Well, today I get to officially bring you a blog post featuring my newest little peanut. This is Norah’s first time in the spotlight here on How Wee Learn! The time sure is flying right on by, no matter how badly I try to slow it down. This sweet little baby is 6 months old already.

She is a strong little babe and will be sitting in no time. I thought I would write to you about a few of the games and activities we are doing at home to help her learn to sit. 

I bring you this post with a bit of a twinge. I remember very vividly being a first time Mom and googling, “How to help a baby learn to sit”. I googled it in a bit of a panic, I recall, as my doctor had informed me it was a milestone my firstborn should be meeting at around 6 months of age. My darling daughter, at that time, was 6 months and 2 DAYS! SHE WAS BEHIND!! 

I can assure you that this lovely first babe of mine did indeed learn to sit. And the fact that she did it slightly later than ‘typical’ had absolutely no lasting effects (though she is definitely a Type A personality, for which I take full responsibility). 

Please remember that all baby’s learn to sit in their own time. The biggest gift we can give these baby’s of ours is the gift of time. It is hard (really hard!) but please try to not compare your little one to others. Sitting is a skill that comes with time. Lots of little muscles need to strengthen before sitting can happen.

But this doesn’t mean we can’t have fun helping baby learn to sit! There are lots of fun ways we can help strengthen those muscles and get our baby ready to meet this exciting milestone.

***Please note that I am no expert whatsoever in this area. I am simply a Mama sharing my experience. If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development, how to help a baby learn to sit, or anything else, please speak to your baby’s health care provider (or your Mama). ***

First of all, giving baby time on her tummy is a fabulous way to help strengthen those little muscles. I will share a post with you shortly that has some fun tummy time activities, as I know it is not a favourite past time of many little babes (or Mamas).

Secondly, hold babe in lots of different positions. Facing out, facing in, laying, sitting on your lap ,,, switch it up often. You likely are already doing this! There’s the ‘bending down to pick up a toddlers toast crust hold’, the ‘I need one more hand so I’m going to hold you with my chin hold’, and of course the, ‘taking my coffee out of the microwave just to put it back in again in an hour hold’. All of these different positions help to strengthen different muscles as baby holds herself slightly differently with each one.

Now, as for how to help baby learn to sit:

A great place to start is to hold baby on your lap. Begin by supporting her fully and just get her used to that position. Sing some songs and have some fun! Try holding baby around the middle and let her work on holding her shoulders and head steady. If that is easy peasy, try holding her hips or thighs as she sits (of course watching to be sure she doesn’t tumble!) This allows her to use those tummy muscles and re-balance herself to begin to become more stable.

Try using a nursing pillow behind baby as she sits on the floor. This works well for some little ones as it offers just a bit of extra support at the lower back. 

My babies have all tended to learn forwards when learning to sit, toppling in. A great way to help baby to sit straight and tall is to hold a toy (or your hands) at eye level, encouraging baby to look up and sit taller. 

I have also had luck playing with two different leg positions in helping my baby learn to sit. The first one, that we use most often, is having baby’s legs out in a V shape. This seems to give my little ones the best stability.

Another option is to create a circle with baby’s legs, having her little feet touch together. I haven’t found my baby’s have done particularly well with this position when learning to sit, but perhaps your baby will!

There you have them! A few tips and tricks on how to help a baby learn to sit. I hope they help you and your little one have some fun as you are putting in all the time your little one might need to master this skill. 

My little Norah, who is my 4th baby I have helped learn to sit, gets the relaxed Mama who knows all will be well, even though she is 6 months and still topples regularly when trying to sit. This Mama now knows time is all she needs. And perhaps this 4th babe of mine will not develop such a killer Type A personality? Time will tell …

Thank you so much for reading friends.

xo
Sarah