A child does not hold his head well at 4 months, why does a baby at 4 months hold his head unsteadily?

Young children's skills and abilities develop in stages. The first and most important achievement for children under 1 year of age is considered to be the ability to independently hold their head. Normally, this skill develops at 3 months, but there are often cases when a child does not hold his head well at 4 months. Typically, such developmental delays are not associated with psychological and physiological abnormalities. There is no reason to panic, but you should not ignore the problem either. It is necessary to identify and eliminate the cause of non-compliance with age standards and protect the child from possible complications in the future.

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 to understand that a child has begun to hold his head confidently

By 3–4 months, every mother can notice the results of long and hard work in raising the head. Parents see that this stage of development has already been completed “excellently” if:

the child raises his head and confidently holds it for some time, lying on his stomach;
when in the mother’s arms, the baby does not throw back his head without support;
when changing body position, the neck muscles prevent the head from falling;
the baby can quickly turn his head towards the sound source (or while following the toy) in any direction.

But if the baby’s achievements seem dubious, you can carefully observe him, offering the child specific tasks.

When the baby lies on his back, the mother places her thumbs in his palms and clasps the baby's hand with her free fingers. Then he carefully sits him down. If, during the sitting down process, the baby holds the head in line with the spine for more than 3 seconds, this is a good indicator of the development of the skill.
The child is in the mother's arms in an upright position. At the same time, he confidently holds the head for 30 seconds, which corresponds to the norm.
When the baby is placed on his tummy, he persistently tries to lift his head and hold it for several seconds.

You should not worry if, when doing exercises, the head sways unsteadily, or the baby holds it for a very short time. The main thing is that a start has been made.

When does a child begin to hold his head up on his own?

The first achievements in the baby’s physical development occur at 2–3 weeks of life. It is at this age that the baby tries to raise his head while lying on his stomach.

When does a child begin to hold his head up on his own? Subsequently, the development of the neck muscles occurs in stages:

Upon reaching two months of age, infants can already raise their heads at an acute angle. But only when lying on your tummy. Typically, babies can hold this movement for thirty to sixty seconds.
At 3 months, babies begin to hold their heads upright on their own. But, despite this, parents must insure, that is, hold the baby’s head. Lying on his tummy, the baby can already raise not only his head, but also his shoulders. In this position, the arms, body and neck form a single line.
At four months, the period begins when the baby can independently and confidently hold his head. Moreover, he makes turns to the sides, examining surrounding objects. And lying on his stomach, the child can already lift his upper body.

Of course, these figures are averages. Each baby develops individually. Therefore, do not panic if your baby is unsure of holding his head at 12 weeks.

A child of 2-5 months cannot hold his head up - what is the reason?

The ability to hold one's head is an important stage in a baby's development. While the child is not holding his head up, he will need to be held under the back and back of the head to avoid injury to the cervical vertebrae. Once the infant masters this skill, it may not need to be supported.

There is no need to panic if at two, three or four months the baby has not yet learned to hold his head. Children's muscles develop at different rates, influenced by factors such as body type and the ability to perform dynamic behavior. Therefore, the formation of a skill is individual in nature.

Reasons for rejection

However, the lag should not be ignored. You need to take the baby to an appointment with a neurologist, who will determine the cause of the anomaly.

Why can’t a baby hold his head up at three months?

birth injury;
insufficient muscle tone, underdeveloped neck muscles;
feeding problems;
prematurity of the newborn;
underweight

Weak muscle tone is the most common reason why a baby cannot hold his head up. The problem will be solved by doing special gymnastics.

If a child cannot hold his head up at two months, this is quite normal. By three to four months, the baby's skills have changed and improved significantly. The child tries to coordinate motor activity, learns to roll over from back to stomach and back.

Holding the head is an important skill that the baby should master by about three months. If your baby doesn't hold his head up well at four months, he may not be lying on his tummy much. The neck muscles begin to develop from the second week of a baby’s life. To do this, it is placed on the tummy.

Swimming exercises are useful, as it is much easier to hold your head in the water.

Being on your stomach helps develop the skill of holding your head and keeps your neck toned. Colorful toys placed next to the crib will make the baby turn his head in different directions. Changes will come soon.

Swimming is extremely useful because it makes it much easier to hold your head in the water. Having mastered this skill in the water, the child will begin to use the acquired skills in other conditions.

Some children do not hold their head straight, but slightly at an angle. This case is also regarded as a pathology, and there is paresis of the muscular part of the neck or torticollis. Treatment mainly consists of massage. The use of an orthopedic pillow may also be indicated. In particularly severe cases, surgery is performed.

