What time do newborns hold their heads. What time should the baby start holding his head and what if the baby started holding his head earlier. Gradual child development

In most child development forums, young mothers are often asked about when a child starts to hold his head. It is very difficult to answer this question with certainty, since each child develops individually. The first year of the child is rich in the acquisition of vital skills. And holding the head is no exception.

But these skills come on time. Unfortunately, many mothers begin to wind themselves up if the neighbor's boy is already free to hold his head, and her toddler has just begun to turn it to one side. To allay 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 peers. Sometimes too early development is a sign of pathology. This rarely happens, but a consultation with a pediatrician will not hurt.

When it comes time for the child to hold his head on his own

Many parents believe that the neck muscles are strong enough at the moment when the newborn baby is confidently holding his head in the "column" position. In fact, this is not the case. This can be said only when the child keeps his head raised in the "on the tummy" position. It comes at about three months. But this period may vary.

So that you don't panic, consider the development of this skill in different periods:

• The first days of the baby. During this period, be sure to support him under the head, as the child's muscles are very weak. After the navel has healed, sometimes it is already possible to lay the baby on the tummy;
• One to two months. In a month, the baby can usually keep the head in balance for a few seconds. By 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 to four months. At this age, coordination of movements improves. Lay your baby on the tummy more often. You can also pull it up by the handles from a prone position. This is a great exercise for the child to hold their head;
• Five to six months. At this age, children usually already hold their heads well and can turn it in different directions.

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What to do when the baby does not start holding his head at three months

As previously stated, every child is different. But still, at three months, he should already hold his head for at least a few seconds. If this does not happen, then the reasons may be the following:

• The appearance of the baby was accompanied by difficult childbirth or he had neurological problems. In this case, a doctor's consultation is imperative;
• Low neck muscle tone. It also requires a consultation with a neurologist. Most likely, he will prescribe a massage so that the child can hold his head;
• The child was infrequently laid out on his tummy, which is why his neck muscles are not sufficiently strengthened;
• Developmental delays can often occur in babies with low birth weight or premature babies. In this case, you need to consult a pediatrician;
• The kid holds his head, but not straight, but at an angle. In this case, a special massage is required.

If any deviations are found, 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 their head on their own

For prevention, experts recommend a certain set of exercises to keep the baby's head.

You need to start with the smallest. If the baby still does not know how to hold the head, then put a bright toy in front of him. Lay him on his tummy, and put your hand on his forehead. Lift the head gently so that the toy is visible. 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 gently remove the palm, insuring him at the same time. If the baby is already starting to hold his head, more often stimulate him to do this.

Also pay attention to the muscles in your neck. Place the baby on a flat surface on the back with a pillow. Lift it by the shoulders, holding it for a few seconds. Over time, he will raise his head after his shoulders.

It is important to understand that the exercises described are not some kind of panacea, and your little one will immediately raise his head. Remember, everything has its time, and you do not need to rush things. You can only interfere with the natural process if you have been consulted by a doctor!

What to do when your baby starts holding her head too soon

Modern children develop much faster. Therefore, it may be the norm when the toddler holds his head already in a month. But this happens extremely rarely, so consultation with a neurologist is imperative.

Sometimes this situation is the result of hypertonicity of the neck muscles or increased intracranial pressure. You should be especially careful if the child is tormented by insomnia, he is capricious and cries loudly.

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Pathology can only be distinguished by an experienced doctor. It is treatable! Certain medications are prescribed, and massages and physical procedures are prescribed.

What to do if a child holds his head to one side

There is nothing wrong with that, 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 to prevent the head from falling to one side. The pediatrician will prescribe special massages to eliminate this deficiency.

Be sure to watch when the child starts to hold his head. After all, this period indicates the correct development of the baby. Maximum attention is required from the mother in order to solve any problem on time. It is better not to postpone it until later, because, starting from a year, it will be much more difficult to correct something in physiology.

The ability to hold the head is very important for a baby, and in the future it predetermines his development and new movements. Each parent wishes his child only happiness and health, therefore he is very worried about the timing of the child's maturation, about his development.

