GM.A.48 SITS UNSUPPORTED, DOES NOT FALL WHEN REACHING TO THE SIDE

The child now sits with beautifully straight back. She has developed such good trunk control that she depends less on her legs to stabilise herself and can sit with them out in front and closer together.

The baby’s increased trunk control enables her to freely rotate her body and shift her weight onto one side to obtain a toy without falling. If she were to move too far off centre, she could either regain her balance as described in GM.A.47 or she could use her arm to stop herself falling to the side, as in GM.A.49. These 2 new skills make sitting the baby’s most functional and favoured position.

In this item we look at the baby’s ability to reach to the side when playing, that is, her ability to maintain balance when it is not threatened by external forces.

How to Assess

Method: Sit your child with toys near by and watch her as she plays. Score plus if she maintains the sitting position and can reach to the side without falling.

How to Teach

Use the exercises described for earlier sitting skills, especially GM.A.30, GM.A.34, GM.A.35 and GM.A.43. If your child is ready, go on to GM.A.49.

A new put down and pick up position is to hold your child under 1 arm and around her opposite thigh. Hold her away from your body and then place her clown on or pick her up from the floor. This position builds in that all-important rotation and lengthens the weight-bearing side.