How to teach a child to keep his head lying on his stomach

When a baby appears in the family, his parents are anxiously thinking whether everything is fine with him, whether the baby complies with development standards. Immediately after birth, the baby is not able to hold its head - the muscles of its neck are still quite weak. It must be supported so that the baby does not lay his head back and does not get injured in the cervical vertebrae. But you can tilt your head to your chest - this is not dangerous. The ability to hold your head is the very first physical skill that a small person masters.

When a child begins to hold his head

To begin with, I would like to note that all the children are different and their development is also different. Someone begins to hold his head as early as a month, while others master this skill closer to six months. However, there are approximate time frames in which the child must learn to hold his head without the help of mom and dad.

Already in a few weeks old, the baby is trying to tear off the head from the diaper, lying on his stomach. However, this does not work out very well for him - the muscles are very weak. Closer to two months, the child can raise its head and hold it for about a minute. At three months, the head retention time reaches several minutes. Do not try to force the child to hold his head - this is a serious burden for his fragile neck muscles.

In a position with a column, holding your head a little easier, it involves much less muscle. If a child cannot keep his head from a supine position over the age of 6 months, this is a good reason to consult a doctor.

Exercises for training neck muscles

So that the baby quickly learns to hold the head on its own, it needs to be stimulated. That is, muscles will not develop without proper training.

1. Regularly, several times a day, you need to lay the child on his stomach to train the muscles of his back. Put toys nearby - colorful rattles, a ball, a doll. All this attracts the attention of the crumbs, and he examines them, not noticing that his neck is actively training at this time. It is best to lay the baby on the stomach between meals so that a full stomach does not cause the baby any discomfort.
2. If the baby is two months old, often wear it upright while holding the head with your hand. From time to time, allow the baby to hold his head on his own, supporting the neck only as insurance.
3. Lay the baby to sleep on both the right and left sides so that the muscles of his neck develop evenly.
4. If the child stubbornly does not want to raise the head, you need to put a small roller under his armpits, which, as it were, will lift his body. In this position, the baby will feel discomfort and he will have to raise his naughty head.
5. When the baby is lying on his back and at least slightly raises his head to the sound of a rattle, you need to drive the toy from side to side to train the neck muscles in motion.
6. Fitball exercises are very effective. Put your baby on a big ball on his stomach. Slowly move the ball back and forth so that the crumbs head is either higher or lower than the body. This will allow him to raise his head in those moments when the body is almost vertical.

These simple movements and exercises should be performed with love and patience. A little time will pass, and you will remember with a smile that you were worried about the inability of the child to hold his head.

Massage for strengthening muscles

Massage for a small child is a unique opportunity to solve many problems.Using massage in infancy, you can fix almost any structural defects in the skeleton. A massage course on the neck will help you strengthen your baby’s muscles, make him stronger and stronger.

Massage should be carried out in a warm room, in a comfortable environment. Put the naked child on a clean diaper, apply a little massage oil on your hands, and then begin the massage. Light stroking and rubbing neck movements perfectly stimulate muscle muscles. Massage should be done by a professional, at least a few sessions. After that, carefully observing the movements of a specialist, you can repeat the massage at home. Remember, no sudden movements! Massage should bring pleasure to mom and baby.

Food

Proper and balanced nutrition is the key to the successful development of crumbs. In order for the baby to get enough vitamins and minerals, a nursing mother must eat varied. In her diet should be meat and dairy products, cereals, fruits, vegetables. Eat more nutritious foods - honey, nuts. However, be careful that new products do not cause allergies. Kids who eat artificially do not have to worry about this. As part of adapted mixtures, there are usually already all the vitamins necessary for a growing body.

Swimming to strengthen neck muscles

Swimming is another effective exercise that will help your baby strengthen the muscles of the neck and limbs. Water favorably affects the child, because much less effort can be spent in water. It is very effective to swim with a special circle. He is put on the neck of the baby and is fixed. The baby can swim, moving its legs and arms, and not be constrained in movements when it is held by his mother. In addition, a mother with such a circle is much easier - she does not have to hold the child, bent over in three deaths.

The ability to hold your head positively affects the body. So the correct cervical bend is formed, the blood circulation of the brain improves. But sometimes, in spite of all efforts, the child cannot keep his head. Then you need to see a doctor and find out the true cause of this malformation.

Why the child does not hold his head

There are several factors that can cause a baby's inability to hold his head.

1. Premature babies, due to their lag, begin to hold their heads later. But this is not a pathology, it is just that such children begin to do everything later, looking back at their true age.
2. Torticollis. It can be congenital or acquired. Sometimes torticollis appears due to birth injury. Small torticollis is observed in many children when they sleep on only one side of the bed. For example, the baby is constantly lying to the right to find his mother. Since the muscles of the left side are less developed, the child does not turn his head in this direction and, as a result, later begins to hold the head.
3. Neurological problems can cause developmental delays. Consult a neurologist on this subject.
4. Inadequate training also affects the baby's ability to hold his head. You need to deal with the child every day, only in this case you will get a visible result.
5. Poor nutrition can also cause developmental delays. Perhaps mom should drink a complex of vitamins in parallel.

In order to exclude possible deviations, the condition of the child should be evaluated by a doctor. A month is required to examine not only the pediatrician, but also the orthopedist and neurologist. If experts did not notice any pathologies in you, then everything is in your hands.

Love your child, despite the fact that he still does not know how to do some things. Train with your baby in a playful way, and very soon he will delight you with new achievements.

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