Today we will talk about when a child begins to hold his head on his own, as well as how to teach a child to hold his head faster.

When the baby starts
keep your head on your own

The first year of a baby's life is very difficult, the baby needs to learn the most important movements and skills in his life: to be able to control his movements, to master the necessary skills (for example, the ability to hold his head, turn over, sit, walk, etc.), and in this he helps his muscular system, which intensively develops during the first year of life.

Each child has an individual development: some children develop earlier than their peers, some later. The ability to keep the head is one of the first most important skills in a child's life and its main characteristic: the normal development of the cervical muscles. Development does not happen quickly, but as your baby grows up.

At birth, of course, the baby cannot have such skills, and if they are, then this is a clear deviation in his development and it is necessary to urgently consult a doctor to clarify the diagnosis and timely treatment of your baby.

However, it should be remembered that if for a long time (more than four months) the child does not hold his head, then this indicates deviations in physical development, and untimely or improper development of muscle tissue in the neck.

So, for the normal, timely development of the child, parents must know the norm of the age period (the so-called age interval), at which the child must already be able to hold his head.

By the first two weeks of the baby's life, the child should already try to start holding the head, however, if the child shows the first signs of holding the head a little later (for example, by a month), do not worry, this is also normal, this is just how it develops.

By the first month, when turning over on the tummy, the baby tries to raise his head for 2-3 seconds. Some babies, I repeat, can make such attempts closer to two months, in this case, do not worry, this is also normal, the child is just not ready yet.

By two months the child is already beginning to hold his head more confidently. This can take 10 to 15 seconds, but the muscles in the neck are still weak and parental insurance is required. During this period, if the child has already begun to gradually hold the head, it is often interesting for the baby to be carried in a column. With this form of carrying the baby, the child will learn to hold his head more confidently.

By three months the child already confidently holds his head, can hold it for 30–40 seconds. During this period of life, the baby learns many new movements, for example, rolling over on his tummy, as well as intensively turning his head in different directions to get acquainted with the objects around him.

By four months the baby's head is already holding up well, the neck muscles may well hold it for a long time and confidently.

Many doctors say that by the age of four months, the baby should already have learned to hold the head. If this does not happen, then it is necessary to urgently contact the appropriate specialist (neurologist or surgeon) for competent consultation and possible prescription of medical procedures, for example, therapeutic massage.

If by the age of four months the child has not learned to hold his head, then this was facilitated by the following possible reasons:

• Hypotonicity of the cervical muscles. Muscles with this developmental deviation are weak, underdeveloped, therefore they cannot hold the baby's head. In this situation, the baby will be prescribed a therapeutic massage to strengthen muscle tissue.
• There are times when a child has a rather large head, so the muscles are simply not able to hold it by four months, they are still too weak. In this case, do not worry, this situation is permissible and over time the muscles will become stronger. However, your baby may be prescribed massage therapy to strengthen the neck muscles.
• The reason for the weakness of the cervical muscles can be complicated or premature birth, then the child develops a little later than his peers, but parents should not worry, this situation happens often.
• Neurological abnormalities in the development of the baby. In this case, a narrowly qualified specialist (neurologist) will prescribe treatment for you to eliminate neurological abnormalities. The main thing: strictly follow the instructions of a specialist.
• Another common reason for a child's not being able to keep his head is too much care of his parents. They reinsure the actions of their baby sometimes too much, thus preventing them from training and developing their muscle corset on their own. Such overprotection negatively affects the development of the baby, parents should insure the child, but at the same time give him independence.

Some babies develop earlier than their peers and begin to hold their heads as early as 2-2.5 months. However, if the head is held very early, parents still need to consult a doctor for advice. Most often, a situation arises when a child has increased intracranial pressure, which affects muscle tone and allows the child to hold the head at an early age. This is also bad, therefore, to exclude these deviations, you need to contact a specialist.

