When the baby starts to hold the head alone. When the child begins to hold the head: how to teach the skill. When should a newborn start holding the head

The first months of a baby's life are the most exciting months in a parent's life.

Is the baby developing correctly, is everything good, is there any reason for concern?

One of the significant points that speaks of even good development is the ability to raise and hold your head.

Both too early and late development of this skill is a reason to consult a neurologist. At what age should this be considered the norm?

At how many months a newborn can fix confidently vertically

Most pediatricians are of the opinion that all children are different and the exact term, similar even for completely healthy children, No.

reference... Children of 1 and 2 degrees of prematurity most often completely catch up with their peers in development by three to four months, respectively, and their basic skills correspond to age.

Very premature babies (third and fourth degrees) develop individually. During the first year of life, they are closely monitored by doctors, including a neurologist, who will tell you if there is a delay in development.

Important! Babies born prematurely cannot be artificially stimulated to hold their head as early as possible, including through exercise. 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 the toddler does not hold his head at the age of three full months or starts to hold it late - after five or six months.

It could be:

• very low muscle tone;
• prematurity of any degree;
• low birth weight and poor weight gain 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 birth trauma, 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 the norms

Give your child time during the day when he is awake, play with him, do a massage, lay it on his tummy, follow the doctor's recommendations - and such an important skill as holding the head will surely appear on time.

At what age the child begins to hold his head, this question torments many parents. At birth, the muscles of any baby's body are still very weak and do not have sufficient tone to allow newborns to independently control parts of the body. The first serious training of the body muscles of every little person is to develop the skill of holding the head without assistance. Successful mastering of this skill lays the foundation for the next more complex stages in the development of the motor apparatus.

When does a child start holding his head?

The muscles of the child's neck and head develop and gain tone in the first six months of his life. This period is divided into several main time stages.

Newborn

A newborn baby has very weak muscles. The newborn is not yet able to hold his head and does not have the ability to focus on certain objects. In the first month of life, parents must constantly very carefully support the baby's head. During this period, parents are encouraged to make eye contact with the baby as often as possible, which allows them to strengthen the emotional connection.

1-2 months

As a rule, by the end of 1 month of life, most children are already able to independently maintain their head in a state of balance for a short time.

It is worth noting that if at the age of 1 month a child raises and holds his head without assistance, this indicates increased intracranial pressure, and not about rapid development. This is a very important symptom that requires immediate medical attention.

A well-developing child, a two-month-old baby, lying on his stomach should be able to independently turn his head in all directions. In this position, the instinct of self-preservation is triggered in all newborns, forcing the babies to raise their heads so as not to suffocate. Therefore, parents are advised to regularly lay their children on their stomachs to train their neck muscles. In addition, lying on your stomach promotes the passage of gas, which avoids problems with intestinal colic.

The strongest children at this age are able to pull their chin to their chest even while lying on their back. From 2 months old, children can already be transported in strollers, slings or special car seats for the smallest. Carrying out such transportation and carrying babies should be extremely careful, since the muscles of the neck and head are still weak and have not gained the necessary tone. At the age of two months, the average child is able to independently hold his head for a short time.

3-4 months

From this point on, parents can begin to train the muscles of the child's neck, giving them additional stress. For this, a simple, useful and exciting play technique for the kid is used. The child lies on his back, holds his hands and gently pulls himself forward until he takes a sitting position, which he holds for several seconds. Then it gently lowers to its original position. This simple exercise allows you to strengthen your muscles and gradually train your baby to learn to sit.

In this age period, children can already be transported in strollers in a sitting position, choosing flat, asphalt or concrete surfaces for walks.

5-6 months

At the age of six months, all babies developing without deviations in any position confidently hold, tilt and turn their heads. During this period, the child, lying on his stomach, begins to raise his body and actively turns his head in any direction, studying the objects around him.

During the entire period of initial training of the baby's head and neck muscles, parents should not actively stimulate the development of this skill. The process should be as natural as possible. In the first month of a child's life, when the muscles are still very weak, it is especially important to always gently hold the newborn's head. When bathing, feeding, carrying, the baby's head should always be supported by the caring hands of the parents. In the future, a child developing without lag, obeying instincts and his own desires, trains himself. All that is required from the parents is care, attention, and a little help.

After the baby has learned to confidently hold his head, the next stage in the development of the locomotor apparatus begins. During this period of life, children learn to crawl, roll over and sit.

