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| |    Sitting Up: What It Means for Your Baby by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. reviewed by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. Sitting up literally gives babies a new perspective on the world. They can look down or across at things, rather than always staring up from below. They can crawl, roll, or scoot over to something of interest, then have both hands free to examine it. At the same time most babies first start to sit on their own, their growing finger dexterity allows them to play with objects in more interesting ways. For example, if you give a sitting eight-month-old baby two small blocks, you might see her compare them, bang them, pass them from hand to hand, turn them over and over, chew on them, drop them, and throw them. (You'll probably have to wait a few months before she stacks them, though.) This is a far cry from her play just two or three months ago, when picking up a block and mouthing it was her entire repertoire. Can you teach a child to sit up? Most children teach themselves to sit up when their brains, nerves, and muscles are mature enough. You can sit a child up again and again and devise exercises to strengthen his trunk and back, but even if he does sit a bit earlier, it won't make any difference in the long run. (He'll probably enjoy all the attention, however.) If you talk with him the whole time, you'll definitely be stimulating his language development, but that's about it. The most important thing to do to help your child sit up is to give him an opportunity to try it out. That means letting him spend some time each day on a rug or the carpet, or in a playpen, where he's free to experiment with a whole range of body movements. After he can hold his head and trunk steady in a sitting position, he can sit in a highchair. Be sure to use the safety strap--falls from highchairs are common and frightening for everyone. Most important, you or another adult should always stay within eyesight while your baby is in a highchair. Upright bouncy seats are fine to use once a child is strong enough to sit up straight. They may be good for strengthening the legs, but they don't help a child develop the balance needed to sit unaided. Also, unless you're watching the whole time, they can be dangerous. Walkers are particularly dangerous and probably should not be used. It only takes five seconds for a child to walk one down a flight of stairs, often resulting in serious injuries. And because they don't encourage a child to sit on his own, they may even delay the normal development of sitting skills. The line of stationary infant seats, which don't allow babies to walk around but simply spin in a saucer-shaped toy, were designed to address the hazardous nature of walkers. However, they don't do anything for sitting ability, either. Delayed development The average age for sitting up by oneself is about seven months, but I generally don't get concerned until about nine months. Even then, if a child is really close to sitting unsupported but hasn't quite mastered the balance, there is usually no cause for concern. When a child has a true problem that results in delayed sitting, the most common cause is cerebral palsy an abnormality of muscle strength and coordination caused by an underlying problem in the brain. Cerebral palsy can result in some muscles being too tight and others too loose or weak. Babies try to compensate by tightening up other muscles, sometimes resulting in new difficulties. Therapy for cerebral palsy focuses on strengthening weak muscles, stretching and loosening tight ones, and teaching children how to use their muscles most efficiently.
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