Is it dangerous? Baby sits at 5 months

[Anonymous]

My 5 month-old baby began to sit down by himself. I've heard from some family members -- mainly older generation -- that it's dangerous for a baby younger than 6 months old to sit down (may hurt his vertebra). Is that true?

[Anonymous]

Do you mean your baby can get himself into a sitting position by himself or you put him down in a sitting position. Why would it be dangerous?

[Anonymous]

I put him in sitting position and he stays like that for a few minutes before he loses his balance. They say it may hurt is Vertebral Column. I didn't see anything about this in any of the baby books, but wanted to check if anybody else has heard about this.

[Anonymous]

No, it's totally normal for a baby to sit at that age.

[Anonymous]

I have never heard that it is dangerous for baby to sit. Do you use a bumbo or bebe pod? They are essentially sitting when they are in those. If you are very concerned call the doctor and ask.

[Anonymous]

My son could sit in tripod position (supporting himself with one hand) at 3 months. He didn't sit up by himself, but could hold himself up unassisted. I was cautious not to sit him up, but when we were at 3 months check up and he sat like that, his doctor got very excited about how strong he was and never advised us against it.

Do not worry, if baby gets tired, he'll topple over. So be sure to have lots of padding around him, but still free to lay down if he wants to.

I think those seats or contraptions that hold babies up in upright or sitting position are fine, but they limit baby's ability to change position if tired. Use those only for 10-15 minutes at a time.

[Anonymous]

My DD was sitting at three months, and at four months could hold herself in a standing position, and cruising just short of six months. Very early on everything, and it did not cause any type of harm. I believe it's a bunch of bunk, and you shouldn't listen to it.

[HrCreuzi]

It's not dangerous at all. Most babes I know have sat at that time.

What they may be thinking of is that some of the pack carriers that have babies legs dangling have been shown to occasionally correlate to some lower spine issues in babies under 4 months. But there's nothing that says it causes them.

[Anonymous]

Many, many babies sit at 5 mos. It's a developmental milestone.

[Anonymous]

my DS sat up at 5 months. I think that if a baby is able to do something like sitting up, crawling, etc., then his/her body is ready for that activity.

[Anonymous]

As others have said, it sounds like your baby is ready to sit!

One reference book you might find useful is "The Baby Book" by James Sears and Martha Sears. It (or other books on babies' development) can be really helpful for knowing what is normal or typical.