Parents are very aware of the motor milestones their baby will meet in their first year of life. Sitting independently is a big one because now your baby can sit alone on the floor and begin to use both hands to grasp and manipulate toys. They can also now sit well in a high chair for feeding, and can sit in a grocery cart safely with supervision. This affords baby a little more independence and offers parents a little reprieve! Sitting independently is typically a 6-month milestone. Keep in mind that some babies achieve this a little earlier and some a little later. The sitting milestone can be affected by their personality – are they active and want to move, or more content and want to observe? The sitting milestone can be affected by the amount of time they have previously spent in the precursor skills (tummy time, feet to mouth, and rolling). PT’s usually recommend lots of floor time play so that babies can work on the precursor skills needed for sitting. Parents often ask what they can do to help baby sit up independently.
The answer starts with making sure they have achieved precursor skills that begin to strengthen the body for the skill of sitting. 2. – Placing a baby on their tummy is a good way to begin to strengthen the muscles on the back of their body (the extensors). 3. – This is a good way for baby to begin to strengthen the muscles on the front of their body (the flexors) 4. – Strengthens the muscles of his trunk as they work together with coordination If your baby is successfully completing the precursor skills, and showing good head control and beginning to show control of their mid-body, you can use the following sitting positions to help them gain control of sitting independently: As your baby becomes an independent sitter, he will soon begin to reach for toys that are farther away, and soon will be able to move from sitting position to his tummy safely using his trunk control. Here are a few more advanced sitting positions that your baby will discover after they have achieved independent midline sitting:
As your baby moves into the more advanced sitting positions, he will begin to weight shift as he attempts to explore his environment. This will take him to the next motor milestone – CRAWLING! 8 Easy Exercises You Can Do Sitting Down Tone muscles and increase flexibility at work or at home with these safe and simple chair exercises. Anti-AgingBeauty & StyleDiet & NutritionEmotional WellbeingExercise & De-stressHealthKids Health & WellbeingDeepak Chopra HuffPo 50: Here’s The Down-Low On Down-Sizing The 9 Unwritten Rules of Grandparenting HuffPost 50: Study Reveals Dramatic Rise In Binge Drinking Among Those Over 50 The 7 Most Common Internet Security Mistakes 10 Fun Holidays Gifts for You & Your Grandkids Latest in Our Grand Deals Win a Science Fair S.O.S. Kit and Take the Stress out of Science Projects! Win a Cat in the Hat Prize Pack! See more Deals & Giveaways Grandparent Movie Quotes Quiz How Cool a Grandparent Are You?
How well do you get along with your grandchild and other family members? Want to know if your personalities mesh? Become an AGA Premium Member.You're slouching right now, aren't you? Don't worry, it's something we all do. However, studies have shown that bad posture can increase feelings of depression, zap your energy and cut off your circulation. Couple that with sitting for long periods of time, and you've got a health hazard on your hands. See also: 17 DIY Office Hacks to Make Work More Tolerable If you have an office job, it's difficult to avoid the pitfalls of sitting and slouching. However, there are plenty of little tricks you can use to improve your posture gradually. Posture Tips at WorkFor those of us who sit down at a desk most of the day, health and well-being aren't always easy to work into our lifestyles. Still, the facts show that we must be proactive about eating well and moving enough during the day in order to avoid weight gain, stress and flagging fitness.
Sitting down all day long is one of the worst things for your health, as it increases the likelihood of heart disease and weight gain — among other ills. We sit down at the office, then we sit in the car, and once home, we sit to eat and watch TV!Small changes, practiced consistently over a long period of time, are the best way to increase health and well-being. Here are 21 easy-to-adopt ideas to get inspired. Remember, you don’t have to do them all!! 1. Take hourly breaks. Every hour, get up from your desk and go for a quick walk anywhere (furthest restroom, copy machine, water cooler, colleague’s desk). 2. Stretch or move in place. Don’t have anywhere to go? Touch your toes, walk or march in place for a few minutes, do a good set of jumping jacks (who cares what your neighbor thinks!). 3. Take a meeting on the move. Have a meeting or brainstorm scheduled? Do it while you walk — not only good for fitness, but helps manage stress and fires up creativity!
4. Treat elevators, escalators and moving walkways as the enemy. Unless you work at the top of a 40-story building, consider elevators your enemy. Ditto for escalators and walkways. 5. Forget phone and email. Not always practical, but try visiting your colleagues in person every once in a while. Have an hour for lunch? Use half to eat, half to walk. Round up a few colleagues and make it a weekly date. Get a pedometer and try to clock 10,000 steps per day. When possible, walk, bike, run to work. If you live too far away, try parking far away from your destination and walking part of the way. Or get off the train/metro/bus several stops early. 9. Do something active before you get home. Stop at the gym/pool/track on the way home from work. The easiest way to work more fitness into the day is with a DVD (yoga, cardio, strength training). Get moving before the rest of the world wakes up! 11. Schedule your weekly fitness on Sunday night.
Studies show that scheduling what you eat and when and how you exercise is the best way to stick to a healthy lifestyle. 12. Set alarms on your computer or mobile device. Every hour at work, have a little ringer go off to remind you to take a stretch or walk to the nearest copy machine. 13. Organize your office. Use your time filing to stand up and move around your office. Don’t roll your chair around your office to get to your filing cabinets. 14. Walk when you talk. Since most people talk on their mobile phones, make it a practice to get up from your seat and go for a walk when you're on the phone. 15. Get friendly with your Tupperware. If you cook a healthy meal at home, save part of it, and take it to work the next day for lunch. Add a few chopped veggies and you have a great homemade meal! Instead of buying candy bars or “health” bars (which are loaded with sugar) from the vending machine, keep handy a stash of dry fruit or nuts.
17. Load up on herbal teas. Forget the coffee breaks with your friends and colleagues. Grab your favorite mug and start sampling herbal teas: try red fruits, verbena, mint for example. 18. Hit the water. Get yourself a reusable water bottle and keep it on your desk. Make yourself drink at least one full bottle before lunch, and one full one before you go home at the end of the day. Drinking water will keep you fuller and less tempted to snack on empty calories. 19. Just say no! Say, “No thanks,” to all the treats that get passed around the office: cakes, doughnuts, bagels, cookies. If you’re truly hungry, reach for the dried fruit and nuts. When scheduling your fitness on Sunday night (see above!), work out your meal plans in and out of the office, and include snacks. 21. Skip restaurants whenever possible. Restaurant food is loaded with extra sugar and salt, and so is unlikely to be as healthy as something you can make at home. Better to have a simple lunch from home or leftovers from the night before.