How to Help Your Baby Sit Unsupported

Sitting is a skill most babies are ready to start working on around 4.5-5 months old. Sitting is super important for some of the upcoming milestones - especially starting solids! We want babies to be solid sitters (pun intended) - in addition to other signs of readiness - before they start eating purees and solid foods. These skills prepare them to bring food to their mouths, move food around in their mouths effectively, and swallow safely. I brought in the Physical Therapist on the EPS team to help us learn all about sitting!

So, how do you teach your baby how to sit?

Before your baby can sit independently, your baby must be able to:

• Support themself on extended arms during tummy time

• Hold their head upright when supported in a vertical position

• Weight shift side-to-side while playing on their tummy (think reaching for toys with one hand or the other)

Some babies will push themselves up to sitting from tummy time by pushing up on their arms, then pushing themselves allllll the way back into a sitting position (almost accidentally at first). Other babies will need more support to get into a sitting position until they figure out how to get there on their own.

Does that mean you can’t put your baby in a seated position if they can’t get there on their own? No!

All babies develop differently. As long as baby is willing to weight shift and move out of sitting without getting stuck indefinitely, you can help your baby get there! Just like any other motor milestone, some babies just need a little help getting started.

A great way to practice is to work on moving from sidelying to sitting. When your baby is lying on the ground on their side, help them get their bottom arm underneath their body and shift their weight while extending their arm until they’re sitting up!

When sitting alone, it usually starts as a “prop sit” where your baby will hold themselves up using both arms on the floor for support, and then maybe one arm (like the picture below).

When prop sitting or learning to sit, you should sit behind or beside your baby, or surround them with pillows in case they lose their balance. As they get more steady, they can start reaching for a toy with one hand at floor level, then hip level, then shoulder level, and finally overhead! Don’t expect them to master sitting without support overnight - it takes a few weeks of practice to build up the strength and balance for independent sitting.

So, what about all those fancy “seats” out there? Do they help baby learn to sit?

While they are great if you need a moment to go potty in peace or get something out of the hot oven, those seats are still just “containers” and won’t teach your baby how to sit. Sitting requires lots of muscle activation, and all those fancy seats do the work for your baby by holding them upright. Many of these seats also don’t put babies in the optimal sitting position. They force babies into a rounded position of their spine, which is the opposite of what we’re aiming for when working towards independent sitting. So, use them sparingly for convenience and aim to work on sitting during floor time!

Sometimes you do have to put baby somewhere safe while you cook or use the restroom. See our Physical Therapist & Occupational Therapist approved containers here.

And learn more about Container Baby Syndrome in this blog.

Other fun ways to work on sitting

• Put your baby in a laundry basket with some clean laundry or towels. Surround baby with the laundry for support and throw a few toys in. It might give you a few minutes to get something done while your baby is supported but still able to move their body more freely and work on sitting. Just make sure the basket is deep and heavy enough that your baby can’t tip it. Diaper boxes work great, too.

• Sit in front of the couch with your baby on the edge of the couch. Hold them by their waist and move baby side to side, front to back and bounce up and down. You want to see your baby keep their head upright and in midline, and be able to start correcting their head and trunk position as you move them in different directions. You could also use an exercise ball or pile of pillows on the floor to mix it up.

• Grab a ball and sit on the floor with your baby between your legs a few feet away from a wall. Help roll the ball to the wall so it bounces off and comes back to you! Once your baby is more steady, you can sit across from your baby and roll the ball back and forth. Just don’t forget to put some pillows behind your baby in case they tip over!

Sitting Milestones

Most babies can sit with support (prop sit) between 5-7 months and we expect babies will be sitting independently (without any support) by no later than 8 months. If your baby isn’t showing signs of sitting independently by 7 months, or you have gross motor concerns, remember you can self-refer to Early Intervention (in the USA).

“Check and see” instead of “wait and see!”

This Play Resource was made just for you:

THIS BLOG CONTAINS COMMISSIONABLE OR AFFILIATE LINKS.