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Sometime between five and eight months of age, most babies begin sitting up by themselves. A lot has to happen before a baby can sit up by herself. Once these prerequisite skills are mastered, you should soon see your baby sit up.
In order to sit up independently, a baby has to have strong back and neck muscles. She also has to have an ability to balance her head. She has been strengthening these muscles and practicing this balance by pushing up while on her tummy. This is one of the reasons why tummy time is so important. She has to use her muscles in order to grow strong.
Your baby may go through a stage of "tripoding." This is when a baby starts on her tummy and pushes up with her hands so that her body forms a tripod - her bottom and two hands are on the floor and her head is up. She can use this position to look around at her surroundings. Tripoding gives babies the ability to enjoy the perks of sitting up (a whole new view!) without the strength and balance needed for sitting up fully independently.
No matter when your baby begins to sit up, make sure that you keep cushions and pillows around in case she topples over. She is top-heavy and, therefore, it is difficult for her to keep her balance indefinitely. Also, she may fall over from muscle fatigue - sitting up is hard work!
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