All children develop in different ways, some quickly master new skills, others a little slower. The development process of each baby is individual and strongly depends on the structural features of the body and the state of health. Nevertheless, it is believed that at the age of three months, any healthy child should be able to control the movements of his head for at least a few seconds.

The lack of this skill in a given age period can arise for several reasons.

A baby at 3 months does not hold his head if:

1. If the baby was born as a result of pathological, difficult childbirth or he has serious neurological problems. In this situation, you should definitely seek the advice of a specialized doctor who can solve this problem.
2. Insufficient or very low muscle tone. In such cases, you need to get professional advice from a neurologist, according to the results of which a special course of medical massage can be prescribed. Regular home massage does not always help with low muscle tone.
3. The child very rarely laid out on his stomach or did not lay out at all. In this situation, the developmental lag is due to the little care and inattention of the parents. In such cases, babies acquire the required skills and develop a little more slowly, but the problem is not critical.
4. Underweight due to premature birth or underweight due to a lack of breast milk. You should consult with a child therapist about the quantity and quality of the mixture of complementary foods, allowing you to quickly gain the normative weight. In such cases, the child, having gained the necessary weight, very quickly makes up for the time lost in development.
5. The kid holds his head only at a certain angle. A special massage prescribed by a pediatrician and the use of pillows to level the head position help to solve this problem. In addition, if there is a playpen, it is recommended to put the baby in different sides of it, which allows the baby to turn his head when changing the angle of view.

During the period of development and training of skills to control the muscles of the neck and head, parents are advised to especially carefully monitor any deviations that arise. Regular visits to the attending physician and consultations of specialists allow us to identify and solve all arising problems in time. It should be remembered that with increasing age of the child, the treatment of neurological abnormalities becomes more difficult and takes more time. And of course, every baby needs the care and attentive attitude of parents.

Video on how to learn to hold your head

It is important for parents that the development of the baby goes right. They are eagerly waiting for the child to start holding his head. Any, even minor, non-compliance with the norms immediately cause great concern and force you to immediately consult a doctor.

The ability to keep a child's head is an indicator that he has begun to learn to control and control his body by performing complexly coordinated actions.

When the baby starts to hold his head

There is no exact timeframe that is suitable for each child, and it all depends on the speed of physical development. Because of this the norm is considered to be a period of 2.5 to 3 months. During this period, the child should begin to hold the head evenly, being himself in an upright position, and also be able to, lying on his tummy, keep it raised for up to a minute.

By the age of 4 months, the child, lying on his stomach, already easily lifts the front of the body, leaning on his hands. Taken by adults and in an upright position, the baby begins to actively study the world around him, examines it with interest, confidently turning his neck.

Some children learn this a little earlier, which has its own characteristics. If by the age of 3 months the baby has not learned to hold his head, this is a reason for contacting a neurologist. It is possible that there are no deviations, and soon the baby will begin to master the skill, but in order to exclude the presence of neurological abnormalities, it is imperative to visit a specialist.

If the child holds the head too early

When an infant learns a skill earlier than 2.5 months, this is unfortunately not the best sign, especially if the newborn is less than 1 month old. In most cases, this phenomenon is a symptom of a serious pathology, such as excessive neck muscle tone or too high intracranial pressure. At the first violation, the cervical muscles seem to be cramped, because of which they become hard and hold the head upright.

With increased muscle tone, in addition to being able to hold the head too early, the baby develops the following symptoms:

• disturbed sleep;
• frequent crying, for which there seems to be no reason;
• frequent active regurgitation;
• nervousness.

Normally, from the age of 2-3 weeks, the baby should start trying to hold the head for 1-2 seconds, but no more. Because of this, taking the baby in their arms, adults must definitely support him with one hand under the back and the other under the shoulders and head. If you do not do this, then there is an extremely high risk that the baby will receive a serious injury, which will lead to the most dangerous consequences. Do not expect that the baby will be able to control his own body.

Noticing that the baby has become too early to hold his head, it is imperative to seek medical advice. Sometimes, indeed, the reason is simply the very rapid physical development of the child, and then there is no need to worry, but still more often there is a violation in health.

When the baby does not hold the head at 3 months

Before the child turns 3 months old, it is difficult for parents to understand for sure whether the baby has learned to hold his head or not. This is due to the fact that up to this age, the norm is a periodic loss of balance, due to which the baby can abruptly lose the skill for a few seconds or minutes and sharply throw his head back or drop it on its side.

