When does a baby start holding its head on its own?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

All parents are concerned about the proper development of their child. Therefore, many questions often arise, especially if the child is the first in the family, knowledge and experience, of course, are not enough. The first year of a baby's life is the most active in its development. During this period, he learns basic skills to control his own body. Let's take a closer look, for example, at what age does a child begin to hold his head? And when should you start to worry and see a doctor? Indeed, in fact, not everything is as simple as it seems at first glance, and parents should contribute to the proper development of their beloved baby.

In what age period can this event occur

It is important to remember that all children are individual, so there is no clear deadline calculated by day. Firstly, some babies receive birth injuries at birth, or they have he alth problems, and this is all, of course,affects the development of children. Secondly, even completely he althy children also have completely different development. Many mothers who gave birth at the same time are interested in the progress of each other's babies, and when they see the difference, they begin to sound the alarm, although this is not an indicator that you should worry about.

It is considered normal if a baby at the age of 3 months can already raise his head and hold it for a minute while lying on his tummy. Or, being in an upright position, independently hold the head at the level of your body. But there are times when the baby begins to hold his head before three months.

If the baby is already more than three months old, and these skills are difficult for him, you should contact a specialist neuropathologist to identify the cause (possible neurological abnormalities).

If baby starts holding his head before two months of age

If this event happened in the first month of a baby's life, you should not regard it on the positive side. Often, such an early retention of the head is a signal of increased tone of the cervical muscles and high intracranial pressure. Contact a neurologist immediately to prescribe therapy. A newborn under the age of 1.5 months should not yet be able to hold his head on his own.

When parents are engaged with the baby - feeding him or bathing him - it is imperative to hold the buttocks and back with one hand, and the shoulders and head of the child with the other. In suchAt age, the baby has very delicate cervical vertebrae, so without support, you can seriously injure them.

How to help a newborn hold his head on his own

At about 3 weeks of age, it is already possible to start the procedure of putting the baby on the tummy, for a short period of time. Around this age, the umbilical wound is already tightened. It is best to spread on the tummy before feeding, as this helps to prevent intestinal colic and facilitate the passage of gases. In addition, it is this pose that helps to train the neck muscles of the baby. The instinct of self-preservation makes him lift and turn his head to one side in order to facilitate his breathing. For most newborns, this procedure does not bring pleasure, and they begin to act up. At the same time, parents begin to worry that the child is nervous, and minimize the exercise.

This is the mistake of such suspicious parents. It is important to remember here that this exercise allows the child to develop properly, and its absence can lead to muscle hypotension and adversely affect the overall development of the baby. Here it is important not only to be interested in the question “what time does the child begin to hold his head?”, but also to help him develop properly.

Steps in the process of self-holding the baby's head

As mentioned above, the skill of holding the head does not come immediately to any newborn. The kid goes through a series of stages as a result of which he learns this both horizontally andvertical position. Let's take a closer look at when a child begins to hold his head on his own, without the support of loving parents.

First month of life

Do not get carried away in the first month of a baby's life with a lot of training for his development. Pay attention, when parents put the baby in a vertical position on their shoulder, he tries to raise his head on his own for a split second. This is a very important process in his development, while parents do not make any effort for these actions. As mentioned above, laying on the tummy is also an important process in this period of time for a newborn, but this exercise must be done gradually, using short-term training. Often parents resort to another exercise - swimming the baby with a circle in the bath.

But, I would like to note that not every child takes this workout for an interesting activity, and can start acting up, which will make bathing a very nervous process. It is important to remember that when holding the baby in your arms, the head must be secured so that it does not tip back. Around 1.5 months is the age when the baby begins to hold his head for a short time while lying on his stomach.

Second month of life

At about two months old, the baby is already trying to keep his head upright on his own, being in his parents' arms. Here it is important to continue to insure the baby, because his attempts may not always be successful. Parents already have confidence in actionchild, and the fear that the baby can hurt himself with certain movements departs. The baby will try to keep his head more and more confident every day.

In a horizontal position, the newborn has been trying to hold the head for a longer time or raise it and turn it to the side.

Third month of life

It is important to remember that the muscles of the cervical region have not yet grown strong in their entirety, so do not let the baby tilt his head back, but you should not constantly secure him. After all, the child should have the opportunity for development and training. By about four months of a newborn's life, the support of his head will completely disappear, and there comes a moment when the child begins to hold his head on his own, without safety nets, both in a vertical and horizontal position. During this period, one can observe how easy these actions are given to the child, which cause joy, from the opportunity to see much more.

What problems may appear and how to help the baby

If your baby has not learned to hold his head by three months, then it is best to immediately contact a neurologist to find out if this is a feature of the child's development or if there are some neurological problems. Often, mothers have premature or difficult births, which affects the development of the baby. Do not make a diagnosis on your own, or by reading a number of "scientific" articles.

Only a doctor can identifyproblem and prescribe appropriate treatment. For example, if the cause turns out to be a weak muscle tone, then the child will be assigned special massage procedures. If the baby was born a little earlier than the due date, then there is no particular reason to worry, and after a month or two, he will catch up with his peers in the correct development. There are cases when the child begins to hold his head with a slight deviation to the side. In this situation, the doctor may suggest massage or the use of a special pad. In addition to these violations, there are a number of others that only a specialist can determine when examining a child, so if in doubt, immediately go for a consultation.

It is important not to miss the moment

The moment when a child began to hold his head will become very important in his life, more precisely, this is his first serious achievement. This first stage is the most difficult, because the baby has just been born and has no idea what else he needs to learn. Remember that only parents can help in the development of their crumbs, and it is their responsibility to identify problems if they suddenly arise.

Correction of the violation is actually not a super complicated process, but only if the appeal to a specialist happened in a timely manner. After all, the older the child becomes, the more difficult it is to treat any deviations, including neurological ones.

Remember: when asking the question “what time did the child start holding his head?”, It is important notbuild on the available literature, and monitor your baby on your own, observing his development, and at the first sign of a violation, consult a doctor. Take care of your kids, surround them with care and love.