As your child grows and develops, they go through a timeline of gross motor development and achieve certain milestones. During their first few years of development, it is crucial that they gain certain gross motor skills. These gross motor skills allow us to do tasks that involve large muscles like the torso, legs, and arms. They are what help us move and become independent.

What you may not know, is that in order for your child to achieve these skills, other specific gross motor skills must be achieved first - think of it as building off of a solid foundation - these skills are the building blocks of motor development. Gross motor skills set a foundation for other new skills to develop. These gross motor skills include everything from moving, sitting, crawling, and walking, etc.

Postural stability and a correct sitting position are so important in development, to help your child achieve all the building blocks of gross motor development. We’ve discussed crawling before… and in today’s blog we are focusing on the importance of sitting. Here are some important things to keep in mind when your child is working on developing proper sitting, postural control and strength…

Babies begin to tripod sit (sitting while propping up on hands) between 4-6 months. Anywhere from 4-9 months, babies learn to sit on their own, unsupported by their hands and using their core muscles. In addition, during this time, from 6-10 months, babies will begin transitioning from sitting to prone (on hands and knees) in order to crawl.

When learning how to sit, babies often use their legs and feet as a base for support, and sometimes even their hands. The contact that is used to support them allows them to use their full body in various ways. As they use their full bodies, they also learn how to balance themselves to stay up-right. Their tummy and back muscles develop and learn how to work together to achieve successful upright sitting posture and in addition, they get stronger in the process!

Gross motor skill development is so important in order to allow other skills to develop and strengthen, such as bilateral integration skills (using both hands together) and fine motor skills. As a baby’s postural stability and sitting becomes strong and independent, other skills will begin to flourish. This is why they are so important to develop properly. When impaired sitting posture and weak torso muscle tone is observed, other factors should be taken into consideration and therapy intervention will be crucial in helping baby ensure all gross motor milestones are achieved.

Call us or talk to your child’s therapist if you have questions on your baby’s gross motor development and sitting posture/development. We are always happy to help!