However, if, after reaching 3 months, the baby cannot raise and hold the head in the position on the tummy, even for several seconds, this is a reason for an immediate visit to the doctor, since such a phenomenon is a pronounced symptom of a disorder. You can contact a neurologist, and if this is not possible, then a pediatrician.

The main reasons for the violation are:

• prematurity
  In this case, the development of the child's muscles may be delayed, but in the absence of any additional violations by the year, the baby will catch up with his peers.
• extremely low weight of the infant at the time of birth
  As in the first case, in the absence of pathology, development will be normal, but with a slight delay, which will be completely eliminated by the year;
• pathologies that led to a violation in the child even during the period of intrauterine development
  Moreover, most often, after birth, a diagnosis is made immediately and the doctors select the necessary treatment regimen. Whether it will be possible to fix the problem depends on how severe the lesion is;
• birth injury
  Has led to the appearance of neurological disorders of varying severity, from mild to severe, accompanied by a lag in physical and mental development;
• overprotective parenting
  With her, adults do not leave the baby any opportunity to train the muscles of the neck, since the head is constantly firmly fixed. Treatment of such a disorder is carried out with the help of massage and allowing the baby to train the neck on his own.

The main thing when detecting a problem is not to postpone seeking medical help. It is not uncommon to correct a situation only if it is not running.

How to help your baby learn to hold his head

It is not required to specially teach children to hold the head. This skill comes on its own as the neck muscles are strengthened. However, there are exercises that help the baby to more easily prepare his body for new actions. There are only two of them and they are easy to implement.

If an infant has problems in the area of ​​the cervical vertebrae associated with intrauterine or birth injuries, then before starting to carry out gymnastics, you should consult a doctor. Perhaps these standard exercises will be prohibited and another special complex will be required, which will be selected depending on what kind of injury occurs.

How to support the head of a newborn

If, before the children learn to hold their own neck, parents do not support it correctly, it may be difficult to master the skill. It is important to support, and not to hold, the child's head so that his muscles gradually train. The main task of the adult who holds the baby in his arms is not to let his head tilt back or sideways, and not to completely prevent the baby from moving her. There are only two situations when you need to keep your head tight enough.

• Feeding.
  At this moment, the baby experiences a great load and cannot expend additional energy on maintaining the correct head position. As a result, if you do not hold the head normally, the baby will not be able to eat.
• The movements of an adult with a baby in her arms.
  Any sudden movements, as well as getting up from a sitting position or, conversely, lowering into a chair when the child is in your arms, can damage the neck if it is not supported. This is due to the fact that the neck muscles, which are still too weak, simply cannot resist unnatural changes in body position, which are also unexpected for a baby.

Some parents are convinced that if the child does not hold his head, he may die due to a sharp throwback, having received a neck fracture. However, in a domestic environment, this is impossible. Yes, the baby can be injured, but not so much. Fatal outcome due to sudden movement and overturning is possible only in case of car accidents, when the speed of movement is very high.

It is necessary to monitor the correct development of the child so as not to miss the appearance of violations. Any suspicion that the baby started to hold the head too early or is late with this skill are a reason to visit the doctor. You should not listen to the stories of other parents about how it was with them, because without a medical education, it is impossible to correctly evaluate each specific case.

We found out when a child begins to hold his head and how you can help him develop this skill.

The primary skill that a baby learns is the ability to raise and hold his head in this position. Many new mothers are interested in knowing when a child begins to hold his head without assistance. Even experienced women who have a second or third child can forget when it should be normal.

This usually happens faster if the baby is carried upright, which is useful from time to time, especially after eating, and placed on the tummy from a very young age. The ability to hold the head with normal development is noted by the age of three months. Many pediatricians notice that lately babies even try or successfully do it by the age of two months. What can the fact say if this does not happen even on time and is it worth worrying about this? Let's consider the main stages of the formation of this skill.

How a skill is formed

When a baby is born, he does not know how to keep his head, since his muscular and nervous system, which regulates the work of muscles, is still imperfect. Therefore, when caring for a newly born baby, during bathing and feeding, he must definitely support the head in order to prevent damage to the spine in the neck. If a child has a phenomenon such as the ability to hold his head for about a month, then this is not considered the norm. It should be shown to a doctor as this symptom may indicate high cranial pressure.

After the umbilical wound has healed, which usually occurs at the latest by the third week of life, the baby must be laid out on the stomach. This position makes him want to turn, and he will try to raise his head. The more often the baby is put on his tummy, the better his neck muscles will develop, which plays the main role in supporting the head.

