Should my 7-month-old baby be able to sit up independently? Sitting up is a 7-month milestone, but some babies do it better than others. I don’t know if Clarisse, born 2 weeks ahead of schedule, can be considered premature. Premature babies may often lag in milestones compared to other on-term babies of the same age. I wonder if there’s anything I can do to help her sit up on her own faster. Having underestimated the importance of tummy time, which I should have started a lot earlier, I wouldn’t want to make the same mistake here. So I did some searching …

Before your baby is able to sit up independently, there are a few things she needs to master:

• Hold her head up steadily
• Roll over in both directions
• While lying on her belly, be able to use her hands to prop her head and chest up

Baby Clarisse, a few days shy of 7 months now, is able to do all that. So the next step would be to see when she could sit up on her own.

Sitting up, much like rollover, crawling, standing and walking, depends on the baby’s large motor skills. It has to do with large motor strength, coordination and frequent practise. I suspect getting a late start on tummy time might have delayed my baby’s ability to sit up independently.

Heeding the advice from friends, family and reading materials, I’m spending more time with her on a well-padded mat to get her physical. Just firm enough to soften the impact if she tumbles forward and falls face down. There’s no specific spot-training to help her sit up independently I’m afraid. All I can do is help her practise and strenghten neck and trunk muscles needed to sit up on her own:

• When lying on her back, I’d hold her hands and slowly pull her up to sitting position
• Gently maneuver her from belly-down position to a sitting position.
• Gather and put pillows around to prop her up when sitting upright.
• When in a stroller, I’d put a pillow behind her back to push her up into sitting position.
• In her cot, I would place her near the side so that she could sit upright while holding onto the rails for balance.

I am very interested to know how you help your baby develop her strength and balance for sitting up independently. Please share your tips and advices.

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