Many parents often wonder ifwhen the baby starts to hold the head. After all, all mommies remember that awesome fear when you hold your newborn baby for the first time. A small, fragile and very vulnerable little man who needs so much the love and care of his close people! He still has almost nothing, he has a lot to learn. One of the first skills that appears in a newborn is the ability to hold the head.
Holding the head upright is a very important skill in owning your body. This baby does not immediately learn. This process occurs in several stages:
- Two to three weeks after birth, when the babyput on the tummy, his natural instinct of self-preservation works, and he raises the head, laying it on the flank. This action is a good exercise for training the muscles of the neck. Therefore, the baby should be put on the tummy every day, which also contributes to the discharge of gas.
- At one and a half months, the baby begins to lift andhold the head for about a minute, lying on your stomach. In addition, when the child begins to keep the head down, he tries to do it and is in an upright position.
- At the age of about one monthuse this skill when in a horizontal and vertical position. However, in 3 months, not all children already know how to do this for a long time, so you need to support the head in time.
- At the age of four months, the crumb already confidently uses this skill, being upright. And lying on the back, he holds not only the head, but also the top of the body.
- At five months the toddler already fully mastered the skill described here. When the child begins to hold the head, he becomes very curious and turns it to the sides, looking at everything around.
Exercises designed to teach the child to hold the head
In order to help the child develop the skillto hold the head, it is necessary to lay it on the tummy more often, so that it would lift its head and lay it on its side. This should be done before feeding or half an hour after it. In the event that the toddler does not like to be in this position, you should distract him by stroking the back and gently say something. In this case, the child will initially hold the head for a few seconds. Gradually, this time will increase. There are also special devices in the form of pillows and rollers, which, if necessary, are prescribed by a doctor.
Mom should stand in front of the lying baby(about half a meter away). At the same time, she should attract his attention with a bright toy, rattle, or her own voice. In the case when the baby begins to hold the head for several minutes, lying on the tummy, leaning on the forearms and lifting the upper body, we can say that this skill is already well developed. Typically, this skill is formed by three months. It is very useful for babies to lie on the tummy, not only for the development of the aforementioned skills, but also for the formation of correct posture and improvement of blood circulation in the brain.
