Confused about baby standing

[zxcvbnn]

My baby will stand up whilst holding onto the sofa, but doesn’t know how to sit back down again. I tend to hover behind and catch him as he falls back, as I don’t want him to hurt himself by landing too hard on his bum. But how will he ever learn to sit back down on his own?

He will figure this out relatively soon OP, it's not like he's going to be 24 and still not able to sit down from standing.

@zxcvbnn

My baby will stand up whilst holding onto the sofa, but doesn’t know how to sit back down again. I tend to hover behind and catch him as he falls back, as I don’t want him to hurt himself by landing too hard on his bum. But how will he ever learn to sit back down on his own?

If he hasn't learnt by now unfortunately he will never learn

You will be following him around for the rest of his life helping him sit so he doesn't hurt his very padded bum

Honestly OP, you’re putting far too much thought into this, I say that gently.

Watch YouTube if you want, if it’ll help you, but he honestly doesn’t need to be taught how to stand, kneel and sit.

This is part of growing and learning. How many times has he tried now, every time he’s gotten back up and tried again so he’s not scared, he’s pushing himself to learn this new skill. That’s what babies do, they keep trying, they get frustrated and shout/cry, but then they try again and again until they get it.

This is where cloth nappies have an unexpected advantage!

The same way he's figured put how to do everything else. He probably won't sit back down on his bum. He will probably go down on to his knees first.

This looks good?

@AColdDuncanGoodhew

Honestly OP, you’re putting far too much thought into this, I say that gently.

Watch YouTube if you want, if it’ll help you, but he honestly doesn’t need to be taught how to stand, kneel and sit.

This is part of growing and learning. How many times has he tried now, every time he’s gotten back up and tried again so he’s not scared, he’s pushing himself to learn this new skill. That’s what babies do, they keep trying, they get frustrated and shout/cry, but then they try again and again until they get it.

Completely agree.

I'd also try really hard not to put it down to him being a cautious child, there is a real possibility of creating a self fulfilling prophecy here where you think he's cautious and that he always needs help and as he grows he believes that he isn't capable of doing things independently and therefore looks to you for support and direction.

Many babies get frustrated when trying to learn a new skill. He honestly doesn't need you to help lower him down or show him how to do it, he needs to work out how to do it himself and learn through trial and error.

Possibly he’s picking up on your anxiety when he’s crying.
If you leave him to do whatever he wants at his own speed without intervening you’ll know he’s ready.
He can also practice in his cot, if you leave him there awake.

The normal way they sit down is flopping down onto their bum, not going down onto their knees. That's quite advanced and he won't be able to coordinate himself to do that yet.

That said, he will learn and figure out his own way whether you help him or not. So help him if you want to. You won't do any harm :) But it's definitely OK (a good thing) to let him get a bit frustrated sometimes, give him a chance to work things out for himself and experience feelings like frustration, worry, even fear and find out that it turns out OK and nothing terrible happens as a result of these feelings. If you fix everything all the time he will never learn resilience.

*"picking up on your anxiety

Sorry OP, my first post was a garbled mess due to auto correct.

I'll try again- He's probably picking up on your anxiety. I wouldn't help him too much as he will always look to you to help him. He'll figure it out himself.

You do not need teach this! It's a normal part of human development that babies learn for themselves. It's normal for them to be frustrated or annoyed when learning new skills. I agree you are thinking about this way too much - just let him get on with it and cheer him on/offer comforting words.

People don't turn into adults and are unable to sit down!

@AColdDuncanGoodhew

Right, I'm going to try being more assertive then. Because I don't want this to become a thing!!

I do not remember ever either letting my DD flop onto her bum, or helping her sit, teaching her to sit... She can sit though! You're making too much of a big deal about this, wait until he starts running down hills like a maniac, that's scary!! If he is frustrated, taking his hands and lower him down to sit, he will learn eventually. If you make such a big deal about every tiny milestone, you're going to have a really tough time!!!

Ok, my youngest can be a bit dramatic when learning new things and cries a lot due to frustration.
The key is to make everything fun. I sat in front of him just being uber cheery and saying "you can do it" and making a big fuss when he made any improvements. Falling is met with "oops a daisy" but no fuss.
Yes he sometimes hurts himself but he's back trying again in a few minutes.
Currently he's trying to independently stand and thinks it's so funny when he lands on his bum and then we try again.
Keep it fun, reassuring and positive