Even if the crumb resists lying on its tummy, you should still turn it over, but at the same time stroke it, distract it with conversation or interesting toys. This is best done before meals to prevent regurgitation of food. The physical contact of the baby with the mother is also important, his confidence that she is next to him.

Stages of formation

1. At about 1.5 months of age, the baby begins to tense the head slightly when lying down and holds it in a slightly elevated position above a horizontal surface for about 60 seconds.

1. By 7-8 weeks, the first attempts to keep the head at the same level with the rest of the body can be seen.

1. Up to three months of age, an infant usually learns to hold his head while lying on his stomach, or in an upright position if mom or dad picks him up. But not every toddler is capable of this for a long time, he needs to be watched so that he can be insured at any time.

1. For about four months, the child raises not only his head, but also the shoulder girdle when he lies on his tummy, and actively studies the world around him.

1. By the age of five months, the baby usually not only confidently raises his head while lying on his stomach, but also turns it in different directions, examining all the objects and people around him.

Such stages of psychomotor development are approximately the same in all children, and may differ only slightly.

When problems arise

So, we found out how many months the child holds his head on his own, but this does not always happen. The child does not hold the head at the age of three months for the following reasons:

• the baby has neurological problems or childbirth, as a result of which he appeared, was very difficult;
• he has a reduced tone of myocytes, and on this issue one should consult with a neurologist, it is highly likely that usually massage and some exercises will not work, and in this case the child needs a special manual course, which can only be done by a specialist;

• the mother incorrectly or infrequently laid the child on his tummy, and this led to the fact that he did not have time to strengthen the neck muscles;
• the child was born with a low body weight, often this happens as a result of prematurity, or a disease;

When does a premature baby start holding its head? To resolve this issue, it is necessary to contact the pediatrician and it may turn out that the problem is being solved by introducing additional complementary foods or a mixture. If the reason lies only in the lack of weight, then after its normalization, the development of the child will be the same as that of his peers.

If the child suddenly raises his head, but exclusively at an angle, you should approach a neurologist, in this case, most likely, he needs a special massage. Sometimes the doctor recommends the use of a special pad, it helps to solve problems by aligning. In some cases, laying out the baby on different sides of the crib or playpen is used, this will allow him to change the angle of observation of objects, which will cause a different turn of the head and develop the neck muscles more evenly.

Any delays in the development of the child require close attention from the mother and father. If any trouble is found, then it is recommended to immediately go to the doctor and take all measures. If you start a pathological process, this can affect the entire future life of the baby. The question of what time the child should hold his head is decided in each case on an individual basis. But too much deviation from the norm requires close attention.

How to help

The main way to help the little person to strengthen the neck muscles is to lay it out on the tummy. Pediatricians believe that this should be done immediately after the baby's umbilical wound is completely healed.

It is best to spread it while changing clothes, before eating or an hour and a half after it. The baby should be taught to this position gradually, starting from ten seconds. In order not to cause irritation or fear in him at this moment, you can put a toy next to him.

When children begin to hold their heads, a new stage begins in their development. Therefore, it is important to make sure that this happens on time.

Immediately after birth, parents ask themselves the question: when does a child start to hold his head? This seemingly simple skill of body control does not appear in newborns immediately. The kid learns to master the muscles of the neck within 2-3 months, but the period depends on the individual characteristics of development.

Four Steps to Develop an Important Skill

Before answering how many months, it is necessary to trace the stages of skill formation. The process takes place gradually and deviations in development are noticeable already in the first weeks of the baby's life.

Bogdanova Lyudmila Alekseevna, Israel, clinic "Top-Ichilov", neurophysiologist, physiotherapist, doctor of functional diagnostics

Even the doctor will not be able to tell you exactly from what month the child begins to hold his head. Each organism develops individually.

As a rule, babies hold their heads by three months. But if the baby was born weak, do not rush him. Give your muscles time to build up. Also, listen to your neurologist and pediatrician. Massage and gymnastics will help to strengthen muscles and speed up the formation of the skill.

From birth to 6 weeks

Up to one and a half months, newborns have weak neck muscles and they cannot keep their head upright. To avoid damaging the upper spine, support the head of the crumbs when holding it in your hands..