Parents need to ensure that the child does not look at objects from one side, but periodically turns his head. It is better to place toys on the problematic side, so that when the neck is turned, its muscles are strengthened.

If the baby does not hold his head well, it needs to be supported in the neck and back of the head. This is necessary in order to avoid injury to the cervical spine.

So, when to see a doctor:

the child holds his head crookedly, at an abnormal angle;
the baby does not turn his head to the sides when lying on his stomach;
there is a weak tone of the neck muscles or the whole body.

Low body weight, weak muscle tone, neurological problems, prematurity, complicated childbirth - all this can cause the baby to not hold up his head.

If the baby does not hold his head in time, he needs to be shown to a pediatric neurologist so that he can determine the cause of the lag and take the necessary measures. It should also be taken into account that since difficult births are a common cause of delay, regular monitoring by a neurologist is required after them.

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.

Early skill acquisition

If a child of 4 months does not hold his head upright, this is a reason to think about solving the problem. But what if a baby at 8 weeks confidently holds her head in the same position? Most parents can rejoice at such a rapid development of the baby. Unfortunately, mastering a skill at such an early age is not the norm. And also requires contacting a specialist. After the examination, the pediatrician or neurologist will suggest a course of massage and, possibly, some procedures.

Sometimes this feature of early development is associated with increased intracranial pressure. Therefore, if you notice even slight deviations in the baby’s development, it is always better to once again consult with an experienced doctor.

Possible reasons

If a child does not hold his head up at 4 months, almost all parents worry and worry. Most often, such a delay in acquiring a skill is not associated with psychological or physiological abnormalities.

If a baby at 12 weeks is unsure of holding his head, then it is possible:

The neck muscles are poorly developed.
Birth traumas take their toll.
Significant underweight.
The baby was born much earlier than expected.

It is important to note that poor development of the neck muscles can be observed in children who are rarely placed on their stomachs. Therefore, it is very important to do this from the second week after the baby is born.

If a baby at the age of 12 weeks throws his head back, this may be a consequence of a birth injury. Therefore, it is necessary to consult with a neurologist regarding further observation.

conclusions

After birth, each baby develops individual internal laws, but there are also generally accepted standards, thanks to which signs of developmental delay are promptly determined. The ability to hold the head is one of the basic children's skills that develops the ability to control the body and movements. Don't miss the moment to master it. The sooner you detect a problem and find out the reasons for its occurrence, the higher the likelihood of saving your baby from possible deviations.

Gymnastics to strengthen neck muscles

If a child at 4 months old does not hold his head well, then the problem should be solved. Staying on the tummy stimulates the baby to raise his head. A bright toy that is in the field of view works especially well. An effective method of strengthening the baby's neck muscles is massage. Of course, you can master it yourself, but it is better to contact a trusted specialist. And take lessons from him.

Gymnastics aimed at strengthening the neck muscles:

Place your baby face down in your arms. One hand is on the baby's chest, and the other is on the thigh. Slowly lower and raise your baby.
Fitball exercise. Don't try to do the exercise yourself. Need help from another family member. Cover the ball with a diaper. Place the baby on the fitball. Both parents, holding the child by the pelvis and arms with both hands, should slowly swing him in one direction or the other.
While lying in the parent's arms, the baby needs to alternately raise the pelvis and head.

Solution

If a child at 4 months old does not hold his head well, what should he do? It is very important not to rely on possible individual developmental characteristics, but to begin to act. The neck muscles can be stimulated. It is important not to limit the baby to one crib. There are a lot of educational rugs with rattles on which your baby can spend time. And interesting and colorful animals only motivate the child to turn his head to the sides. Thanks to this, active development of the neck muscles occurs.

Bathing in water, massages, outdoor games and gymnastics have an excellent effect on the development of this skill.

Remember that you should not rush the baby. Until you are sure that you have mastered the skill perfectly, constantly insure the baby’s head, holding it if necessary.

Important! If you notice that there is no improvement, then the problem will have to be resolved exclusively with a doctor.

A 2.5 month old child can hold his head up very poorly. What to do?

From user's log Anna

October 24, 2013, 12:39 pm

In general, this is how she raises her head in the morning, given that at that moment she is in a good mood. It lifts, but not for long. And then he buries his nose and starts whining.

I have been working with her every day since I discovered the problem for about 10 days:

-I put it on my tummy 8-10 times a day until it starts to get angry, and this is about 1-4 minutes.

-swim in the bathroom for 8 minutes, do a figure eight.

-When I pick her up, I carry her with her stomach down.

And now it’s been 10 days, the improvements are negligible.

Maybe I'm doing something wrong? I just feel sorry for having to lay her down on her stomach for a long time, she’s cackling, she’s in pain, she doesn’t like it. No regrets?