All babies learn to sit up in their own time - trying to "train" them to do it is almost certainly futile. However, most babies really enjoy practicing this skill once their core muscles are strong enough, which varies widely by baby. It is a new perspective - and for my son I think it was really thrilling to have his hands freed up for grabbing and holding things.

Our little guy had three favorite places for practicing his sitting-up skills. One of them was a Bumbo seat. The other two might be a bit more surprising: a particular cardboard box that was the perfect size, and a laundry basket.

We received the Bumbo from a friend whose son had grown out of it, and at that point our son was pretty good at sitting in his box and basket, so I don’t know if that Bumbo would have worked for him earlier or better.

The cardboard box in question was about one inch wider than his little diapered behind, and about one inch shorter than his outstretched legs. When I placed him and the box with his back near the wall or our kitchen cabinets this small amount of wiggle room would allow him to move a little bit side to side while bracing himself upright, but not to keel over and bump his head on the floor. In short, it was really fun, good practice, and darn cute.

Likewise, the laundry basket was great because it supported his back, but allowed him to practice his leg positions and core non-slouching muscles. Partially filled with clean laundry, the basket also was like a self-contained entertainment cente r- bright clothing to grab onto, a fascinating mommy to watch as she folded the clean wash, and a well-padded arena for learning about the consequences of leaning too far forward.

One thing I noticed is that while the box and basket were forgiving of dropped toys (and even neatly prevented balls from rolling away), when our guy dropped something while he was sitting in the bumbo he’d get very frustrated. It is only about two inches higher than the floor, but when your arms are short and pudgy that makes a big difference in the ability to recover a dropped item. - Leigh G.

The wee beasties shouldn’t miss out on all the great back to school sales just because they're too young to actually GO to school! Oompa Toys is running a 10% off sale on all of their back to school items until Friday, September 5 at midnight, CST. If you aren’t familiar with Oompa Toys, you should get lookin'! They carry a wide variety of toys and furnishings made with safe, natural materials that are void of sketchy plastics and don't require batteries. Many of their products are made in the USA as well and are easily searchable by country of production. There are a variety of early learning toys available through the back to school sale at Oompa such as stackers, soft blocks, and even some room décor. Additionally, shipping is currently free from Oompa if you spend $65 or more.

If your thing is more drool than school, you might want to check out the PVC, vinyl and phthalate free bibs on sale at Amazon from Crocodile Creek. I remember thinking, before Sabine was born, "What on Earth am I going to do with ALL these bibs!?" Little did I know the drool, snot, spit-up, and food that awaited me a few short months later. Stock up on bibs, expectant mamas. Stock up on all the bibs you can! - Jenn