Baby can't sit steadily at six months old

The baby's motor development is very regular. There is an old saying: lift at two months old, roll over at four months old, sit up and walk at six months old. This means that a two-month-old baby can lift his legs and arms, learn to roll over at four months old, can sit up by himself at six months old, and can try to learn to walk after one year old. When a six-month-old baby first starts learning to sit, his muscles are still relatively weak and he cannot sit very steadily. It is also not advisable for him to sit for a long time, otherwise it will easily lead to spinal deformity.

1. Is it normal for a six-month-old baby to be unable to sit steadily?

It is generally normal. Babies usually start learning to sit at six months old. It is very common for them to be unstable at first. Moreover, each baby's developmental standards are different. For some taller and fatter babies, their coordination and body control abilities may be affected by their body shape, and they may learn to sit up later. About 80% of babies are able to sit up for a few minutes without support by 8 months.

2. Why can't a six-month-old baby sit steadily?

1. Due to insufficient training

Many parents are too indulgent towards their babies, depriving them of the space for free development. In short, it is because children rarely play on the ground and their movements are not trained enough. Naturally, babies will learn to sit slower than other children and will always be unstable.

2. Wearing heavy clothes

If your baby cannot sit steadily, it may be because it is winter and the baby is wearing too thick clothes that cannot support the weight of his small body and has difficulty moving, so he always cannot sit steadily. Parents are advised to take off their baby’s heavy clothes and train their baby to sit after turning on the heating or air conditioning.

3. Caused by malnutrition

If your baby cannot sit steadily at 6 months old, there are two possibilities: one is that he develops slower than other children, and the other is that he is not getting enough nutrition, with insufficient breast milk and he refuses to eat formula. Children under one year old mainly get calcium from milk. It is recommended that they go to a pediatrician for a comprehensive check-up. If there is no problem, you should pay attention to the feeding method. Add complementary foods in time and feed milk powder if the milk supply is insufficient.

What to do if your six-month-old baby cannot sit steadily

1. Pull-up training

It doesn't matter if the baby learns to sit slowly, as long as the baby is healthy and does not look weak, there is no big problem. In addition to supplementing the baby with calcium, the mother should not be impatient and lose her temper with the baby. Instead, it should be supplemented with certain pull-up and sit-up training, each time controlled at about 5 minutes, and gradually extended to 15-20 minutes. At the beginning, the body will shake from side to side, but it won't be long before the waist will be straightened.

2. Sitting training

Let the baby sit against the back of the sofa or on the mother's chest. You can also use pillows to support the baby's back or sides (to prevent falling) for training. At the beginning, the baby will lean forward or sideways, but after a period of practice, the baby can slowly leave the support and sit alone for a while.

3. Sitting alone training

The mother can put some toys in front of the baby, enticing him to grab them and then play with them in his hands. This can train the baby to sit alone for a longer period of time. Generally, babies need to be 8 months old before they can sit up steadily without any help.