Pull-to-Sit Practice
Parent helps baby practice sitting up by offering a stick or hands to grab and gently pulling to seated position. The agent coaches the parent to observe sitting effort, head control during the pull, and supported sitting stability.
Opens a guided voice session in TogetherTime.
What you'll need
Baby lying on back on a soft surface. Have a light stick, marker, or wooden spoon for baby to grip. A pillow or cushion behind baby for support when seated. Baby should be alert and in a good mood.
How it works
- 1~30s
Offer the stick or your fingers to your child. Once they grabs on, very slowly and gently begin to pull them up toward a sitting position. Go slowly — we want to see how much your child helps. Does they grip tightly and pull with you? Does they engage their core and try to sit up, or does they just hang on like a little noodle? Tell me how much effort your child puts in.
Watch for: Baby actively tries to sit up when pulled by hands — gripping, engaging core, and helping with the movement.
- 2~25s
Let's try the pull-to-sit again, but this time watch your child's head specifically. As you pull them up slowly, does your child's head come up with their body, or does it lag behind and flop back? Ideally, they should be lifting their head in line with or even slightly ahead of their body. This is called head control during pull-to-sit. What do you observe?
Watch for: Baby lifts and controls head during pull-to-sit, keeping head in line with body rather than letting it lag behind.
- 3~30s
Now that your child is sitting up, let's see how they does in a supported sitting position. Lean them against the pillow or cushion behind them, or keep your hands gently on their sides for support. How steady is your child? Can they hold their head up and look around? Does they lean heavily on the support or seem fairly stable? Try letting go for just a moment if your child seems steady. Tell me what you see.
Watch for: Baby sits upright and relatively steady when leaning on pillows, furniture, or parent's hands for support.
- 4~35s
Let's do one more pull-to-sit. This time, lower your child back down slowly after sitting, then pull them up again. The lowering part is just as important — it works those core muscles eccentrically. Do two or three rounds. Is your child getting better each time? Does they seem to enjoy the up-and-down motion? Some babies love this game! Tell me how it goes.
Watch for: Baby shows improvement or increasing engagement across repeated pull-to-sit attempts.