The first year of a baby's life is the time when he acquires vital skills: he begins to sit, crawl, tries to stand on his feet. However, the very first thing a baby learns to do is hold its head. After that, the development of the back muscles begins, as a result of which the child gets the opportunity to roll over, get on all fours, etc., which helps him to see the world around him more widely. However, some babies may lag behind in development, which can lead to problems in the future. therefore, parents need to understand why the child does not hold his head and how to fix it.
Development according to age
To understand if there is a problem, you need to find out when the child begins to hold his head. In the first weeks of life, most of the time the baby only sleeps and eats. His analyzers are not yet sufficiently adapted to the outside world, so he is not yet particularly interested in surrounding objects. Naturally, all babies develop in different ways, but the general indicators are as follows:
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Two weeks |
Children can already turn their heads to the side, they follow the faces of mom and dad. By the end of this period, you can try to lay the baby on his stomach. From this moment, the strengthening of the cervical and spinal muscles begins. If the baby is held in a column, then for a very short time, and the back and head are necessarily supported. |
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Three weeks |
The baby is already trying to raise his head in a prone position. If the baby is held vertically, then the back and head are still fixed. |
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One and a half to two months |
Lying on the tummy, the baby raises his head and holds it for a short time. He can already fix his head in line with the body in a vertical position, although for a few seconds, but at this time you still need to support the baby. |
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Three months (11-13 weeks of age) |
Movements become more confident. Lying on his stomach, the child is able to hold his head on his own. In a column position, the baby confidently holds his head, with the exception of weakened and premature babies. But you shouldn’t hold it like that for too long either, because the muscles of the neck and back can get tired. After a while, it is better to start holding the baby. If the baby is premature, then the norm shifts somewhat. Usually, as many weeks should be added to his age as he should have spent in the womb according to the norm. |
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Four months |
Many babies are already raising their heads and upper part body, leaning on the handles. Moreover, they can remain in this position for a long time. Vertically in the arms of an adult, babies can be worn for quite a long time, but the baby can get tired, so when tired, they support his back or turn his back to him. |
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Five months |
The child no longer needs the support of an adult in a column position. He confidently holds his head and turns it in different directions, observing the world around him. |
At six months, the baby tries to sit, while the neck muscles are already quite well developed.
If the child does not hold his head well according to the age indicators presented in the table, and the parents have noticed other deviations in the psychomotor development of the baby, it is imperative to consult with the chosen pediatrician (if necessary, you do not have to wait for a scheduled monthly examination).
How to determine if everything is normal
If a child for a month is not interested in the outside world and does not try to raise his head, then you should be wary. He may have organic or mental abnormalities (provided that the baby is full-term and the birth was without complications). Tell the specialist observing the baby about this.
But it must be borne in mind that even healthy children often develop in different ways and it happens that some babies hold their heads quite well at 1.5-2.5 months, while others have weak muscles and the head is not fixed at all, but “walks” from the side to the side.
When the baby is 2.5-3 months old, a kind of test will be indicative for parents, for which you need to do the following:
- When the baby is lying on his back, you need to gently and smoothly pull him by the two handles so that he sits down. At the same time, the head will hold, but sway a little. After 30 seconds, the baby must be returned to its original position.
- Two minutes later, the action is repeated, only the child does not reach the sitting position. He will hold his head for a few seconds, after which he will throw it back.
If the baby does this, then everything is in order. Up to three months, the head must be supported, as the muscles and cervical vertebrae cannot yet provide long-term reliable fixation.
Please note: During the test, the baby must be healthy, be in good mood; it is better to choose for this the middle of the wakefulness of the crumbs. It is also not worth exercising immediately after feeding. Otherwise, the indicators may be uninformative.
Reasons for deviations
If the child does not hold his head well, it is necessary to find out the causes of this problem. Usually they are:
- Eating disorder. If the body of the crumbs does not receive enough useful substances, then its organs and muscular system will not develop as expected. It also suffers nervous system, the baby does not gain weight, grows poorly.
