Your baby’s Dynamic Balance in Sitting

When babies are learning to sit independently, how do they protect themselves when they lose their balance?

Babies can reach forward to catch themselves with their hands to keep from falling.  This protective extension reflex forward appears when babies are learning to sit upright at 6 or 7 months.  When babies are able to maintain the sitting position, they also progress to developing this protective extension response – reaching sideways and backward – to protect themselves when falling and to protect their head from hitting the floor.

Think of all the actions your baby will learn from infancy to toddlerhood that depend on the smooth functioning of this system and that we also rely on as adults.

If you are a parent or caregiver – let us know if this is new information to you.