7 things to do when a baby is not sitting up at 9 months

A baby’s first year has lots of milestones that are so exciting. The little one tries to learn and develop lots of skills and as a mother, you are eager to watch them achieve these milestones. You are even willing to help them out to ensure they are doing well, just like other babies.

One of these milestones for babies is sitting up. Sitting makes both you and your baby thrilled as it helps them realize that they can look around and see more of their environment and explore their world more.

People believe babies should be able to sit up with little or no help at 6 months while others argue that it should be between 8 to 9 months. As true as the arguments are, let’s not forget that babies develop and reach different milestones at their speed.

Things That Show Your Baby Is Ready to Sit

• Head control: One of the early signs that a baby is ready to sit is head control. You will notice that your baby will be able to raise his head and hold it up steadily all by himself while he lies on his tummy. This shows that the muscles in the baby’s head and neck are becoming strengthened.
• Baby rolls over and may push themselves up when they lie facing down.
• The baby may be able to sit well for a short time if positioned upright with lots of support to ensure they don’t topple and fall.
• Baby can roll in both directions and will try to push themselves into a sitting position where they support themselves with their hands on the floor. This position is called a tripod position.

7 things to do when a baby is not sitting up at 9 months

Babies need lots of practice to learn how to sit upright. They need to master how to be able to control and balance their weight, which requires strengthening of muscles and constant practice.

You can help your baby learn to sit up in these ways:

• Holding the baby upright on your shoulder so that the baby will try to use the muscles of the neck to control the head position.
• Allowing the baby to practice and explore different body movements. Just stay close to the monitor.
• Let the baby lay on their back and play, kick, and try other body movements. This will help to strengthen the flexor muscles.
• Sit the baby up and keep your hands on his lower trunk and move your hands farther down the trunk when you feel the baby is more stable. With this, the baby will learn to keep himself up using the muscles of the tummy.
• Don’t rush to pick the baby up if you notice they are falling over, instead just gently make them fall on the back or belly. This helps them know how to use their stomach muscles and hands to balance themselves when about to topple.
• When your baby sits on the tripod position, make his favorite toy dangle in his front. The toy will be an attraction and make him reach up with one or both of his hands to get the toy.
• Encourage baby tummy playtime by placing your baby on his tummy and let him spend time there playing while you supervise. This is very important as it helps the baby to exercise and develop their shoulder, back, and neck muscles. You can start with a few minutes several times per day and gradually increase the time. Getting on your tummy too and looking at the baby at the same eye level is also a great way of encouraging them to stay longer on their tummy.

How to Position Your Baby to Sit Up

Here are some positions to place your baby to help him sit up freely:

• Make the baby sit between your legs on the floor to allow the baby to sit and play confidently, knowing that they are safe between your legs.
• Place the baby on your lap in a sitting position and sing or read books to him.
• Make your baby sit and surround him with pillows to ensure the places around the baby are well padded so they can freely practice and fall safely. It is very important to make sure the pillows used for this padding do not slide away easily.
• Make the baby sit in a tripod position.
• Put your baby on a Bumbo chair. The Bumbo chair usually has a table where you can place toys, place toys on the tray, and the baby may try to reach the toys and play with them. So, they must sit up to be able to grab the toys. This will help them to exercise and master the skill of sitting up.

Reasons Baby Is Not Sitting Up at 9 Months 

If a baby cannot sit up independently by the time they are 9 months, it may not be a reason to worry as some babies are late boomers but it may also be a sign the child has motor skill delay. So, it may be best to consult your pediatrician.

Some other signs of motor skill delay are:

•        Tight muscles
•        Inability to sit even with the assistance
•        No strong head control
•        Baby seems floppy
•        Does not reach for objects or bring them to mouth

Other reasons a baby is not sitting up at 9 months are:

• If the baby spends lots of time lying down in the cot
• If the baby was born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. This may cause a delay in development when compared to other babies.

What Else After Baby sits Up

The next milestone after the baby sits independently varies for different babies. Although these set of developments are expected:

•        Lunging the body forward and balancing the hands and knees
•        Trying to get up to a standing position
•        Crawling on the floor
•        Taking the first steps with support
•        Walking independently

Conclusion

Babies gradually learn to sit up independently between the ages of 3 months to about 9 months. They are usually ready to sit when they have good head control and they need lots of practice and encouragement from you to be able to perfect this skill of sitting up even at 9 months.