From Slouched Sitting to Upright Independence: Tips to Help Your Child Get There!

By Catherine Andrasko PT, DPT, PCS, SCS

Typically, sitting is a skill developed over 5-6 months. Initially, children may struggle with sitting independently, displaying a floppy posture and reliance on external support. This coincides with the introduction of solids around 6 months, increasing high chair use, where immature sitters may slouch due to insufficient core strength.

Container-based seats are discouraged as they hinder independent sitting development, potentially delaying skill acquisition.

Studies have shown being able to sit independently may provide not just more sitting experience, but also qualitatively different sitting experience. In particular, independent sitting may offer unique opportunities for caregiver-infant interaction i.e bonding, face to face interactions, etc.

Here are a few ways to help your child learn to sit more independently:

Sit behind them or use a boppy pillow
Providing support at the child’s chest or hips, or using a boppy around their waist (always supervised!) as a means of stabilization will help assist your child with the balance required to stay upright. It introduces the skill and allows your child to practice successfully. Remember, your child is a blank canvas and because their primary form of play has been on the floor, the motor plans and body awareness have not developed yet. Providing external support with your hands or a soft surface (not a seated container) will help to create a stress free new play position. Our suggestion: start on the floor with your child, after a few days when they seem slightly more stable, allow the boppy to assist you

Keep toys at eye level and limit putting them on the floor
Keeping toys at eye level helps to keep your child’s gaze more upright. By putting a toy on the floor, their attention will follow via their gaze and soon their head and trunk will be bending forward. Because children’s protective extension and propping are still immature in this phase, they don’t understand how to push themselves back upright. Keeping toys at eye level helps assist with balance and body awareness while maintaining their body position. Try using a push toy facing in front of them, or use their activity mat with fun hanging toys at eye level to engage their gaze. 

Play with hands to feet and practice rolling
Speaking of floor play, facilitating or encouraging your child to play with hands to feet and practicing rolling helps to build core strength. Hands to feet engages some of the flexor muscles and deeper core musculature while rolling helps with the oblique muscles and rotational stability

Practice trunk and head righting
After four months old this reflex emerges to allow your child’s eyes to stay level with the horizon. While in a sitting position on a parent’s lap, and gently tilted to the side, your child will innately sidebend their trunk and head to orient themselves. This is a great way to build trunk and core strength in your little one to help them maintain an upright position! 

Propped sitting
Teaching your child to sit while propped on their hands is the first way they will maintain sitting balance independently. As their arms, shoulders, and trunk get stronger, they will push off from the ground and engage with toys rather than use their arms for the support

So as your child progresses through their milestones, use these tips to help them be successful in the next step. Sitting is positively correlated with standing and walking outcomes as well as learning and social interactions!