How to check if he can hold his head

If you find it difficult to determine whether your baby is able to hold the head or not, you can check this with the following exercises:

1. Lift the baby by the handles from a prone position to a sitting position. If the baby holds his head for at least a short time, then everything is in order, the development of muscle tone is normal. Do not hold the child in a sitting position for a long time and often; it is not recommended to sit down a baby up to five months by age, and even more so for girls.
2. The second exercise for checking the child's cervical muscles can be a slight lifting of the baby's arms from a prone position (half-sitting). With this exercise, the child should try to keep his head at the level of the ridge at least for a short time. If this happens, then this situation is considered normal.

The development of each baby takes place individually, so you should not demand from the child something overwhelming for his development. The well-known doctor Komarovsky also notes that everything has its time. When the child is supposed to hold his head, then he will begin to do this, the main thing is for parents to be patient and take this as the norm for their baby. When a child begins to hold his head on his own, he quickly begins to master other movements, he is interested in everything that is happening around him.

How to teach a child to hold his head

There are many techniques and advice for parents on how to teach a child to hold his head on his own. Among these are therapeutic massage, and swimming in the bathtub, and swimming with a circle. However, parents should not go to extremes and try new experimental methods for the development of their baby.

Of course, swimming in the bathtub is beneficial, but swimming with a circle around your child's neck is a controversial issue. Whether this technique will help to hold the baby's head or not, you need to think about it, since the circle is the head holder, and the fact that it will help for the development of the cervical muscles is unlikely.

Therapeutic massage, as one of the methods for developing the cervical muscles in a child, is very useful. However, if the child's muscles are still weak, then massage will not help, only the baby's own training will help for his development. Massage perfectly helps with hypotonia and hypertonicity of muscles, but if you want to provide your child with early head retention, be patient, let the child develop it on his own.

You can also massage the baby's neck yourself by gently stroking and rubbing the skin in the neck from the chin to the chest. The main thing is that your massage movements do not cause discomfort to the baby.

There is a whole range of independent workouts for the kid, in which, of course, his parents can help him.

1. From the very first days of life, it is more often necessary to put the child on his stomach (when the navel heals), this will provoke the baby's desire to raise his head. However, this should be done before feedings and in between feedings so that the tummy is not filled with food. Initially, the baby is turned over on the baby's stomach for relatively short periods of time, 3-4 minutes. In the future, the time interval is increased, the more the child is, the longer he is on his stomach. It should be remembered that if a child is uncomfortable, naughty, crying, then there is no need to torment the baby, so you will only bring harm to his health. All procedures with the baby should be adjusted depending on the mood and physical condition of the baby.
2. When the child is still very small and does not hold his head, you can, while wearing, provoke the baby's independent head support, keeping him in the prone position. In this case, with one hand it is necessary to support the baby's head, with the other hold it under the tummy. With this type of wearing, the child will be tired of looking at the floor all the time, and he will try to raise his head, thereby training his muscles.
3. When the child begins to hold the head on its own for short intervals, you can change the position for wearing it. In this case, the child can already be carried in a column, supporting and insuring the baby's head. It should be remembered that the head must be given movement without completely restricting it so that the neck muscles develop.

Parents who are worried about the development and health of their baby, first of all, need to remember the rule: you should help your child, and not do everything for him. Let him try to hold the head on his own, backing him up, but not holding the head in his place. Then your baby will begin to quickly adapt to the world around him and develop quickly.

As you can see, all activities with a baby are based on the main idea that parents should not do everything themselves for their child, but give him the opportunity to develop independently, helping him in this.

It is very important for the full development of the baby to feed it. Of course, breastfeeding plays a major role in this. When breastfeeding, a mother needs to eat well so that the child receives all the necessary vitamins, minerals and trace elements for his development with breast milk. If the mother is not able to consume the full range of necessary trace elements, then it is necessary to consult a doctor to prescribe additional complexes for nursing mothers with the necessary composition of substances useful for the baby.

The child must be taken for a walk in the fresh air. This will help all tissues, including muscle, develop in your baby fully and in a timely manner. In addition, walks on the street arouse interest in the child, and the baby will try to twist and wiggle his head, holding it in order to see everything interesting around him.

Important! During classes with the baby, do not cause him discomfort, pain and inconvenience, as this can negatively affect the health of the child. Classes and trainings should be carried out in a playful way, taking into account the interests of your baby.

