My 5 month old son is constantly flinging himself back or arching his back when in seated position - when he’s sitting on my lap, sitting in high chair, sitting in upseat, or when he’s in assisted sitting positions on the floor. Why does he do this? Are there exercises or stretches i need to be working on? He’s able to independently roll from tummy to back and back to tummy and can sit up unassisted for around 1 min, except I can’t trust him bc of the flinging backwards 🤷
Thanks
Sarah
Hi @Sarah! Thanks for posting your question here.
There are two things that come to mind. First is just the question of any reflux issues? Sometimes we see babies arching spontaneously if they’re uncomfortable from reflux.
Another possibility is that this is part of the typical development process when babies first begin to sit and they haven’t yet figured out how to use their flexor (belly) and extensor (back) muscles together to develop good posture. Since he’s on the very early end of sitting, this would make a lot of sense.
I often recommend placing a boppy pillow behind the baby to protect from backwards falls and placing toys directly in front of him so he’s leaning slightly forwards.
Hope this is helpful!
I also recommend playing in propped sitting so working on getting those hands forward and on the ground. It can help to work on the strength needed so there is less flinging back. I also have a video about this. https://youtu.be/GMko5_eqGRk Hope some of these ideas help!
Thank you so much for the ideas!! I appreciate your help 