- preterm birth. Prematurity increases the risk of developmental problems. For such babies, a lag in psychomotor development is characteristic. However, when proper feeding, following the recommendations of pediatricians, such a baby by the end of the first year is no different from babies born on time.
- Complicated childbirth, during which the child was injured. Here you can not do without the advice of narrow specialists.
- Decreased or increased muscle tone. Observation by a surgeon and a neurologist, the passage of physiotherapy, massages, drug treatment(if necessary, depending on the reason that caused this condition).
- Pathologies of a neurological nature. In the first days of life, only an experienced specialist can notice them. In order not to miss precious time, you should not ignore the monthly preventive examinations at the pediatrician and the prescribed medical examinations with visits to narrow specialists.
- Torticollis. This problem is typical for those babies who rarely lay on their stomachs. It is necessary to spread the child on the tummy as often as possible after the umbilical wound has healed.
How well the baby will develop depends on the parents. From the first days, they should take care of the child: do massages and gymnastics (how to do them correctly at home, the health worker will show), talk to him, interest him.
When to See a Doctor
Parents should know the norms of the physiological and psycho-emotional development of the baby and, if necessary, contact the specialists, and also do not be shy and ask all the questions of interest at preventive examinations.
You should not wait for monthly examinations and consult a specialist if:
- the muscle tone of the neck and the whole body is too weak;
- the head of the baby is held at the wrong angle;
- lying on his stomach, the baby does not even try to turn his head;
- the child is weakly interested (or not interested at all) in the world around him, with obvious signs of the absence of illness, he is weak and apathetic.
You should contact a pediatrician, if necessary, he will refer you to narrow specialists (neurologist, surgeon, traumatologist, etc.)
So, at what age the baby should be able to hold his head is already clear. Consider what needs to be done so that it develops according to the norm. The following recommendations should be followed:
- Three weeks after birth, it is necessary to lay the baby on the stomach. This should be done at least two or three times a day. It is better to spread the baby half an hour after feeding. Such training will not only help strengthen the neck muscles, but will also be a good prevention of colic. The kid will try to raise his head, turn it.
- To prevent the development of torticollis, it is better to put the baby to sleep on the left and right side in turn. Moreover, it is necessary to change the position not only during the day, but also at night. In the first weeks of life, a hard mattress is preferred. If there is a pillow, then it should be flat.
- In order for the muscles and cervical vertebrae to develop correctly, all the necessary nutrients must enter the baby's body. If he is on breastfeeding, then mom needs to adjust her own menu. With artificial nutrition, those mixtures are selected that are of high quality and are suitable for age.
- From the first days of life, a newborn child needs to do gymnastics and massage. This will normalize muscle tone, improve the mood of the baby. Gymnastics in the first weeks is passive. As for massage techniques, light rubbing and stroking are used here. No less useful is a slight tapping with the fingertips. Usually, all manipulations are shown by a nurse on patronage.
- From two months, you need to wear the baby upright, supporting the head. The “airplane” pose with the tummy down is also useful. At the same time, the breast and neck of the crumbs are supported.
- Practice swimming. To do this, it is not necessary to visit the pool, there are specialized groups for babies. You can even swim in the home bath. Water procedures soothe the baby, improve his mood, strengthen the muscles without undue stress on them, normalize the tone.
- Show the baby interesting bright toys, drive them in front of his eyes so that the baby turns his head left and right, speak kindly with the baby, turn on calm melodic music for him.
The ability to hold the head is an important skill of the baby, which gives impetus to the development of back muscles, stimulates the development of the musculoskeletal system.
From this moment begins the active development of the surrounding world. The baby will soon crawl, sit down, stand up, but in order to develop this skill on time, parents should devote maximum time and care to their crumbs, notice problems in time, not waste time and contact specialists.
The ability to raise your head is one of the first serious stages in the development of a baby, the first skills in controlling the body. Healthy children try to raise their heads at about a month old - but at first the strength is only enough for a few seconds. The muscles of the neck are still very weak, the head should not be allowed to hang out - there is a risk of damaging the cervical vertebrae. But if the child is a month old, but he holds his head tightly, he must certainly be shown to the doctor - this is not a sign of early development, as young, inexperienced parents sometimes believe, but one of the symptoms of increased intracranial pressure.
How to "" child hold the head
Babies are recommended to lay out on the tummy, starting from two weeks or as soon as the umbilical wound has completely healed. It is not very convenient to lie with your nose in the pillow, and the child tries to turn his head to the side, slightly raises it. Laying out on your stomach is very useful in itself: it will help get rid of gases that can torment the baby in the first few weeks, and it trains the muscles of the back and neck well. The better the neck and back are strengthened, the sooner the baby will begin to crawl.How much will a child have to train to hold his head confidently? If the baby is healthy and developed in accordance with the norm, he will be able to master this skill by about 3. Until the child can do this well, the one who takes the baby in his arms should lightly hold his back and neck to prevent injury to the cervical vertebrae.
At age, the child also knows how to briefly hold his head in an upright position. By 4 months he does it confidently. And at 5-6 months, babies are able to raise their upper body, while lying on their stomach and putting their hands under them. Of course, all data regarding age relate only to children who grow and develop without any complications.
To stimulate the development of the child, parents can attract his attention - for example, show bright or sounding toys, which the child will pay attention to and try to turn his head in their direction.
When to See a Doctor
What to do when the baby develops with some delay and at the age of 3 months cannot hold his head? First you need to turn to good specialists - a neuropathologist, a pediatrician. If a child, lying on his stomach, does not want to move his head, this may mean serious neurological problems that need to be solved with the help of massage and complex drug therapy.Neurological problems, severe pregnancy with pathology, low muscle tone - any of these circumstances can cause developmental delay. It also happens that the child was simply rarely laid out on his stomach, and he did not have time to build up the necessary muscles on his neck and shoulders. If he can only hold his head at an angle, a doctor's consultation is necessary - most likely, a special massage will be offered. Sometimes the doctor suggests using a special pillow to align the position of the head.
Advice for new parents: if it seems to you that the baby is behaving somehow wrong, first of all try to calm down. Most likely, the situation is not as dire as it seems to you.
If any deviations are noticed, the child should be immediately shown to a specialist. The earlier a problem is detected, the easier it is to deal with it without consequences for the health of the baby.
In most child development forums, new mothers often ask about when the child begins to hold his head. It is very difficult to answer this question precisely, since each child develops individually. The first year of a child is rich in the acquisition of vital skills. And holding the head is no exception.
But these skills come in due time. Unfortunately, many mothers begin to wind themselves up if the neighbor boy is already holding his head freely, and her little one has just begun to turn her sideways. To dispel concerns about this, we will figure out when newborns begin to hold their heads.
Every mother wants her child to be the best in everything. But still, you need to worry not only if the baby lags behind their peers. sometimes too early development is a sign of pathology. This rarely happens, but still consulting a pediatrician does not hurt.
When it's time that the baby holds his head on his own
Many parents believe that the neck muscles are strong enough at the moment when a newborn baby confidently holds his head in a “column” position. Actually it is not. This can be said only when the child keeps his head elevated in the “on the tummy” position. It comes at about three months. But this period may vary.
So that you do not panic, consider the development of this skill in different periods:
- Baby's first days. During this period, be sure to support it under the head, as the baby's muscles are very weak. After the navel has healed, it is sometimes possible to lay the baby on the tummy;
- One or two months. In a month, a child can usually keep the head in balance for a few seconds. At the eighth week, he can already pull his head to his chest. But you still need to be careful, since the tension of the neck muscles during this period is short;
- Three or four months. At this age, coordination of movements improves. Lay your baby on your tummy more often. You can also pull it up by the handles from a prone position. This is a great exercise to keep the baby's head up;
- Five or six months. At this age, children usually already hold their head well and can turn it in different directions.
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What to do when the baby does not begin to hold his head at three months
As mentioned earlier, every child is different. But still, at three months, he should already hold his head at least for a few seconds. If this does not happen, then the reasons may be the following:
- The appearance of the baby was accompanied by a difficult birth or he had neurological problems. In this case, you need to consult a doctor;
- Low muscle tone in the neck. It also requires a consultation with a neurologist. Most likely, he will prescribe a massage so that the child holds his head;
- The child was infrequently laid out on his tummy, because of which the muscles of his neck were not sufficiently strengthened;
- Often developmental delays can be observed in children with low birth weight or premature babies. In this case, it is necessary to consult a pediatrician;
- The baby holds his head, but not straight, but at an angle. In this case, a special massage is needed.
If you find any abnormalities, be sure to consult a doctor. It is important to understand that you need to identify the problem immediately. In the future, the treatment of neurological diseases is very difficult!
How to teach a child to hold his head on his own
For prevention, experts recommend a certain set of exercises so that the baby holds his head.
You need to start from the smallest. If the baby still does not know how to hold the head, then put a bright toy in front of him. Lay it on your tummy and put your hand on your forehead. Gently raise the head so that he can see the toy. Hold it in this position for about five seconds. Such repetitions should be done 5-6.
If during the exercise the child tries to hold his head himself, then carefully remove your palm, insuring him at the same time. If the baby is already starting to hold his head, stimulate him more often.
Also pay attention to the neck muscles. Lay the baby on a flat surface on the back, placing a pillow. Lift him by the shoulders, holding for a few seconds. Over time, he will raise his head after his shoulders.
It is important to understand that the described exercises are not some kind of panacea, and your little one will immediately raise his head. Remember, there is a time for everything, and there is no need to rush things. Interfering with the natural process is possible only if a consultation has been given by a doctor!
What to do when the baby starts to hold his head too early
Modern children develop much faster. Therefore, it may be the norm when a peanut holds its head already in a month. But this happens extremely rarely, so it is necessary to consult a neurologist.
Sometimes this situation is the result of hypertonicity of the neck muscles or increased intracranial pressure. You should especially be careful if the child suffers from insomnia, he is naughty and cries loudly.
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Pathology can only be distinguished by an experienced doctor. It's treatable! Certain medications, as well as massages and physical procedures are prescribed.
What to do if the child holds his head to the side
There is nothing wrong with this if appropriate measures are taken in time. Just move your baby to different ends of the crib so that he regularly turns in different directions.
You can also use a special pillow that prevents the head from falling to one side. The pediatrician will prescribe special massages to eliminate this deficiency.
Be sure to watch when the child begins to hold his head. After all, this period indicates the correct development of the baby. Mom needs maximum attention to solve any problem on time. It is better not to put it off until later, because, starting from a year, it will be much harder to correct something in physiology.
Immediately after birth, the baby looks very helpless and practically does not know how to control his body. Due to his innate grasping reflex, he can cling to the handles of a support, for example, to the hands of his parents. The rest of the skills in movements and maintaining the position of the body, the baby acquires over the next months of life.
And when does the baby start holding his head? This question worries all parents: by this achievement of the baby, one can judge the development of his musculoskeletal system.
The formation of the skill in maintaining the position of the head is associated with the development of the muscles of the neck, the formation of the cervical bend of the spine (in newborns, the spinal column is absolutely even) and occurs in several stages:
1 Parents may notice in the second or third week of a newborn's life that when laid out on his tummy, he begins to raise his head, but is not yet able to hold the position of the baby.
2 After a couple of months, the baby will be able to keep the head in an elevated position, only at an acute angle and no more than a minute. It is necessary to support the baby so that he does not make sudden movements and “does not nod”.
3 Approximately to the baby is able to raise not only the head, but also the shoulders. Adults still need insurance, as with careless movements, the baby can be injured.
4 At the age of about 4 months, many children confidently hold the head, are able to turn it left and right, and in the prone position raise the upper body.
Such a development scheme is not valid for all babies, it is possible both to accelerate the process and to slow it down.
The pediatrician always controls how many months the child begins to hold his head and how long he can maintain the position. If the formation of a skill is delayed or occurs too quickly, he may prescribe special procedures.
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When a premature baby starts to hold his head
Babies who were born prematurely are noticeably weaker in the first months than those who were born on time. This is understandable, because in their body the processes of preparation for independent living in a new environment.
Such children in the second month of life do not yet begin to raise their heads.
How much premature babies begin to hold their heads depends on the degree of prematurity. But on average, after 4 months, this skill is already beginning to manifest itself, and babies begin to fully maintain the position and turn left and right by about 6 months.
If the child began to hold his head early
Some newborns begin to raise their heads on their own at a very early age. In this case, parents are concerned about the question: is it harmful for the spine and for the musculoskeletal system in general?
The baby's head is too heavy for him to be able to hold her upright at such an early age. And this means that a large load acts on the skeleton and muscles, which can lead to developmental disorders.
It turns out that children who begin to actively raise their heads as early as 4-6 weeks may have health problems. Doctors often associate this phenomenon with an increase in intracranial pressure.
If parents notice that the skill appears too early, they should consult a doctor. The baby may be prescribed special procedures and massotherapy.
If the baby does not begin to hold his head for a long time
The third, fourth month is coming, and the baby has not yet begun to hold the head in an upright position? Then you need to go to a pediatrician, a neurologist. Doctors should examine the baby and determine the cause of the violation.
The problem may lie in malnutrition, weaknesses neck muscles presence of birth trauma.
The doctor may prescribe special drug therapy, therapeutic massage, so that the child begins to hold his head. Orthopedic pillows can correct this situation. If nutritional deficiencies are the problem, supplementation with special infant formula may be necessary.
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What to do so that the child begins to hold his head
Until the baby begins to control the position of the head on its own, it is supported when they take the newborn in their arms.
Such safety measures are needed in order not to damage the cervical spine and not to pull the muscles if the baby accidentally tilts the head back. Such injuries can complicate the formation of a skill and the development of the musculoskeletal system.
To help the baby train the muscles of the neck, doctors recommend laying it on the tummy from about the third week (when the umbilical wound heals). Once in this position, the baby reflexively begins to turn the head to one side (so as not to suffocate - the self-preservation instinct is triggered). This process should always be controlled and helped by a newborn when it is still difficult for him to turn.
It is better to do such exercises on a more or less hard surface (for example, a hard sofa), covered with a blanket or baby diaper. It is useful to spread the crumbs on the tummy before feeding and after bathing. After the baby has eaten, you need to wait at least an hour: in this position, he will feel sick.
Do not abuse classes, you should start with one minute, gradually increasing the time. If during the exercise the baby is naughty, he needs to be interested in the toy.
The first months of a baby's life are the most exciting in a parent's life.
Is the baby developing correctly, is everything okay, are there any reasons for concern?
One of the significant moments that speaks of even good development is the ability to raise and hold the head.
Both too early and too late development of this skill is a reason to turn to a neurologist. At what age is this considered normal?
At what age can a newborn fixate confidently vertically
Most pediatricians are of the opinion that all children are different and exact term similar even for completely healthy children, No.
Reference. Children of the 1st and 2nd degree of prematurity most often completely catch up with their peers in development precisely by three to four months, respectively, and their basic skills correspond to their age.
Deeply premature babies (third and fourth degree) develop on an individual basis. During the first year of life, they are carefully monitored by doctors, including a neurologist, who will tell you if there is a developmental delay.
Important! Babies born ahead of schedule, it is impossible to artificially stimulate to hold the head as early as possible, including with the help of exercises. Their neck muscles are very weak, the vertebrae are tender. Artificial stimulation can lead to increased tone and injury.
Causes of head incontinence
There are many reasons why a toddler does not hold his head at the age of three full months or starts holding it late - after five or six months.
It could be:
- very low muscle tone;
- prematurity of any degree;
- low birth weight and its poor set during the first three months of life.
In some cases, there may be a delay in the development of the skill if the birth was difficult, and the baby had hypoxia or a birth injury, even a minor one.
In some cases, a delay in the development of physical skills may be an individual norm. If the doctor does not see any neurological complications, it is possible that the baby is simply not ready yet and will begin to confidently raise his head at three and a half or even four months.
Doctor Komarovsky about norms
Give your child time during the day when he is awake, play with him, massage him, lay him on his tummy, follow the doctor's recommendations - and such an important skill as holding the head will definitely appear on time.
