My baby can sit when I place them, but can't move into a sitting position on their own?

"When I sit them down, they stay balanced" — this shows your baby has made solid progress: they've passed the tripod sitting stage and achieved independent upright sitting. Next comes the ability to sit up on their own from lying down.

Age range: Most babies develop this skill between 7–9 months. It's common up to 10 months; if they're still not doing it by 11 months, you'd check with your pediatrician.

Natural progression:

• Baby rolls to the side, pushes up with one arm while lifting their torso
• They spend time in "tummy-based sitting" (hands in front for support, hips to the side)
• They then use their arms to push themselves up to upright sitting

How you can support this: Place your baby on their back, sit at their feet with a toy just behind them — as they reach for it, they'll twist their torso and try to push up. Don't directly lift them into sitting; help them with light support at the hip (not pulling by the arms). This lets them build their own muscle memory.

Basically: it will happen when the time comes — every baby figures out this muscle coordination eventually. If by the end of the 10th month there's still no attempt, mentioning it to your pediatrician is enough.