A newborn baby cannot control the work of the muscles of the neck. All his movements are absolutely reflex. When raising a child by the arms, his head leans back and he can damage the cervical vertebrae. Therefore, until that time, until the child begins to hold his head on his own, you need to support him at the back of the head, holding in his arms, while feeding or bathing.
How many months does the newborn begin to lift and hold his head?
Gradually, the child begins to control his body. The first achievement of his physical development comes on second to third week. At this time, when laying on the stomach, the child tries to raise his head.
Further neck muscle development occurs in the following order:
- In the second month (2 - 3 month) children raise their heads at an acute angle (again lying on their stomach). This position the kids can hold for thirty seconds or about a minute.
- At three months (3 month) children begin to keep their heads upright. But safety net fragile neck muscles are still needed - it is worth continuing to support the child’s head. Lying on their stomachs, babies can already raise their heads and shoulders. When raising the child by the hands, the body, neck and head form a single line.
- At four months (4 month) there comes a time when the child independently and quite confidently begins to hold his head. He turns it in all directions, knowing the world around him. Lying on his stomach, the baby is already raising the upper body.
Naturally, all time parameters during the development of the baby are averaged. All children are individual in their development. Therefore, you should not be upset if at exactly 12 weeks the child did not begin to confidently hold his head in any position.
Early head holding
Do not rush to rejoice if the child began to hold his head for the first four to six weeks. Not always such an “achievement” means rapid and early development. Most likely the baby has high intracranial pressure.
In this case, it is simply necessary to show the child to the attending pediatrician. The doctor will prescribe treatment, necessary procedures, special massage.
Neck muscle strengthening
For the development of cervical muscles, it is strongly recommended that the baby be laid on the tummy from the first days of life, immediately after the healing of the umbilical wound (about three weeks). Do not be afraid that the child will suffocate. A healthy baby will surely turn his head to the side as a result of the triggering instinct of self-preservation.
Putting the baby on the stomach should be done during dressing, preferably before feeding or one hour after it. The procedure carried out before feeding, will also help save the baby from the accumulation of gases in the stomach.Spreading on the stomach should be on a hard surface. The soft surface does not cause the baby’s muscles to strain. It can be any table covered with a light blanket.
You need to teach your baby to lie on his stomach gradually. First lay it out for one minute. Every day, the duration of the stay on the stomach is increased by one minute. It is good if the baby is naked, at the same time with strengthening the muscles of the neck, he will also receive air baths.
With discontent and the vagaries of the baby, you do not need to refuse to lay it on your stomach. This is a necessary procedure for the physical development of the baby. Mom needs to choose a moment when the baby is in a good mood, he is cheerful and happy. Distract him with a bright toy, a song and gentle strokes on the back, legs and heels. The most important thing is not to leave the baby lying on his stomach unattended.
Do small exercises with your child to strengthen the muscles of the neck:
- “Face down.” Take the baby in her arms: one arm under the baby’s chest, the other on the thigh. In this position, raise the baby in the air.
- "Go". The exercise is performed with the help of two adults on a big ball. One holds the baby by the pelvis, the other by the hands. Together, swing the child on the ball.
- "Swing". We hold the child down on his hands and alternately raise his head, then the pelvis.
Video: learning to hold our heads
We show 3 exercises to strengthen the muscles of the neck, back. Learning to hold your head. Ales 2 months and 3 weeks. Slightly weakened tone:
3 months - we hold our heads badly
To exclude pathologies in development, it is worthwhile to turn to specialists if, after 12 weeks (3 months), the child does not hold his head well, tilts it in one direction or throws it back.
There are several reasons why the child does not hold his head well at 3 months:
- Prematurity.
- Birth injury.
- Child lag in weight.
- Weak muscle tone.
In the first two cases, you need to contact a pediatric neurologist who will help to find out the cause of poor muscle development of the child. With a small weight of the crumbs, a consultation with a doctor specializing in breastfeeding will help. He will regulate the food system, you may have to enter the mixture into the diet. A special massage prescribed by the attending pediatrician will increase the tone of the neck muscles and help the baby hold his head.
Another reason to turn to a neurologist will be the constant tilt of the baby's head at an angle. The most common cause of head tilt is torticollis. The doctor will prescribe a special massage, drug therapy and, most likely, will advise you to buy an orthopedic pillow.
Great article: child development up to a year (by month)
Read on:
A child in a month already confidently held his head. The neurologist did not detect intracranial pressure.