Hi Dan,
Our son is now 7 months old, and he’s sitting up on his own, rolling all over the place (barrel rolling), and gets himself into a crawling position (all fours) and rocks back and forth a lot. I’m happy with the progress and letting him get to his milestones naturally and with encouragement, as I learned from your class! We have him with a nanny all day, and I said to her that the best place for him to be is on the floor with lots of tummy time still. Are there other types of positions/seats that I can put him in so he doesn’t have to be on the floor all day, and so he can experience other parts of the world? I don’t want to get him a bumbo, exersaucer or walker, since I don’t think those are good for his legs or back. Maybe his high chair and table with toys on his eating tray? Or safely sitting up on the couch, so he sees more activity?
Would love your thoughts on this!
B
Dear B,
I agree – your son has learned so much in such a short time, and it seems likely that he’ll be crawling soon. I agree with you that the floor is still the best place for him to be, but we all need a change of pace now and then. Now that he’s sitting independently (which to me means he can bring himself to sit) I’d recommend that it’s perfectly reasonable to set him up in a highchair to play for 10-15 minutes or so for a little novelty. What type of highchair you use does make a difference. I found that my own son sat remarkably better (taller and with more possibility to twist and turn in any direction) when he was in a Stokke “Tripp-Trapp” highchair than he was in the first one we had which was more akin to an old-man’s recliner. If you have a big cushy recliner type highchair, I’d highly recommend considering something with a firm, flat seat like this. There are plenty of similar modern chairs on the market now as well and they are designed to be used for years. In fact, my 11 year old still sits on hers at the dinner table! I think this would be a much more ideal option than the couch. The other thing to keep in mind is how to vary his environment down on the floor. This is a good time to make sure you have toys that will easily roll away such as balls or cylinders which will motivate him toward crawling. There should also be some sturdy boxes or step stools, around for him to pull toys off of, and perhaps to bring his hands onto in order to come towards a kneeling position.
Take care and be well,
Dan
