Sitting up is a major milestone for your little one – it requires strength, balance, and control, all of which take your baby some time and hard work to develop.
While many wonder if there’s a specific age when should babies it up, it’s important to remember that every baby is different and will learn to sit at their own pace. The typical age to start sitting can range depending on the timetable of your unique baby.
In this article we’ll go over when do babies start sitting up on their own on average, how to encourage your infant to sit up, exercises to help baby sit up, signs your little one is close to reaching the sitting up milestone, and reasons why baby can’t sit up yet and when to worry.
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When Do Babies Sit Up on Their Own?
“When do babies start sitting up?” is a common question for parents to ask their healthcare provider or friends in the early months of babyhood.
The truth is there are different stages of sitting and each baby has their own timetable to begin sitting with support and sitting on their own.
When your baby has head control, meaning they can hold it upright without wobbling, they are getting ready to sit up on their own. Generally, infants start to be able to sit up with support between 4 and 6 months. Around the time babies can sit up you can also start introducing solid foods.
As they get stronger babies may start to be able to sit up by themselves for a few seconds, if helped into a sitting position, before tipping or wobbling. By 9 months, most are proficient at sitting without support.
Once your baby has the strength and balance to sit comfortably without your support, they will soon develop the strength to move in and out of a seated position – followed by crawling, cruising, and eventually walking.
How to Teach an Infant to Sit Up
Your baby must develop the head, neck, and body strength and balance to stay upright and sit up on their own. So, while you don’t technically teach an infant to sit, there are multiple ways to support their development and encourage them to reach the sitting up milestone.
- Tummy Time: One of the most helpful exercises to help baby sit up is tummy time. Tummy time can start when your baby is a newborn and continue until your baby is sitting and eventually crawling.
- Floor Time: Spending time on their back is another muscle building activity. It allows your baby to kick their legs and move their arms freely which can assist in learning how to roll over and sit in upright position.
- Supported Sitting: Another activity is to sit on the floor with your baby between your legs with their back against your bellt. They may lean back on you or sit leaning forward with their hands on the floor for support. This is a great way to introduce them to being upright and help with balance. You can help your infant sit at this stage for longer periods of time by having them lean on you, by sitting them in your lap, or by propping them up with pillows. Always support your infant with your hands during this time of development.
- Pull to Sit: When baby can lift their head while lying on their back, try to gently hold both of their hands and pull them into a sitting position. This can be a fun game while also a great strength exercise.
- Seated Playtime: If baby is comfortable in a sitting position, surround them with toys that promote sitting up, books, or stuffed animals to encourage them to turn their head, twist their body, and reach in many directions while balancing. As proficiency increases, toys can be placed further away so baby learns to lean and reach with one arm and return to sitting. This is a great core strengthening activity.
Overall, give your baby lots of playtime on the floor to build body strength and coordination needed for sitting independently. As always, never leave baby unsupervised as they start sitting up.
Are baby seats recommended to help babies sit up?
Many experts believe while baby seats can be helpful for feeding or providing a safe space to relax, they likely won’t help your baby learn sitting skills.
This is because baby seats may limit an infant’s natural ability to kick, turn their head side to side, wiggle, explore, and move in the way needed to develop the strength and coordination to achieve milestones such as sitting. The seats also don't help your baby figure out how to shift their body weight which could impact the development of balance.
Signs Baby is Ready to Sit Up
As muscle strength and balance are built, your infant will show more signs that they are getting ready to sit. Even though it takes time for babies to start sitting up on their own, they may start showing signs of readiness to sit on their own as early as 4-6 months before being able to sit independently anywhere from 5-9 months.
Signs baby will soon sit up may include:
- Rolling Over: Babies often start to roll from back to tummy and vice versa before they begin sitting, which is a sign of strengthening core muscles.
- Pushing Up During Tummy Time: If your baby starts to push up with their arms during tummy time, they’re developing the strength necessary for sitting. Your baby will begin to hold their head up steadily without support. This is a key sign that their muscles are developing for sitting.
- Reaching for Toys While on Their Stomach: When babies reach for objects, they are developing the balance and coordination needed for sitting.
- Propping Themselves Up: If your baby is trying to push themselves up into a sitting position by propping on their hands, this could be a sign they are close to sitting independently.
- Grabbing Feet: When babies begin to bring their feet to their mouth while lying on their back, they're engaging their abdominal and upper body muscles, showing increased control.
