GM.A.43 SITTING, ROTATES TRUNK, PLAYS FREELY WITH ARMS

The child is now very competent in sitting and uses her hands for play rather than support. She should be sitting with a straight back.

She will experiment by herself with different leg positions now, depending less upon her legs for stability. However, the preferred position is still with legs apart and rolled out, and low-toned babies should be helped to avoid this position (see GM.A.12).

The baby now begins to use rotation in sitting – a big jump forward. When she rotates, she brings the shoulder on the weight-bearing side towards the unweighted hip, thus twisting her trunk. She will not have this rotation fully under control yet, so that if she transfers her weight too quickly she will still fall unless she props herself quickly with her hand. But she is well on her way towards achieving this full control.

How to Assess

Method: Place the child in sitting, with toys placed at her side. You can offer her toys, and

talk to her, to encourage her to turn. Score plus if she obtains the toys by rotating, or twisting, her trunk and then sits straight again.

How to Teach

Here are several ways to help your child perfect this skill.

Sit her on a large beach ball. Slowly and gently move the ball to the sides, front and back, and diagonally, waiting for her to correct her balance.

Proceed as above, but hold both her hands and her feet together, so that she can’t use her hands or legs to balance herself, but must use her trunk muscles. Make this a game – if she doesn’t enjoy it, she won’t learn from it.

Sit her on a balance board (a rectangular board with rockers at each end) and slowly rock her to one side then the other, waiting each time for her to right herself. Give her something to hold so that she does not grip the board.

Sit your child in the middle of a seesaw and tip her from side to side. Then place her longways, forward and backward. Again – no holding on!

Sit your child on your bent knees and tip her every which way. She must use her trunk to balance, not her hands.

Sit her on a stool or chair and tip it, waiting for her to right.

Continue carrying, picking up and putting down, and nursing, building in her rotation.