After the umbilical wound has healed, begin to lay the baby on the tummy. An innate protective reflex will make the baby raise its head and lay it on its side. At the same time, the muscles of the neck are trained, and intestinal motility is also improved, which will help prevent colic.

If a month-old baby keeps his head on par with the body, do not rejoice.... This may indicate neurological problems, so show the little patient to the doctor.

6 weeks - 2 months

At a month and a half, a baby, lying on his tummy, can raise his head by 45 ° and hold it for one minute or more. And closer to the 8th week, the baby makes the first attempts to raise the head vertically.

If you lift the child on their back by the handles while trying to sit them down, the back of the baby's head will remain flush with the back.

At an earlier age, with such manipulations, the newborn is not able to raise his head and throws it back.

2-3 months

The kid begins to hold his head upright, but quickly gets tired. Secure the baby by placing your palm under the back of the child's head.

4 months

This is the period when children begin to hold their heads on their own. The kid twirls it in all directions, and when laid out on the stomach, also raises the upper part of the body.

It is impossible to say unequivocally at what time the child begins to hold his head. He makes his first attempts as early as 3-4 weeks, and finally the skill is fixed by four months.

When premature babies start to hold their heads

The development of premature babies differs from those born on time. Such crumbs are born weak and fragile, often require incubation care.

4 Weak muscle tone in the neck and back... It occurs due to partial damage to the central nervous system or insufficient muscle development. The second option is more common, which is treated with massage and special gymnastics.

After one or two courses with a chiropractor, the problem disappears without a trace. In the first case, it is necessary to treat lesions of the nervous system, which includes both massage and medication.

5 Imbalance between flexors and extensors of the neck... The ability to hold the head upright is formed as a result of achieving a balance between the posterior muscles of the neck and their antagonists - "nodding" located in front.

In newborns, the muscles of the back surface are more active due to an unconditioned reflex. It allows you to turn your head or raise it in case of danger of suffocation.

The functions of the "nodders" are rapidly developing and by the age of two months they allow you to keep your head upright. If the muscles of the front of the neck are underdeveloped, the baby throws it back when trying to raise its head.

In this case, special collars, which are worn by the child to prevent tipping back, will help, as well as massage and gymnastics.

We offer you to watch the video and, together with the baby, do exercises on fitball, which will take you 3 minutes:

Regular visits to the pediatrician will help you notice the problem in time. The doctor knows exactly at what age children begin to hold their heads and how to treat, if the baby has not mastered such a necessary skill.

Zaitsev Sergey Vladimirovich, Moscow, MC "Neuro-Med", children's neurologist, candidate of medical sciences, doctor of the highest category

You should not strive to teach the baby to keep his head, sit, stand as early as possible. Everything has its time. If the child does not have pathologies and neurological problems, regular stretching on the stomach to strengthen the neck muscles is quite enough.

By interfering with the natural process, you can harm. The child's body is fragile, wait until it gets stronger.

5 techniques to strengthen your neck muscles

Your baby is about 3 months old, is he healthy, but does not hold his head? Perhaps his muscles are not strong enough yet. To strengthen them, do simple exercises that have no contraindications:

1. Lay the baby on the belly more often.... If it's hard for the baby to be in this position, help him. To do this, turn the baby with his legs towards you and grab him from the sides with your hands. Hold the handles with your palms so that the elbows do not part and the baby does not lose balance. To speed up the process, special techniques have been developed.

Do not lay your baby on her tummy right after eating. Compression of the diaphragm causes profuse regurgitation.

1. Carry your baby in an airplane pose... Support your neck with one hand and place the other under your tummy and chest. Babies love to be in this position, because during the exercise they are swayed and carried around the room, where there is a lot of interesting things.
2. Give your baby a special massage... Place the baby on your back and stroke and pat your neck from chin to chest. This will tone the muscles.
3. Do fitball exercises with your child... Place the baby with his tummy on the ball and swing back and forth and left and right. The infant will try to raise his head vertically to the floor. At the same time, not only the anterior and posterior muscles are pumped, but also the lateral ones, which prevents torticollis. You will find more exercises with babies.
4. Take a baby swim in the bathroom... During the first lessons, it is necessary to hold the baby under the chin. When the child gets a little stronger, the adult holds his chest and tummy with both hands. Make sure your baby does not swallow water. How useful can be and 7 reasons when it is prohibited is disclosed in detail in our other article.

Do not stop exercising when the child has begun to hold his head with confidence. This will reinforce the skill and avoid regression.

The following article will help shed some light on the parenting question.