5 games to encourage your baby to sit alone

Some games, such as rocking the baby, placing the baby on his back and sitting the baby with pillows, help to strengthen the muscles of the back, neck and tummy, encouraging the baby to sit up on his own.

Generally, the baby starts trying to sit up around 4 months, but can only sit without support around 6 months, while some babies can sit up alone around 1 year of age.

However, the age at which a baby sits up alone can vary from one child to another, because several factors can interfere with this process. Therefore, if you have any doubts about the baby’s development, it is important to consult your pediatrician.

Tips to encourage your baby to sit

Some games that can encourage your baby to sit alone are:

1. Rock the baby

To encourage the baby to sit alone, you can sit on the floor, place the baby on your lap, facing the person responsible and rock him back and forth, holding him well. This favors the strengthening of the back muscles, which are essential to help keep the baby sitting without support.

2. Sitting the baby with pillows

Placing the baby sitting on the floor with several cushions or pillows around him improves the baby’s confidence, encouraging him to stay in a sitting position. Then, you can gradually remove the number of pillows until the baby can sit up alone.

3. Placing a toy in front of the baby

When the baby is lying in the crib, on the rug or on the tatami, you can place a toy that he likes very close so that he can try to pick it up and sit down to play.

It is possible to start with small distances and then increase the space in which the toy is placed. This encourages the baby to make more effort, stimulating both sitting and crawling movements.

4. Pulling the baby into a sitting position

With the baby lying on his back, hold his arms and gently pull him so that he also struggles and sits up with help. After sitting for about 10 seconds, lay the baby back down and repeat the movement. This exercise helps strengthen your baby’s tummy and back muscles.

5. Placing the baby on his back

Place the baby in the crib or bed, face up and show him a toy encouraging him to stretch his arms and get up. This way, the baby will begin to strengthen the muscles in his back and neck, until he is finally able to stand up and remain sitting.

See the video below for other tips to help your baby sit up alone:

How to avoid accidents

To avoid accidents, you can buy a child-sized pool float to place around your waist. This way, if the baby becomes unbalanced, the float will cushion the fall. However, it is important to never leave your baby alone.

It is also advisable to be careful with the corners of furniture, as they can cause cuts. To protect these corners, you can use cushions or purchase rubber protection from children’s stores.

Furthermore, it is also recommended to always leave the baby sitting on the floor, on a rug or tatami, and remove objects that could hurt him or that could be swallowed from his reach.