Learning to Sit by Falling
Last week I told you that if you want your baby to learn to sit, then the best place to start is with more tummy time.
Let's be real, though… no one can resist sitting their little bébé up on the floor to see if they can do it themselves. So, here is what I want you to know about placing your baby in sitting👇🏼
Every little wobble brings in a flow of information to your baby's brain, and elicits a balance response. In the beginning, these responses will be big and over correct, usually causing loss of balance. But with practice, your baby's body learns how to fine tune its balance response.
If you want to help this process along…
Try this:
Allow falling within a safe environment.
A.K.A protect their head by placing pillows around them.
Experience with falling helps important reflexes emerge: Protective Extension & Head Righting.
Protective Extension will emerge around the time of independent static sitting. This is when your baby reflexively puts their hand out to block their fall, and regain sitting balance.
Head Righting, which emerges during rolling, is another reflex that helps your baby bring their head back up to midline to regain sitting balance.
P.S. This information is for educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for skilled physical therapy intervention. While I am a physical therapist, I am not your child's physical therapist. If you have questions or concerns about your child's health and/or development, please contact your pediatrician.