So, today we looked at when a child begins to hold his head on his own, as well as the basic techniques for training this skill of your baby. It must be remembered that each baby develops individually, so parents need to be patient and confident in the strength of their child.

The first year of a little man is an amazing time. Now you celebrate his birthday every month. And every month the baby develops new skills and abilities. But that's still to come. Now the toddler is confidently sniffling in his bed, and he is not at all worried about his "skills". He would only have to eat his fill, and sleep soundly, so that colic would not bother him.

Mom is another matter. She worries about the baby like no other. Especially if everything is “right” with the newborn, does he manage to develop, does he meet the deadlines and norms? Moms often forget that timing and norms are insanely good, but each person, almost from the moment of conception, develops according to his own program. Something he will succeed earlier, something later, the main thing is not to rush the baby and help him to improve a little bit.

The very first and most significant achievement of a newborn is rightfully considered the moment when he independently begins to hold his head. This is precisely the first step towards independence. Now the mother is a little easier - she does not need to support the child's head all the time, which significantly increases the parent's “maneuverability”. And how good it is for the baby - a larger view opens up for him, now you can stare around when you want, and not just in the mother's arms.

When does this long-awaited and rather serious event take place? At how many months do newborns begin to confidently hold their heads? What to do if the kid is in a hurry, or, on the contrary, does not want to do this responsible business? Now we will find out all this!

The development of muscles and neck and vertebrae is quite complex and does not happen on a swoop basis. The head is a rather heavy and very important part of the body in a person's life, therefore the neck that holds it must be strong, dense, but at the same time sufficiently flexible and mobile. Then it will be possible to turn this very head in different directions, studying the world, and there will be nothing for us.

Since the process of self-retention of the head is important, complex and responsible, it takes place in several stages:

1. First, the baby begins to lift the head off the surface, lying on its stomach, for only a split second.
2. Later, the toddler tears its head off the surface, holds it raised for a few seconds.
3. A little later, the baby already confidently raises his head while lying on his stomach, makes attempts to raise it while lying on his back.
4. Ultimately, the baby in the prone position tears off not only the head, but also the shoulders from the surface. In his arms, such a baby actively turns his head in all directions.

This entire period takes place over a long period of time. A newborn begins to make the first attempts to hold his head at 3-4 weeks, confidently holds his head at 4-5 months. Confident - it means, done without help, for a long time and turning a curious nose in different directions. But parents often perceive even the initial attempts of the newborn to fix the head on their own as an unequivocal success. And they strive to accelerate an important event in the life of the baby with all their might.

How to develop the neck muscles of a newborn

It is important to understand that the newborn will begin to hold his head in any case - this is how nature laid it down. But in order for this process to pass on time, the baby can be helped a little. To do this, it is necessary to develop the muscles of his still weak neck. Although the baby himself copes with this task:

1. From about two to three weeks, lying on its tummy, the newborn tries to tear the head off the surface for at least a split second. This is a kind of workout for the neck muscles.
2. From the age of one and a half months, the baby turns the head from one side to the other, in the same position.
3. By the age of two months, the toddler is trying to hold the head upright without support for a short time. And lying on his back, he actively attempts to raise it.
4. By the age of three months, the baby diligently raises his head up, continuing to train the muscles of the neck and at the same time using the muscles of the back.

As you can see, nature has thought of everything. Due to an irresistible innate curiosity, the newborn seeks to see everything around as soon as possible. Attempts to see a little more stimulate the movements of the neck, the tension of its muscles. This is how they develop step by step.

In addition to the child's natural attempts to see the world, you can perform some exercises aimed at strengthening not only the cervical muscles, but also to develop the muscles of the back, arms, and the press. And such exercise has the best effect on the psycho-emotional development of the newborn - it is important to carry out the exercises in a comfortable environment, in a good mood and in a game format, accompanying the actions with any funny nursery rhymes.

