Development & Milestones

Sitting Up

Sitting development: First sits with support (4-6 months), then sits without support briefly (6 months), then sits steadily and pivots (7-9 months).

Babies usually master sitting before crawling. Opens up new ways to play and explore! Strong core muscles from tummy time help with sitting.

Toppling over is normal when first learning - provide safe space with soft landing.

What to Do

Start practicing: Prop baby in corner of couch or Boppy pillow with supervision
Sit on floor with baby between your legs for support (hands-free sitting)
Place toys in front of sitting baby to encourage reaching and balance
Let baby topple over sometimes (on soft surface) - they learn to catch themselves
Create safe practice space with pillows around (not for sleep - just practice)
Avoid overuse of containers (bouncer, jumper, walker) - floor time is better
Look for tripod sitting first (hands forward for support) before hands-free sitting

When to call a doctor

Call doctor if baby can't sit with support by 8-9 months, has very stiff or very floppy tone, or shows loss of milestones previously achieved.

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Babbling & Early Speech

Speech development: Cooing (2-3 months), laughing (3-4 months), babbling single sounds "ba ba" (4-6 months), babbling with variety "ba da ma" (6-9 months), first words around 12 months. Babbling is practice for real words! Babies experiment with sounds and learn language rules by listening and repeating. Responding to baby's sounds encourages more talking. Have 'conversations' by mimicking sounds back.

Development & Milestones

Crawling

Crawling typically starts between 7-10 months, but range is wide (6-12 months is normal). Many styles: traditional hands-and-knees, army crawl (belly on floor), scooting on bottom, crab crawl (backward first). Some babies skip crawling entirely and go straight to walking - this is normal! Once mobile, serious baby-proofing is essential. Baby can get into dangerous areas quickly.

Development & Milestones

Hand-Eye Coordination & Reaching

Hand-eye coordination develops gradually: Batting at objects (3 months), purposeful reaching (4 months), grasping successfully (5-6 months), transferring objects between hands (6-7 months), pincer grasp (8-10 months). Early reaching is inaccurate - baby swipes at objects and misses. With practice, becomes more precise. Grasping starts as whole-hand "raking" motion, progresses to thumb-finger pincer grasp. Crucial for self-feeding, playing with toys, and later writing skills.