Hi all!
Today we will talk about how to teach a child to hold his head.
And I want to start with when the child begins to hold his head up.
It's no secret that a newborn baby learns to control his body gradually. And the first achievements in his physical development are already stepping on. And they consist in the fact that when laid out on the stomach, the baby tries to raise its head.
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5. The baby’s diet should include everything useful substances, which contribute to normal growth and development. If a mother is breastfeeding, she must watch her diet.
7. When the baby learns to turn his head different sides, play with him by showing him the toy and moving it left and right to further encourage his head movement.
The baby begins to whine, scream, bubble, or make other noises. Some children react similarly to previous weeks, especially those with rhinoceros. The hand movements are smoother, so we can try playing with a larger object. 
The child accidentally hits with his hands. At the end of the month, the hand will gradually begin to move closer to the ball and its open palm will touch it.
First we will describe the feeling that we need to study well because we will need it in other exercises. This is grabbing babies under the armpits. Our fingers and palms of both hands should provide a wide band around the infant's chest, which provides the infant's grip with a fairly light grip so that pressure on the chest is minimal and allows the infant to breathe freely. In this, the hand grabbing our wrist from the baby's sternum is almost touching. The baby's chest lies in our arms, the fingers work a little tight to support the children and the fingers point parallel to each other's chin.
What to do if a child has trouble holding his head at 3 months?
To exclude possible pathologies in development, it is worth contacting a specialist for advice.
For what reasons can a child hold his head poorly at three months?
1. Birth injuries.
2. .
3. Weak muscle tone.
4. Weight loss.
When the baby's steps drag and raise the height to the horizontal position of the head to us, then the baby is in our hands like a bowl, so we can fully open the fingers on the baby's back, and the baby is still confident and will not fall. Take the child as described, sit in front of you on the table and lower them into the saddle to the right, then to the left. The bow should be deep enough to hold the child in an extension of the body. Let's try to say rickets on the slopes.
Place your baby on your stomach and straighten your arms so they lie curved and tucked toward your chest or just below your chest. The baby usually begins to lift his head a little at one month. If it is laid down and turned to the side, we will turn it towards her face on the mat and the baby will rise up. We leave the baby on her tummy for at least 2-3 minutes if she is happy, which can be on her tummy even for a long time. If the child's head marks, even after turning to the nose pad, we will try to help him in this place with a hand under the chest and raise the chest about 5-7 cm to the head can touch the pad.
If you notice that your child constantly tilts his head at one angle, this is also a reason to consult a doctor.
We talked about when children begin to hold their head up and how to teach a child to hold their head up. If you have anything to add, write in the comments. And try not to rush things, once again Don’t worry, it takes time for your child to master this skill.
Then the child will probably raise his head, at least for a moment. We can still help the child by pressing lightly on the butt with one hand and gently stroking the stitches from the neck to the lower back and back again with the other hand. Otherwise, be sure to place a variety of objects or toys in sight before your child has a reason to lift his head and look at it.
This system, of course, will not be known to many parents of young children. It is often used in situations where it is necessary to establish correct physical habits for a child. However, the exercise does not aim to "just" lead the child to a well-trained walk, but also promotes balance, hand quality, improves pronunciation and promotes timely speech development.
A newborn baby is not nearly as helpless as it might seem at first glance. Of course, he cannot move or eat on his own, but he has in his reserve a fairly large arsenal of innate unconditioned reflexes. However, the ability to purposefully control your muscular system is not included in this arsenal. Of course, he moves his arms and legs, but he does it randomly. He has yet to learn how to control his body. All vital skills develop gradually in an infant. Before the child will go, he will have to go a long way towards his own development. The first step on this path is the skill of holding your head. It is this skill that allows the baby to continue his development.
However, it has also been used successfully in adults. The basic principle of the exercises is to stimulate movement by pressing or stretching certain parts of the muscles. Dr. Vojta has been concentrating on working with children with cerebral palsy for many years, and he has only discovered the reflex locomotive, a forward movement activated from a position on the stomach, back or side. Therapy for locomotor defects depends on their use in adults or children. The exercise was originally intended only for children, but with progressive evidence of its effectiveness, it began to be further used among adult patients.
When a child begins to hold his head independently: the main stages of mastering the skill
- The child begins to make his first attempts to master this skill at the age of 2-3 weeks. The baby raises his head just for a moment, but the process, as they say, has begun!
- At 2-3 months, lying on his stomach, he can hold his head for 30-60 seconds. The baby holds his head as long as he has the strength. And in in this case There is no point in forcing things.
- As a rule, at 3 months the baby can independently hold his head in an upright position (column). And by the end of 3 months, the baby is already able, lying on his stomach, to raise not only his head, but also his shoulders.
- At 4 months of life, the baby, being in the arms of its parents, already confidently holds its head. Lying on his tummy, he lifts his upper body. According to most pediatricians, four months is the maximum period for a healthy child to master this skill.
A child does not hold his head well at 3 months: reasons
If a child at 3 months old does not hold his head well, this means that the neck muscles are not yet fully strengthened. There are a lot of different exercises that can strengthen your neck muscles, but we will talk about them a little later.
