How to teach a child to sit

Do not try to teach the child to sit too early - if his spine and muscles are not enoughare developed, it will not bring any benefit, only harm. Boys can begin to learn to sit at about five months, girls - a little later, in six months (if it's too early to start teaching the girl to sit, this is fraught with the bending of the uterus).

In order to teach the child to sit, you can use special exercises. However, before this it is desirable to make a babyrelaxing massage, massaging your back, stomach and limbs. After the massage, put the child on his back on a hard, level surface (for example, a table). On a soft surface the child will be uncomfortable, so the bed will not be the best choice.

Now you can start the exercises. It is necessary to take the child by the hand and very gently pull on himself until he sits down. Allow the baby to sit for a few seconds, afterwhich is exactly to grab his head and put it very gently on his back and give the child some rest. Most likely, after two or three weeks of such exercises the child will learn to sit confidently enough.

Some parents impose pillows on the child,to prevent falling to the side or back, or use a special foam or foam support in the form of a horseshoe for greater stability of the baby. However, the whole point is that the child must learn to sit by himself, without any support. At first, such devices can be used to help the kid solve the problem, but they should not be abused.

By the age of seven months the child will be able to sit alone for a long time, and if he gets tired from sitting, he will be able to lie down on his back. From this age, you can begin to show the child how to sit down alone. Instead of pulling him by both hands,pull only one, and place the second in the support. Relying on one hand, the child will be pulled to the other. About eight months the baby must learn to sit on his own.

If the child is sitting, leaning on the handles, you can wean him from this, using balance exercises. Toys will help you in this. Engage the child with his favorite or new toy, moving it one way or the other. Carried away by the toy, the kid will reach for it with handles and, accordingly, will cease to rely on them. So gradually the child will learn to use the muscles of the trunk to maintain balance.

To prevent a fall, during this exercise it is better to be with the baby on the floor, putting him between his elongated legs: in case of loss of balance, he can use them as a railing (do not forget to put a blanket on the floor or vacuum the carpet well).

At first the child will drag along with the toy with one hand, and the other will continue to be supported. But with time His balance-keeping skills will improve, and he will begin to stretch to the objects with both hands and even begin to take the objects that are behind him.

Please note that despite the existence of some generalized standards for the development of the child, someone starts to sit on their own a little earlier, someone - a little later. Therefore, do not panic if yourthe child does not develop "according to the standard". But you also do not need to rush to the other extreme, letting everything go in its own way: if you observe significant developmental delays in your baby, do not postpone your visit to the pediatrician.