When do babies sit

Updated on

Nicole Wendler holds a PhD in biology in the field of oncology and immunology. As a medical editor, author and proofreader, she works for various publishers, for whom she presents complex and extensive medical issues in a simple, concise and logical manner.

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

From when babies can sit is individually different. Many of the curious little ones are already trying to sit up when they are physically unable to do so. In fact, the baby must have strengthened its muscles while crawling so that it can sit on its own. Read here whether you should practice sitting with your baby and when children can safely sit alone.

When can babies be seated?

It is not possible to predict exactly when babies will start sitting. Some children develop faster, others slower. Monthly figures always only correspond to the average. Before your baby can sit up, they go through the following developmental steps:

• By around three to four months, most babies can hold their heads on their own. You are getting more curious every day. Soon, looking up is no longer enough for them, they want to see more of their surroundings - and of course that is best done while sitting.
• At around four or five months, sitting on the lap of mum, dad & Co. might work with a little support, but when do babies sit alone? It still takes a while from sitting in Mum's arms to sitting freely.
• Babies start crawling at seven to ten months, pushing their buttocks up, and crawling on all fours. Only at the end of this phase, around ten months old, can most children sit freely on their own.

Basically, the question "How many months can a baby sit?" so do not answer universally. Every child has their own rhythm and preferences. Be patient. Every development step takes time. If your baby is already crawling safely and quickly, it will certainly not take long to sit securely.

Don't worry if it takes your child longer to sit on their own Each child develops at their own pace.

How does the baby learn to sit?

In order to learn to sit, the baby has to move around diligently. Why exercise is so important becomes clear when we consider how tightly curled up the fetus lies in the mother's womb. At birth, the spine is still curved like a "C". Together with the weak back muscles, these are not a good prerequisite for sitting.

Sitting requires a strong back

It takes the entire first year of life for the child's backbone to assume its double S-bend, which is so important for an upright walk. Until then, your baby has to train quite a bit:

The first thing to do is to strengthen the shoulder and neck muscles so that the head can lift and the cervical vertebrae stretch forward. At this point, however, the baby still lacks sufficiently strong back muscles to be able to sit. Therefore the little one has to crawl diligently. If the muscles in the abdomen and back are well trained, the twelve thoracic vertebrae stretch. Even then, the spine is still fairly round. But it can be enough to sit down. It is only when children begin to pull themselves up and stand that the six lumbar vertebrae bend and the final double S shape of the spine is formed.

Prerequisite: mental development

In order for babies to learn to sit, they not only need strong muscles and a largely double S-shaped spine. It is also crucial that certain neuronal structures develop and connect brain structures in the cerebellum. External stimuli, i.e. seeing and hearing, provide important impulses for this.

When are babies allowed to sit?

An hour in the seesaw, a ride in the car seat or a walk with the backrest upright in the child seat - most babies enjoy the new perspective. But what do orthopedic surgeons say when babies are allowed to sit? When answering this question, it is important to distinguish between active and passive sitting.

Passive sitting

With passive sitting, for example, a baby can sit on your lap with outside help. Or it holds on with both hands so as not to lose its balance. Most babies enjoy this new prospect.

However, babies should not remain in this position for long periods of time. So do not support it with pillows or sit it in the high chair for long periods of time. Otherwise it can damage the spine.

In order for babies to learn to sit, they need to move and train their muscles. Then they will soon be able to get up from lying to sitting on their own.

Active sitting

Active sitting means that the child can sit freely on their own and does not have to support themselves with their hands or hold onto them. It then has this free for other things, such as eating.

If your baby can sit freely, you can feed them in a high chair. Make sure that there is a surface for the feet and a table to support the arms, only then can your baby get up and straight in the torso and relieve his spine.

Don't sit too long!

Even if the spine and muscles allow the baby to have relatively good stability when actively sitting, sitting for a long time is not good! Having to stay in an upright position for several hours is harmful to a baby.

If you are sitting for a long time, for example when driving a car, plan breaks in which your child can let off steam and move around sufficiently. Your child's spine and muscles need this break from sitting.

Can you encourage sitting with babies?

Driven by external stimuli and its exploratory spirit, every baby trains all by itself. Prone position, seals and crawling stimulate the muscles. As parents, you can and should support his urge to move. For example, interesting things in the area make the child curious and encourage them to move towards the exciting object. Give your baby the opportunity to do so. Let your child gather new impressions outside in the meadow, in the sandpit or in the water. But always make sure that the environment is safe for the little adventurer.

As long as children are interested in their environment, are making progress and their motor skills are more and more perfect, parents do not need to worry about when the babies will learn to sit - the little ones will reach this milestone in their development at their own pace.

Tags:  healthy feet palliative medicine magazine