It is also important to adhere to the correct exercise technique, there are not so many of them:

1. When the newborn is lying on its back, grab the handles and pull it towards you. Hold the little one in a semi-sitting position for a few seconds, then gently lower it back to the surface. In such "hanging" moments, the newborn will try to pull the head to the chest. After a few days of regular repetitions of this exercise, the neck muscles will become stronger, and the child will be more confident in operating them.
2. As soon as the umbilical wound heals, start spreading the newborn on the tummy. It is advisable to do this before each feeding, it will not be superfluous to lay it out on the tummy before — how to bathe a newborn baby—. From that position, it is still easiest for him to try to move his neck, and, raising his head, he also begins to strain his back muscles. While the baby is in this position, you can give him a light "massage for newborns". Gentle stroking of the back and neck stimulates blood flow to the muscles, which in turn helps tone them.
3. You can also play pilots. Take the newborn under the chest with one hand and under the legs with the other. And "fly" so little around the room. The exercise will delight a 2-3 month old baby, it cannot be done before 1.5 months, the neck muscles will not be able to strain so much and keep the head in flight.
4. If you have a fitball, you can roll your child's back and tummy over it. In fact, there are whole complexes of exercises for newborns on this unit. And fantasy will help you. Whatever you do, it will provoke your neck muscles to contract and work little by little. And this is what we ultimately need.

In fact, such gymnastics is shown to children who have a pronounced developmental lag. If the child eats well, gains weight normally, it is enough just to give him some freedom of movement. Do not hold the head straight up so firmly, just provide it with light support when the baby is in your arms. Don't swaddle your baby tightly, don't wrap your baby in a million collars. The freer the newborn is in motor activity, the earlier and easier it will be. Without any exercise and completely on your own.

The child began to hold his head a month earlier

Of course, all mothers want to raise a wonderful child who will do everything earlier and better than anyone else, to the envy of neighbors and girlfriends. But in matters of children, such a desire to run ahead of the locomotive can play a cruel joke with the parents. Physiologically, a newborn cannot hold his head earlier than two to three months. Muscles are still too weak by the monthly mark, even if you develop them paranoid almost from the first day of a baby's life.

Yes, there are exceptions, but very, very rare. If a baby holds his head up to a month, this is not a sign of his "advancement" and superdevelopment. This is a clinical picture characteristic of an increase in intracranial pressure in infants. Moreover, it can be observed from the first day of a baby's life. Therefore, before you rejoice in the sudden and early success of a newborn, it is better to show it to your doctor. Increased intracranial pressure is not a joke, it is a problem that needs to be urgently addressed. only if the doctor says that everything is fine with the pressure, it's just that your child is not monthly developed by months, you can rejoice and celebrate the first significant event in the life of a newborn.

A child at three months is in no hurry to hold his head

It happens the other way around. You seem to be trying, doing massage exercises, eating well, sleeping soundly. But the third month of life has passed, and the little bastard does not want to keep her head on her own.

This is often observed in children who have had:

• intrauterine growth retardation;
• childbirth injuries;
• prematurity;
• premature birth;
• birth with low weight;
• decreased muscle tone;
• infectious diseases;
• a protracted period of rehabilitation after illness.

In such cases, it acquires its own characteristics. Such children will lag somewhat behind in development from their peers, parents simply have to be ready for this and not rush. What is important here is not specific results in specific terms, but the presence of dynamics.
If the baby is weak, but at least tries to move his neck, raising his head even for a moment, just give him more freedom of movement and do not stop exercising. If there is success, albeit a tiny one, this is already good. By six months, the baby will definitely learn to hold his head and turn it from side to side. But if nothing happens at all, or something is completely wrong, it is important to show the baby to a specialist in time.

When to see a doctor

The first case in which it is better not to postpone the visit to the doctor is if the newborn has somehow incredibly learned to hold his head confidently at the age of one month. This is most often a symptom of increased intracranial pressure.

If the child begins to hold the head on time, but it seems to fall on its side or periodically leans back sharply, this is also an alarm bell, which it is better to inform the pediatrician about. Most likely, he will send you for an additional examination to a pediatric neurologist. And he will find out the reasons for such a nervous phenomenon and prescribe treatment. Most often, this is a special professional massage, drug therapy and sleep on a special orthopedic pillow that corrects such problems.

