When Did Your Child Start Sitting up Unattended?

Don't remember exactly because my son is almost 3 now but it definitely was between 7 and 8 months. No sooner than that and I remember wondering (like you) when he would. His ped is probably just speaking in general terms. Don't worry!

6-7 months but they are all different, i would not stress it yet, he is only 6 1/2 months.

M.

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I would say that you have a very responsive Pediatrician who is aware that developmental milestones are important guidelines, and speaking as a parent who had children that missed these milestones and had a pedicatrician ignore them, I would say be happy that yours is aware of them, and keep vigalant if this turns out to be a trend and not a case of one milestone being on the late side of typical.

That being said, there is no reason to stress about not sitting up without falling over just yet, but thank your lucky stars that your pediatrician is going to catch a developmental delay sooner than most would, which is the very best care you can get. Keep in mind, children who are just a few weeks off in getting a milestone look just like kids who have a real delay. If yours turns out to be that kid, you will be very grateful for the earliest possible intervention, and if it turns out not to apply to your son, you can rest assured that someone's son out there was the recipient of early intervention such that they have a real chance to be a typical is your child will turn out to be. Bravo for you Pediatrician. I would not change, and I so wish I had such a proactive doctor when my daughter was little.

M.

Every child is different on development. My 1st child was sitting on her own by 7.5mo., but she perferred the bumbo. 2nd child was around the same 6--7mo. She's got high expectations, but maybe he will be in that time!

Have you tried sitting with him between your legs? He'd have some support and would mostly be on his own. I'd do that and make a game out of it & didn't realize til now that that may have helped.

Good luck & I'm sure there's nothing to worry about!

Sorry but your ped in being unreasonable and it get's to me when they say things like this to parents and cause unecessary worry , especially if they are first time parents. My 3rd daughter didn't sit unaided until she was 8 months old , all kids are different and will do it in there own time , 6 months is just a guideline , some babies do sit by that age but many do not. At your next appointment if he still isn't sitting by himself and the doctor says anything I would politely say that at the moment you are not concerned and you are going to give him a little longer , and if by say 8 months he isn't sitting then you will talk about it again with him/her.

Don't worry he sounds perfectly normal to me.

I don't think my oldest daughter (now 4) ever sat up unassisted. She would always topple over so I always put pillows or something around her for support. She started crawling right on time and even started walking early. I think there was just something about the proportions of her body that made her a little top heavy.
I wouldn't worry to much. Sounds like your son is headed in the right direction. He probably just needs to build a little more muscle and figure out how to keep his balance a little better.

My son was about where your son is at 5 months and by 6 he was sitting on his own. He didn't really like tummy time then but loved to sit with his toys and play so at first I would sit with him between my legs and space him so that he was at first leaning on both sides and then as he got better I would just space him so there was more room between his body and my legs. Of course you need to be a little flexible to do this. As he was starting out I made sure I spaced his legs very far apart and put his toys far enough in front of him that he needed to lean far forward to reach them. Both helped with his balance and not too much longer he was sitting longer and longer on his own.

Don't worry so much about what time things are supposed to happen. He will sit on his own and the time that it takes him is not a reflection of anything bad that you're doing or his development. Guidelines can be good cause they help us know what to expect when but they're not so exact that you should worry if he's not fitting in the norm. Child development is not a competition. and no-one should make you feel that way. If you're really worried about it spend more time playing with him sitting up.

Good Luck!!

My son is 6 months old and he's been sitting on his own for a few weeks now, but he does topple over from time to time and he can't get to the sitting up position by himself without lots of help. I give him as much time as I can in a safe place like his crib or the middle of my bed with toys he can reach out for and play with while sitting. I also place a boppy pillow behind/around him while in the crib to lengthen the time between topples and me going in to sit him back up. Just keep letting him practice and he will build the muscles to be able to do it on his own in no time. Also, don't let guidelines for milestones get in the way of appreciating them as they come. Like others have said, all babies are different and have their own pace when it comes to things like this. I don't think you should be worried, and I think the pediatrician was most likely just trying to be funny and encouraging to your son, not judgemental, and if she was truly worried she would have made a bigger deal out of it.

I don't remember, but don't worry - just play with him on the floor for a few minutes in the morning and evening so he gets time to work on his balance and core muscles. Put toys a little out of reach to he has to lean a bit to get them. Each time you change his diaper, have him sit up by holding his hands and letting him pull up (abs workout). Just a few things a few times a day worked in to your normal routine.

My son started sitting up right when he turned 6 months. My friends daughter started sitting up at 4 months, and I have heard of babies sitting up around 8 months as well so it is not uncommon for it to take a little longer for some.

Babies have to go through some pretty specific stages of development in order to thrive, yet in today's world, we are so concerned about the health of our babies that we may sometimes actually hurt their development! For example, we don't put them on their bellies so that they don't get SIDS; we put them in carriers, swings, and pouches, and they don't develop the neck, shoulder, and back muscles they need to be able to roll over and evenually sit up. This is the TLR reflex which you see when your baby does the "superman" when you hold him over your head. Also it shows up when you put him on the floor on his tummy and he holds his head up. This is NOT muscular yet (at 3 months), because he hasn't developed the muscles; it is a reflexive action. The muscles actually develop from doing this reflexive action over and over again. And the only way for this to happen is to have tummy time on the floor.

So play with him. Lots. On the floor. On his tummy. Do this several times a day, and he will do fine. If you want to learn more, look up Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex, primitive reflexes, or neuro-development. Have fun with your son. they are so little for such a short time! (My boys are 16 and 18!)

K. Johnson, MS Ed

My son is just over 7months & has been sitting without support for maybe two weeks. He still topples over after a while if he gets tired. I think it just takes time for them to practice & build the muscles. If you have a boppy or pillow that goes around, you can have him practice sitting in there with you helping him at first. Just do short stretches of time at first. Remember, it's exercise for him, so a few minutes here and there throughout the day will help him build his muscles. Within a couple of weeks, he'll be sitting more steadily on his own for longer periods of time.

I don't appreciate that dr. giving the baby a "deadline." I would consider switching drs. There is a range of time during which your baby will reach each stage and you have to let him develop in his own way. Keep letting him sit up with support such as a boppy or between your legs and his muscles will develop.

Ignore the ped! Or find a new one. You cannot put an exact timeline on these things!!!! They are GUIDELINES! My older son sat, rolled, crawled and walked "late" according to the guidelines. He is a bright, "normal" 30 month old.

My secon one is 6 1/2 months and sits up unattended, but falls here and there as he reaches for toys.

Your son seems fine. I recently switched peds b/c I was tired of hearing the broken record of "shoulds". Found one who can recognize a healthy normal baby when they see one!

My daughter did not sit by herself till she was 8.5 months. However my son did so when he was 5 months. Every child is different.

I would respect the peds opinion, but when your child shows back up and he still isn't sitting up, there is no reason to throw the red flag. Just like most said, each child is different. My son waited until around 8 mos until I "trusted" him on a hard surface to sit up. He was also huge! Most bigger babies take longer, but even if yours isn't big, he will figure it out. As long as there is progression each week, ie; getting stronger, can sit up longer w/ out falling, there should not be anything to worry about.

My daughter started sitting up on her own at 7 months, but even then, she'd sometimes flip backwards, so we had to make sure to put a pillow or boppy behind her. My daughter was born 4 weeks early, though, so she was about a month behind.

I think your pediatrician is just trying to give you a sense of what is likely to happen in terms of developmental milestones in the next few weeks, but they are not set in stone. As I'm sure you've seen from looking at your friend's babies, all babies are different. I have twin boys and they reached milestones weeks apart from each other!