- Playing with Toys While Sitting: If your baby can sit with support and use their hands to play with toys or reach for objects without toppling over, this shows they have developed the coordination and balance necessary for sitting independently soon.
- Sleep Regression: If your baby is starting to practice their new skills of sitting, you may notice some disruptions in their sleep, whether it be shorter naps, frequent wake ups, or difficult bedtimes. Take this free 3-minute sleep quiz to make sure your sleep schedule is optimized to get through your baby’s sleep regression quickly – or try out sleep training to help your baby get back on track once they perfect the skill of sitting.
- Interest in Solid Food: Often the readiness for solid foods goes hand-and-hand with the ability to sit up. Your baby should be able to sit up and have solid neck control before starting solid foods. However, if your baby its up and is refusing solid foods, that’s often normal, too.
Remember, all babies are different and develop the skills and milestones at their own pace and in their own way.
The Stages of Sitting
Babies don’t immediately start sitting up independently. There are different stages they go through as they develop more strength and balance needed to sit.
Sitting with support
A supported sitter is a baby who can sit with your help. At this stage they don’t have the full strength and balance to be in an upright position unassisted but may be able to reach for items around them or hold their head or neck up for a short period of time. Oftentimes the supported sitter age begins between 4-6 months.
Prop sitting or tripod sitting position
Prop sitting, also known as the tripod sitting position, is when your baby can lean forward on one or both hands to balance in a sitting position. This position provides extra balance and helps the baby maintain a sitting posture before they have developed all the core and upper body strength needed to sit independently.
The off balance or wobbly stage
At this stage your baby is working hard to manage their balance while sitting independently. They often look wobbly or will sit with their arms out to maintain their balance. A baby in this stage of sitting can easily tip to one side, so often needs to be spotted or supported as they practice being able to sit up on their own.
Independent sitting
Independent sitting requires your baby to balance. Balance is achieved when baby has the strength to control their body weight from left to right and forward and backwards. It takes practice and time and will happen at your baby’s pace – the American Academy of Pediatrics says this often happens by 9 months.
Functional sitting
Sitting independently and transitioning from tummy or crawling into a seated position and back down again, around 7-11 months, is functional sitting. Surrounding your baby with toys and books can encourage them to practice these transition skills and continue to explore their surroundings.
Safety When Infants Start to Sit Up
It's important to not leave your baby unsupervised as they start sitting up.
Once your baby is sitting up without support, it's also time to start thinking about creating a safe environment in preparation for the crawling and walking to come.
Whether you choose to babyproof are not, here are considerations for ensuring you create a safe sleep and play space for your baby:
- Cover all electrical outlets with electrical covers.
- Secure low cabinets with cabinet locks.
- Block stairways with baby gates.
- Cover stove knobs with stove guards.
- Keep choking hazards, poisonous materials, and other potentially dangerous items out of reach. This includes safety around starting solid foods.
- Lower crib mattress.
- Fasten safety belts on highchairs, strollers, and baby seats.
Ensuring your baby’s nursery is set up safely also becomes even more important as your baby starts to sit up – soon they will be able to stand and reach for things on their own! The Smart Sleep Coach by PamperTM app is designed by pediatricians and sleep consultants to take the guesswork out of setting up your baby’s sleep environment.
When to Worry if Baby is Not Sitting Up
Every baby develops uniquely, and when babies sit independently can change from baby to baby. However, if your baby is not sitting without support by 9-months-old it could be a sign of a gross motor delay.
Other possible signs of gross motor skill delay include:
- Stiff or tight muscles
- Floppy movements
- Reaching with one hand only
- Weak head control
- Not reaching for objects
If you have any concerns about your baby’s development, discuss with your healthcare provider
Final Thoughts
Sitting is an exciting time for your little one. When baby sits up for the first time, their world becomes an even bigger place to see and explore. There is so much to look at! Sitting independently also sets the stage for future milestones, such as crawling and walking.
If you're wondering when do babies sit up or are concerned about your baby reaching their sitting upright milestone, reach out to your healthcare provider or pediatrician. They will monitor your baby’s developmental progress and let you know if there is a concern about your baby not sitting up by a certain age.
When babies sit up on their own is a big milestone and brings your little one step closer to being on-the-go. Enjoy these joyful sedentary moments, because in no time, your baby may be running – and by then, there is no looking back!
