When is Sitting Okay?
If you have been sitting your baby, set your focus now on finding new options rather than on doing the “right” or “wrong” thing. It is useful to sit a baby occasionally to assess abilities, perceptions, and movement tendencies. If you are using a highchair for eating, use this as sitting time and lie down during playtime. If you want to bring Baby up higher to see what’s going on, cradle him on your lap in the crook of your arm so that he’s leaning against you, not having to negotiate gravity to hold himself up. You are a living, moving being and will be in tune with him; he will move as you move and you will better notice when he needs to shift.
Gently helping locked knees to release
Is Baby ready to sit?
No, if:
- She can’t get into it by herself
- When sitting, he leans forward over his legs,
- Tilts to one side, or
- Falls backward
- Her legs are always very wide-spread
- His torso is curved in any direction (including bending forward)
- She rolls backwards on her pelvis, rounding her spine
Yes, if:
- She can get into sitting by herself
- He looks well-balanced and responds easily to going off balance
- Her spine is upright, sometimes with the quality of “floating”
- He is able to look around and reach for toys in different directions
- Her legs start out spread in a V, but she finds new options over time by bending in one or both or side-sitting
A typical child will have the rest of his life (40, 60, 80, 100 years?) to sit and walk. It is well worth the extra time now to build up all the important steps for the healthiest foundation possible!
Coming up next: Part 3, trying it for ourselves and “laying the tracks.”
© Elizabeth Parker 2011, All Rights Reserved
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