In addition, if the child is completely normal, was born on time and without complications, eats well, gains weight and height according to the schedule, but now he is already four months old, and he still does not hold his head - this is also a good reason for contacting specialists ... But don't jump to conclusions. Not always the lag in some "skills" speaks of pathology, often it is just an individual feature of the development of the newborn.

When newborn babies begin to hold their heads on their own - video

In this video, a young mother tells in detail when the babies begin to hold their heads on their own. In addition, she voices — how to properly hold a newborn — until this happy moment and how you can help the baby while he is learning this difficult task.

The moment when the mother notices that the newborn himself and quite confidently begins to hold his head is an unforgettable and very important event in the life of the family. It is as if the starting point in all motor activity of the child. The development of the muscles of the neck entails the development of the muscles of the back, arms and legs.
Timing and norms in this case are important only in two cases. If the baby holds his head earlier than one month of age, this is a symptom of pathology. If the baby does not even make attempts to tear his face off the surface at 4 months, this is also not good enough. But until the doctor confirms the presence of abnormalities, parents should understand that, most likely, the newborn is absolutely normal. It just develops according to its own personal algorithm.

And at how many months did your newborn baby start holding his head? Did you help the little one? What exercises did you do? Share your experience in the comments, this is important for those moms and dads who have touched on the issue of developing the baby's neck muscles for the first time. I wish you healthy children and successful growth!

When does a child start to hold his head on his own? This question worries the parents of children from 1.5-2 months. True, this question is not always about the same thing. Someone wants the baby to start keeping his head lying on his stomach, other mothers are worried that the child does not hold his head when pulling him by the handles, but it hangs, others want the child to confidently hold his head in an upright position so that it is comfortable to wear, well etc. So when does the child begin to hold his head on his own?

In order for the baby to begin to hold his head on his own, the following conditions are necessary: ​​nothing should interfere with this, for this there must be enough strength. And these are the most important conditions. Now what can prevent a baby from keeping her head on her own? Of course, this is the hypertonicity of the neck muscles such as, for example, GCSM with torticollis, the extensors of the head and neck. But most often the reason is a reduced tone or lack of strength. The head either does not rise at all, or the baby can raise it for a short time, and very soon it hangs or lies on the surface on which the child lies.

Consider options specifically for moms.

1. When does the child hold his head on his own while lying on his stomach?

As a rule, normal lifting of the head from a prone position begins to occur at the age of 2 months plus or minus a week. At first, these are short-term attempts to keep the head raised, but gradually the newborn begins to hold his head more confidently, without swinging and swinging.

Also, the retention time of the head is slowly increasing. During this period, cervical lordosis (physiological forward bend of the spine) is formed. The child needs to create conditions for such "training" and do not forget to lay the baby on his stomach several times a day on a moderately hard surface (a table with a thin blanket). Often, babies are late with raising their heads and restless mothers sound the alarm, but it also happens that they wait "from the sea for the weather" up to 4 months, this is also not good. If your baby does not even think about trying to raise his head at 2 months, lay it on his stomach more often and do not take him in his arms at the first displeased sound from the baby, let him work hard and grunt. If at 3 months the head lies and does not rise, then you need to call a masseur and not hesitate. And it's not worth talking about later dates, massage with neck exercises should fix everything.

2. When does the child begin to hold his head on his own, pulling himself up by the handles?

This option is a little more complicated than the previous one. Those. it is more difficult and longer to achieve results both for a specialist and for a child, and mother's massage is generally inappropriate. But this is so if we consider the complete absence of tension in the flexors of the head and neck, and visible attempts to pull the head forward, following the arms. Let me remind you that this is an option when the child lies on his back and with traction (tension) by the handles, the torso rises after the arms, and the head hangs. Normally, the head / neck should be in line with the body or even slightly bend forward, aiming with the chin towards the chest. The child needs this skill in order to confidently keep his head upright, for flips on his stomach. The muscles that carry out this hold / bend of the head are needed in order to inhibit overextension or fall of the head back, they stabilize its position. At the age of 3 months, babies usually should already pull themselves up by the arms while holding their head, at least for a short time.

Strengthening the flexors of the head in newborns is not an easy process, requiring knowledge, understanding what to do and in what sequence, etc. Mothers can do back-to-stomach coups as homework with the baby, because at the moment the baby turns from the back to the side, these muscles are partially included in the process. For the rest, you need to call a specialist in baby massage.

When does the child hold his head upright?

Vertically, children begin to hold their heads from 2.5-3 months, but at the initial stages, insurance with their mother's hand is required. Hanging, head nodding in newborns at the beginning of the verticalization of the body is a common thing, and during this period (2.5-3 months) the baby should be protected from sharp, awkward head nods. In order for the child to quickly master the vertical position of the head, it should be carried more often on the hands, giving the head the opportunity to move in small amplitudes, the mother's hand should insure, and not hold the baby's head.
Norm. When do children hold their heads on their own?

So, to summarize, when a child should hold his head on his own. Lying on your stomach at 2 months, pulling up by the handles at 3 months, vertically at 2.5-3 months. Delays in these periods of up to 2 weeks are tolerable, but if more, it is better to take action, because the ability / ability to keep the head in different positions allows the child to develop further unhindered. This is one of the most important steps in the development of every baby, and you should not wait up to 5-6 months, and then expect from a 10-day massage course to catch up with all the missed skills at once. After the appearance of each significant skill, time must pass for the child to master it well. Each movement has its own neural path from muscle fibers to the part of the brain responsible for the work of a specific part of the body. So, at the moment when the child first tries to raise his head, this means that the path / circuit has closed and impulses have gone along it from the muscle to the brain and back.

But this chain is still very thin and includes few working (transmitting the impulse) nerve fibers, and this path / chain becomes stronger the more it is used. Therefore, after the baby has begun to make new movements, time must pass until the next new ones, and all this time the baby will periodically repeat his skills. So gradually, step by step, the entire nervous system of the newborn is started and differentiated.

What if the child does not hold his head?

2. Do not wait, but call a baby massage therapist.

Exercises for children who cannot hold their heads.

1. Flips from the back to the abdomen help to strengthen all the muscles in the neck.

2. Watch the toy while lying on your stomach. If the child already briefly raises his head while lying on his stomach, then this skill can be consolidated by showing the toy so that the baby watches it by turning his head to the right and to the left. The toy moves in front of the child in a semicircle.

3. Passive head lifts. A child lying on his stomach or on his back can do bending or lifting his head with his own hands, while the baby does not do it himself. This exercise helps to get the right muscles to work.

4. Reflex crawling on the stomach, pushing off the support (your hands) with your legs. If the baby does not raise his head at all, then you should put his mother's hand under his face so that there is no pain in the neck.

When a child begins to hold his head independently and confidently, this indicates his readiness to master new skills.

• Hold on, not hold
• When the child starts to hold his head
• If the child does not hold his head
• How to help your baby to hold the head
• If the child is holding his head and shouldn't

"Hold your head!" - the nurse strictly instructs young mothers in the maternity hospital, handing over the newborns to them. "Probably, if you don't hold your head, something terrible will happen!" - mothers think, fixing the back of the baby's head with a stranglehold ...

When will the child begin to hold his head on his own, and what is the threat of maternal negligence to the newborn?

Hold on, not hold

A newborn baby's neck muscles are still weak and the head is disproportionately large in relation to the rest of the body. However, a newborn is not at all as fragile as it often seems to parents; if he has already survived the progression along the birth canal, then he will somehow survive with his mother on the arms. The baby can fix the head in a certain position from birth, albeit not for long. If you are holding a child in your arms, the head may spontaneously fall to one side or even tilt back, which is especially frightening for parents, since it is accompanied by a sharp cry of the child.

"Has he broken his neck?" - mothers are worried, checking whether the child is paralyzed. No, it didn’t paralyze, although he was certainly uncomfortable and, perhaps, the sudden movement caused pain.

If you always firmly fix the child's head with your hand, then you prevent him from training the muscles of the neck, slowing down his development. Therefore, you do not need to hold the child's head all the time, you just need to hold it slightly, not allowing it to be thrown back sharply.

When should you hold your baby's head?

1. When moving, when you get up, sit down, turn sharply with the child in your arms.
2. During feeding, because the baby simply cannot hold his head in one position for a long time without your help.

” Periodically, young mothers scare each other with stories about the "death nod". Like, one mother did not hold the child's head and ...

In fact, this is a terrifying term from the field of road injuries: during emergency braking and, even more so, in an accident, a child even in a car seat moves forward by inertia and a sharp movement of the head can damage the cervical vertebrae. This is why many manufacturers recommend positioning the infant carrier so that the newborn is facing the opposite direction of travel. In everyday life, it is almost impossible to achieve such an acceleration of movement.

When the child starts to hold his head

Of course, all the terms in question are the "arithmetic mean" in which a rare baby will fit. Most are one week ahead of or behind these dates, so look at them solely as guidelines.

8 weeks

At 8 weeks, the mother begins to notice for the first time that the child can already consciously control the movements of the head when she holds him in her arms: tilt her to one side, forward and straighten her. However, there is still a long way to go to full control.

3 months

This is exactly the period that is usually considered the norm for holding the head. At this age, the baby, lying on his stomach, can raise his shoulders and head and hold them that way for about 30 seconds. If you pull the child, lying on his back, by the arms, then, rising, he will keep his head in line with the body. Finally, your toddler can do without head support when in your arms.

4 months

Lying on his tummy, the baby can raise not only the shoulders and head, but also the upper body and hold in this position for about a minute. He reaches for the toy, turning his head, and feels comfortable.

5-6 months

The child freely holds his head in any position, can twirl it, sitting in his mother's arms and looking around.

If the child does not hold his head

” Up to three months, it is difficult for parents to confidently judge whether the child has sufficient control over his movements or not. Even a harmoniously developing baby can lose balance at times and throw his head back abruptly.

However, if at three months, the baby, lying on its stomach, cannot raise its head even for a few seconds, you should show it to your local pediatrician or neurologist as soon as possible. The cause of the problem may be ...

Prematurity or extremely low birth weight. Most likely, such a kid will catch up with his peers a little later.

A birth injury that caused neurological problems, or diseases that prevented the baby from developing fully even before birth. The diagnosis and treatment regimen can only be determined by a doctor.

"Tame" child. Sometimes, with hyperresponsible parents, the baby does not have a single chance to train the muscles of the neck - the head is always rigidly fixed in line with the body. Because of this, the muscles in the neck are weakened and need massage and exercise.

How to help your baby to hold the head

Generally speaking, no special effort is required to do this, but there are still some useful exercises that will benefit a healthy baby.

Toy tracking

Place a bright, attractive toy in front of your baby when he is lying on his stomach. Gently lift the child's head by the forehead - literally a few centimeters so that he catches the toy with his eyes. Feeling the independent movement of the head, gently release the baby. Two or three repetitions in a row are enough.

Lifting by handles

Laying the child on his back (preferably with a small pillow under his head), gently pull him by the arms towards you. As soon as the head begins to tilt back, gently lower it. Two to three repetitions in a row several times a day is enough.

If the child is holding his head and shouldn't

Sometimes parents underestimate the danger of the opposite situation - the child has been holding his head for a month. Sometimes this really speaks of the excellent physical shape of the baby, but more often it is a manifestation of pathology - muscle hypertonicity: they seem to be constantly cramped.

” Most often, this is not the only sign that the baby has health problems; the child may sleep poorly, anxiously, cry often (at first glance, for no reason), vigorously regurgitate, and so on.

The only thing that can be advised in this situation is to seek medical help as soon as possible, even if you are not sure that you really see all these signs, but have become a victim of parental anxiety.

Controlling the position of the head is an important stage in the development of a baby, not only physically, but also intellectually. After all, now he can look at the world around him, watch his mother, follow the toys with his eyes ... so don't let this moment take its course, be sure to watch the newborn!