When can my baby sit?
It's a small topic - but one that I get asked about very, very often. It's about the question: When is a baby allowed to sit?
I don't want to spoil anything. But the question is actually answered very quickly and banal: a child sits when it can sit.
But it's not quite that simple. There are a few aspects to consider and things to understand.
It is certainly not a good idea to sit a child who is not yet able to sit - and to stabilise them with cushions, for example.
What is not a problem at all, on the other hand, is if you take a baby on your lap for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour and let it lean against your breast.
In the same way, the child can be raised a little from time to time - but only for a short time.
However, the most important thing for a baby is to be able to lie down and kick freely. And this is not just for physical reasons. Because nature is pretty clever: a child only straightens up when it has developed to the point where it is ready to be exposed to more sensory impressions.
And that is also my main point: if the child sits too early, takes on new perspectives too soon, it is confronted with impressions for which it is not yet ready and prepared.
Please be patient - your child can sit for another 90 years. It just needs to lie down for a few more weeks. Wait until your child is ready - and can sit without assistance. Until then, let your child lie down and look at the ceiling or at mummy's beautiful smile and daddy's pretty eyes. That's enough to keep him busy.
The conclusion is - once again - the crudest of all paediatrician wisdom: Grass doesn't grow faster if you pull on it.
Further interesting tips
Sleepwalking
Today we're talking about somnambulism. This is neither something naughty nor something to eat - but quite simply: sleepwalking.
Fontanelle
Today a topic that isn't really a topic at all: the fontanel. In other words, the gaps in the bony skull of babies. Although it has no medical significance, there are always questions about it. So here's everything you need to know about the fontanel.
Drowning
Anyone who knows me from practical experience knows that I am usually very relaxed and not very anxious when it comes to parenting and development issues and often advise people not to take a too tense view of things. But when it comes to today's topic, there is simply zero room for compromise. It's one of the most important issues in paediatrics: the risk of children drowning.