In children, the method is used, for example, when. Cerebral palsy asymmetric headache therapy for congenital hip defects. IN mature age You can apply the Voitov method when. Cerebral palsy scoliosis and headache due to scattered cervical spine screening after spinal cord injury. Contraindications to its use include acute fever, inflammatory processes in the body, diarrheal diseases, conditions immediately after vaccination in children, osteoporosis, heart or muscle diseases and pregnancy of the patient.
At this age, in most infants, the cervical vertebrae and muscles have become strong enough to confidently hold their head both in an upright position and while lying on their stomach. However, this is the majority! In this case, it would be nice to remember individual characteristics every child. The norm is to master this skill at both two and a half months and three and a half months.
If a child develops irregularities in its development, parents usually consult a pediatrician. It may happen that the child does not raise his head for a long time in the stomach position, is unable to support his elbows, walk on the ends, etc. The doctor will consider whether there is a problem at this age of the child, and if so, recommend that the parents perform a neurological examination of the child. Based on these results, the following procedure is selected. This parent gradually learns which exercises with the child in the correct movement patterns.
Definition testIs the baby holding his head well enough at 3 months?
- Place the child on his back, take him by the arms and, gently pulling him, sit him down. His head must be held straight for at least 30 seconds. Minor shaking of the head is allowed.
- Lay the baby on his back and lift him up again. The child should hover in a half-sitting, half-lying position. In this position, the child should hold his head straight for a couple of seconds. If your baby has passed this test, then you have no reason to worry. But if the child has not mastered this skill even at four months, then you cannot do without consulting a specialist.
Here are some of the most common reasons why a child fails to master the skill of holding his head:
Vojta's method and the child's psyche
The consistency of parents is very important, who then practice with the child at home - ideally four times a day. All exercises usually do not take more than twenty minutes. Unfortunately, most babies also engage in crying. They don't like being put into positions they didn't spontaneously choose. A very frequently discussed topic is the possibility of leaving traces of Vojta's practice in the psyche of infants. There are mentions of difficulty sleeping, childhood nightmares or increased fussiness while trying to prevent this from happening with exercises the child doesn't like.
- Severe pathological childbirth.
- Presence of neurological diseases.
- Muscle hypotonicity.
In all cases, the child must be shown to specialists. Perhaps he needs drug treatment, massage and other therapeutic procedures.
Sometimes a child cannot master this skill because of parents who are too protective of him and constantly support his head. Do not deprive your child of independence even at this age.
Here it is necessary to arrange according to the seriousness of why the Voite method was recommended, and probably also according to the feeling of the parents. It's hard for her mother to get her to do something to her that she thinks she's hurting more than him. On the other hand, if parents approach the exercise with ease, positive thinking, and for the child they will do only the usual form of joint expenditure of time, many of the child's resistance to the exercise can be overcome.
The first step in first aid is to ensure the airway is clear. If necessary, move the child to a safe place, but always carefully, at a minimum distance, with minimal changes position so as not to worsen his injury. We find out whether the child understands and responds to the voice or to touch, for example, by gently tapping the foot.
How to teach a baby to hold his head: effective exercises
A set of exercises to strengthen the neck muscles
The following exercises will help strengthen the neck muscles and help the child master this skill:
- The most effective exercise for strengthening the neck muscles is considered placing baby on tummy . You can start doing this exercise from three weeks of age. It is necessary to place the baby on the tummy between feedings.
- When putting your baby to sleep, try to turn him . He should not fall asleep in one position all the time.
- Starting from 2 months, carry the baby in your arms in a horizontal position “column” while holding the head and rocking the child back and forth.
- At two months place the child on a large ball . The ball must be rolled carefully. This exercise allows you to strengthen your neck muscles. The child involuntarily raises his head.
- Exercise on a roller. On a hard table surface, spread a sheet and place a large cushion. Supporting the child by the shoulders and head, place him on the cushion with his head slightly bent. Place it on the baby's tummy bright toys. The child will try to lift his head to see them. Then, lay the baby down so that his head hangs back. Call your baby while showing him the toy. The child will want to look at the toy and will try to raise his head.
- Already From the age of one month, the baby should be taught to swim. You can do this in your home bath. Pharmacies sell special circles for children of this age. Swimming in a special circle is an excellent exercise that helps a child quickly master the skill of holding his head. Babies love water very much and enjoy swimming. As a rule, children who regularly swim begin to hold their heads earlier than expected.
- It is best to entrust it to a specialist. Since this is a rather complex procedure, which involves relaxing some muscles and toning others. However, mothers can stroke and rub the baby’s back on their own. All movements should be directed towards the heart.
- For lesions of the cervical spine, doctors prescribe special orthopedic collars for infants. . These collars help support the head and correct the correct position of the neck.
To summarize, I would like to say that the above exercises give a very good effect. However, before you start using them, you need to consult with your local pediatrician.
If we suspect damage to the cervical spine and the child, we do not even manipulate it. When he breathes, he reacts to the stimulus by leaving him in the position where we find him and, if possible, treating the wounds and calling for medical attention.
When he does not respond, we place the child's hand on his forehead and bend his neck easily and smoothly. At the same time, the second fingers of the second hand under his chin rise and rise to clear the airway. This could, on the contrary, lead to the respiratory tract. When we find the baby in a position where we cannot clear the airway, gently place the baby on his back and then release the airway.
In this article we have given only the simplest exercises aimed at mastering the skill of holding your head. More complex exercises require the presence of a pediatric massage therapist or physical therapy doctor.
