more time and start sitting independently when they become 7 months old. Until this time, the baby would definitely have learned how to roll and would be able to hold his head up too. As the baby reaches the age of 8 months, he becomes able to sit upright without toppling over for many minutes. However, toppling over is not uncommon even for those babies who have learnt how to sit up independently as they seem to become tired of sitting upright for longer periods.

When Should You Be Concerned?

You should start getting concerned about the development of your child if he does not regain head control until the age of 4 months. Moreover, if he does not start sitting up on his own even at 9 months of age then you must consult your physician immediately.

Do keep in mind that premature babies may learn to sit up, as well as other developmental milestones, later than their peers.

How Do Babies Learn to Sit Up?

Even though babies can be propped up in a sitting position with support from the day they are born, they cannot start sitting up independently on their own until they have gained head control. After learning when do babies sit up, here is how the sitting develops:

Timeline	How it develops
3-4 Months	At this stage, the baby’s neck muscles are strengthening at a fast pace and would have gained enough strength to let him raise his head while lying on his tummy. Soon his shoulder muscles are going to become strong enough to support his body and he will start putting weight on them and pushing his chest up as if doing a mini pushup.
5-6 Months	When the baby reaches the age of 6 months, he will be able to sit up properly, keeping his head and back straight. However, he would not be able to stay in this position for long and would require support to remain seated. At this stage, it is best to surround him with pillows so that when he topples over, he won’t get hurt. As the baby reaches the age of 6 months, he would figure out how to keep his balance when sitting in an upright position and start using his arms to gain support.
7-8 Months	By the age of 7 months, the baby is able to sit upright without support and does not even has to rely on his arms to retain balance. He would most likely be able to turn around while remaining in a sitting position to reach for a toy with his hands. Soon he is going to gain the ability to sit up from a lying position too by using his arms to pull him up in a sitting position.

How Can You Teach Babies to Sit Up?

You can help your baby in learning how to sit up on his own by using the following tips. First watch a video and then read on for more tips:

Tricks	Description
Build Core Strength	The first thing you would have to do is to build the core strength of the baby. In order to do this, you will have to strengthen the core muscles of the body which include his backs, sides, thighs and trunk. The task of strengthening these muscles together can be performed by making use of an exercise ball and practicing balance-reinforcement techniques with the baby.
Do the Sitting-up Motion Several Times a Day	You can teach the baby how to sit up by teaching him how to do it as well. Just go through the motions of sitting up with your child for about 5 to 6 times throughout a day. The whole routine of how the baby should be sitting up should be followed each time so that his muscles memorize the movements and soon he will start doing them on his own.
Provides Support for Your Baby	Another way to teach your child how to sit up independently is to become a bumbo seat for him. Keep the child in between your legs while sitting on the floor and prop him into a sitting position. Now let him correct his balance on his own and do not provide any kind of support unless he is about to topple.
Use Toys to Motivate	Using toys as a means of motivation is another great way of teaching a child how to sit up. You are going to have to pick the toy that you child likes most and dangle it in front on him just out of his reach. Now encourage him to sit up in order to get his hands on to the toy.
Let Him Play with the Toy Once He’s Sit Up	Having taught your child how to sit up and retain balance, it is a good thing to let him be on his own for a while. Give him a toy and let him play with it while watching from a safe distance. He is definitely going to want to sit up and play with the toy and this way would learn how to sit up and balance himself on his own.

watch a video for more on babies’ motor skill development milestones: