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- The child does not hold his head well - should I worry?
Newborn children cannot control their head or control their neck muscles, so in the first six months of life they actively train to develop this skill. As a rule, by the age of 6 months, a child should learn to hold his head up confidently. Parents should monitor the stages, which during normal development look like this:
- a newborn up to a month old cannot hold his head up on his own, so you should constantly support him by the neck;
- 1-2 months - the child begins to raise his head for a few minutes while lying on his stomach, while lying on his back, the baby can fully control his head;
- 3-4 months - the baby controls the movements of the head, can lift it while lying on the tummy and hold it for a long period.
How does a baby develop up to 3 months?
A newborn does not yet know how to control his body. All his movements are chaotic, disorderly, carried out reflexively. When positioned with its tummy up, its head turns to the right or left. If you pull him up by his arms, he will lean back. If you touch his palms with your fingers, he will squeeze them reflexively.
But gradually the baby begins to be able to control his body, his muscles become stronger. By 3-4 months he can already do a lot. Lying on his back, the baby consciously looks forward and to the sides. He places his arms and legs the way he needs them, examines them, plays with them, tries them out by heart. This is the period when the child begins to hold his head independently in any position. Lying with his back up, the baby can lean on his forearms.
Also, by 3-4 months, the child learns to grasp and take objects with his hands. This is the period when the baby begins to smile consciously, any emotions are reflected on his face. Lying on his back, he can roll over on his own.
If any of the above is missing, parents begin to worry. Particular concern arises if there are problems with the head. The feelings are quite understandable. However, whether there is cause for concern or not, only a doctor can say for sure.
Why is it important to hold a newborn's head?
In the first stages of life, the baby’s neck muscles are very weak, and the size of the head is much larger in comparison with the body. The head cannot yet support itself; it may tilt sharply to the side or backward. Such movements will not cause serious harm to the baby, but they are accompanied by discomfort and possibly pain if the baby's head suddenly changes direction.
Therefore, it is very important to support your newborn's head and neck when:
- You carry it in your arms both horizontally and vertically.
- Make turns and slight bends with the baby in your arms.
- During feeding, it is also very important to hold the baby's head, since he cannot do this on his own yet.
There are a lot of scary stories about when the mother did not hold the newborn’s head and a “death nod” occurred. In fact, this can be caused by vehicle movement accompanied by sudden braking. This is why it is very important to place infant carriers rear-facing. And in a home environment, it is almost impossible to make such a sudden movement.
How and when does the baby begin to fix his head?
There is no clear standard age at which a child should hold his head up. However, in all healthy children, the development of this skill occurs approximately according to the same pattern: 1 The baby makes its first attempts to raise its head already at 2-3 weeks of life , if it is placed on its stomach. This is a natural reflex to avoid suffocation.
At 3 months, babies are already achieving their first successes, but they still need head support
2 A month old baby does not hold his head upright, but is already trying. Lying on his stomach, a 1-1.5 month old baby can lift his head at an acute angle and hold it for up to a minute. 3 At 2 months of age , if you pull the baby by the arms, his head will no longer tilt back. Lying tummy up, the baby struggles to fix it in an upright position. If a child cannot hold his head up at 2 months, this is not yet a reason to panic.
Gulba O.V., pediatrician, Private Clinic “First”, Tomsk
A 3-month-old child, even with normal development, needs to be shown to a neurologist. If you can’t hold your head up, the problem can be quite easily solved with a course of massage and physiotherapy.
The mother can do the massage herself at home - this way the baby will be even calmer.
4 At 3 months of age, a baby usually tries to fix his head in any position. However, the muscles of a 3-month-old baby are not yet strong enough. Therefore, when it is in an upright position, it is better to support the cervix. 5 4 months is the age at which a child begins to hold his head confidently . He not only secures it in any position, but also turns it in all directions, studying the world around him. Leaning on his tummy, the baby calmly lifts his upper body on his arms.
A divergence from such a scheme for several weeks is not scary. But if suddenly a child does not hold his head well even at 4 months, you should definitely consult a doctor. Read here what else a 4-month-old child should be able to do.
Massage to strengthen muscles
Massage for a small child is a unique opportunity to solve many problems. With the help of massage in infancy, you can correct almost any defect in the structure of the skeleton. A course of neck massage will help you strengthen your baby's muscles, make him stronger and stronger.
The massage should be carried out in a warm room, in a comfortable environment. Place the naked baby on a clean diaper, apply a little massage oil to your hands, and then begin the massage. Light stroking and rubbing movements of the neck perfectly stimulate the muscles. The massage should be done by a professional, at least several sessions. After this, carefully observing the movements of the specialist, you can repeat the massage at home. Remember, no sudden movements! Massage should be enjoyable for mother and baby.
Why is there a problem?
It happens that a child at 3 months cannot hold his head up at all. And he doesn't even try. This is a reason to see a doctor. The reason for this deviation is that it does not control the neck muscles. This is influenced by the following factors:
- prematurity;
- low body weight;
- weak muscle tone;
- birth injuries.
Usually, to solve these problems, simple procedures are enough - special gymnastics, massage . For low body weight, supplementary feeding is recommended. Only in severe cases, such as those caused by birth trauma, may physiotherapy or even surgery be necessary.
The sooner parents suspect something is wrong and consult a doctor, the better. In the early stages, the problem is usually solved quite easily. Read about gymnastics for a 3 month old baby here.
Often the pride and delight of parents is caused by the early development of the child, the ability to raise his head in a month and a half. Since the baby should not hold his head up for a month, this is also a reason to consult a doctor. Too early development can be caused by muscle hypertonicity or high intracranial pressure.
Skill Development Test
How do you know if your baby has mastered a skill?
- Place the baby on his back. Then take your hands and gently pull them towards you. If the head is held in this position for at least 30 seconds, then the skill has been mastered. There may be slight swaying of the head to the sides, but this is also normal.
- Place the baby on his back and lift him by the arms again. Stop the baby in a semi-sitting position. If within a couple of seconds he was able to hold his head, then everything is fine, the skill has been mastered. But if by 12 weeks this skill is absent, then this is a serious reason to contact a pediatrician.
How to help your baby
First of all, if a child does not hold his head well at 3 months, you should consult a pediatrician. The pediatrician will tell you what to do or refer you to the right specialist. So, in case of prematurity or birth injuries, an examination by a pediatric neurologist may be necessary . If the baby has problems with nutrition or weight gain, it is worth consulting with a feeding specialist. Most often, exercise and massage are enough to correct the situation.
Exercises on a fitball also have a beneficial effect on the baby’s digestive system and relieve colic.
Here are some exercises that help strengthen your neck muscles:
- Place the baby with his stomach in the palms of an adult so that one hand is under his chest, the other under his hips. Raise and lower it vertically.
- Place it face down on your palms, rock it, lifting your head and butt alternately.
- Place on a large ball (fitball). One adult should hold the baby by the hips, the other by the arms. Swing smoothly on the ball. Other fitball exercises for children can be found here.
Eremenko V.N., neurologist, Medical Holding "Medica", St. Petersburg
Up to six months, most problems of this nature are solved by physiotherapy, massage, and gymnastics. Medicines are prescribed for serious neurological abnormalities.
Therefore, if you doubt the appropriateness of the prescribed treatment, you should consult another doctor.
In addition, it is necessary to place the baby stomach down for a short time every day, several times a day. Swimming will be useful. Under water, it will be easier for the baby to hold the head, and the muscles will get stronger faster.
Do not place your baby tummy down immediately after eating or during illness. If the baby is capricious, you can distract his attention with bright toys, singing, affectionate intonations, and stroking.
Strengthening muscles: first workouts
You should not worry if, when doing exercises, the head sways uncertainly, or the baby holds it for a very short time.
How to teach a child to hold his head? Lie on your tummy before and a few hours after feeding, as well as while changing clothes.
Perform exercises to strengthen muscles on a hard, flat surface. In the first days, 1-2 minutes is enough, then gradually increase the time, commensurate with the child’s capabilities.
If the child does not show enthusiasm and does not want to lie on his stomach, reduce the time of the exercise, but do not completely abandon it.
To encourage your little one, caress him with a light stroke on the back, distract him with the sound of your own voice or a bright toy. Do not leave the child unattended in this position, because he cannot yet roll over and turn his head.
If the baby does not hold his head quite straight, contact a neurologist who will show you how to place a special pillow under the baby’s head.
In the first months of life, secure the baby in such a way that the head does not tip back, and do not forget about a certain degree of freedom for the smooth development of the skill.
Strengthening gymnastics
It's hard to recommend something specific without seeing the child. If misunderstandings arise, it is better to immediately contact a neurologist, without delaying or aggravating the situation.
General recommendations: do gymnastics with your child on a gymnastic ball . This exercise requires two adults. The baby is placed with his tummy on the ball, one person holds him by the arms, the second by the hips. In this position, he is rocked back and forth.
You can also do this exercise:
- Take the baby with your hand under the chest, place the other hand under the hips, the baby's head should be facing down. Alternately raise one or the other hand to a small height.
- Take the child in the same way as in the first exercise, raise your arms with the child “higher and lower.”
- Hold your baby on your shoulder in a column position. He will try to raise his head and hold it as long as his strength allows; at any moment he will be able to lower his head onto your shoulder. This exercise is the safest and most natural.
The first skill will be mastered faster if developed in a bath or swimming pool . In addition, water will distract and calm the baby. At what temperature to bathe a baby, how not to harm the baby? We talked about this here.
He holds his head, but incorrectly
It happens when a child holds his head, but incorrectly. In this case, he tilts or turns it to one side.
3 reasons for improper retention of the head: 1 In case of such a violation, you should consult an orthopedist. Improper retention of the head may be a symptom of paresis of the muscular parts of the neck. In simple terms - torticollis. This pathology does not occur often; it occurs after birth trauma or during pregnancy, which occurs with complications.
To get rid of torticollis, physiotherapeutic procedures or surgery may be prescribed. Sometimes you may need a special orthopedic pillow with which the baby will sleep. 2 When a child does not hold his head well at 3 months , tilts it, but torticollis is excluded, the cause may be muscle hypertonicity. Then the doctor will prescribe a light home massage (and show you how to do it) and exercises under water. 3 If the baby holds his head incorrectly from time to time, but at the same time knows how to hold it as it should, this is especially not a reason to panic. It might just be convenient for him. And when the baby kept his head as it should all the time, and then suddenly moved to the wrong position, it is worth asking a doctor for advice.
Nutrition
Proper and balanced nutrition is the key to the successful development of the baby. In order for the baby to receive enough vitamins and microelements, the nursing mother should eat a varied diet. Her diet should include meat and dairy products, cereals, fruits, and vegetables. Eat more nutritious foods - honey, nuts. However, be careful that new products do not cause allergies. Babies who are fed artificially do not need to worry about this. Adapted mixtures usually already contain all the vitamins necessary for a growing body.
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