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- The child does not hold his head well - should I worry?
Newborn children cannot control their head or control their neck muscles, so in the first six months of life they actively train to develop this skill. As a rule, by the age of 6 months, a child should learn to hold his head up confidently. Parents should monitor the stages, which during normal development look like this:
- a newborn up to a month old cannot hold his head up on his own, so you should constantly support him by the neck;
- 1-2 months - the child begins to raise his head for a few minutes while lying on his stomach, while lying on his back, the baby can fully control his head;
- 3-4 months - the baby controls the movements of the head, can lift it while lying on the tummy and hold it for a long period.
Reflexes at 4 months.
The development of a child at 4 months does not stop for a second. Every day the baby learns something new. Old reflexes are replaced by new ones. This is normal.
- Bauer reflex - the baby tried to crawl forward when he felt that his legs were resting against something. By 4 months, the reflex either completely disappears, or the child tries to crawl on his own.
- Moro reflex - when, with a sudden sharp clap or sound, the baby throws off his arms and unclenches his fists, and then returns to the starting position. By 4 months the reflex is almost gone.
- Robinson's reflex or grasping reflex - the baby tries to reach nearby objects and grab onto them.
Official approach
According to the World Health Organization, a child can begin to sit without support from 4 to 9 months. However, domestic pediatricians do not recommend sitting down a child until the age of 6 months, even if it seems to parents that the child is trying to sit down at 4 months. In order to maintain your body in a sitting position, a sense of balance is required, and this develops simultaneously with the development of gross motor skills. Therefore, even a 6-month-old child, whose central nervous system is still developing, is characterized by a feeling of instability in an upright state.
The most important thing is to accept that every child is unique and develops at their own pace. The speed at which new physical skills are learned depends on both the child’s temperament and weight. A thin, flexible baby may be in a hurry to be able to observe the world around him from a sitting position. And a chubby, calm child may well be content with looking at the toys above the crib for a longer time.
Most babies begin to sit well with a little help between 7 and 9 months of age. But there are children who sit down at the age of 1 year, without any delay in mental and physical development.
Psycho-emotional development of a child at 4 months.
The baby develops not only physically, but also emotionally. If you closely observe a child, you can even notice the manifestation of his character. At 4 months, the child begins to show his first emotions. He may be interested, happy, funny, or, on the contrary, bored, sad, offended.
The child is active during the day. He waves his arms and legs, looks joyfully at his mother and laughs. Reacts to mom's voice and new toys. He begins to recognize family and friends whom he sees more often than anyone else. You can check whether the baby recognizes, for example, dad. Put on the hood or goggles and then take them off. When a familiar image appears before the baby, a smile and joy immediately appears on his face.
The child begins to realize when his name is called. Therefore, it is recommended to call him by name more often. The child can conduct “conversations”, as if answering. It is recommended to communicate with the baby more often, as if expecting an answer from him. The baby begins to remember daily repetitive actions. This is good for him. He is interested in everything around him, including his own arms and legs. The baby can look at the fingers for a long time, or reach with his toes to his mouth, tasting them. The baby develops observation skills. He listens to any sounds and tries to understand where they come from. You need to ring the rattle in front of him, then slowly move it left, right, up, down, and see if the baby is following it.
How to help your child sit up
Newborn head size
If a 4-month-old child tries to sit up, you still shouldn’t stop him. The first thing that needs to be done is to make sure that the baby’s desire is understood correctly, and the child really begins to try to sit up at 4 months. So, for example, active pulling on the parents’ fingers is by no means an indication that the baby has a similar desire. He can simply contact mom or dad in this way. His muscle tone is sufficient to make attempts to change the position of his body, but not to fully sit down.
Sometimes children sit down only when they are one year old
Helping your child can consist solely of gymnastics. Daily exercises will help strengthen your back muscles. The child will feel better about his body and control his arms and legs.
Fitball exercises help develop the muscles of the shoulder girdle in a 4-month-old baby. Rolling from one side to the other is especially effective.
When the baby is not sleeping, it is recommended to place him on his tummy more often. This encourages him to get on all fours to reach the toys hanging above the crib.
Many parents find the obstacle course exercise useful in strengthening the musculoskeletal system and the muscle groups associated with it. In this case, in order to reach the toy, the baby needs to overcome a pillow or other similar simple obstacle lying in the way.
Interesting. An excellent workout for the muscles needed to sit successfully is bathing.
Hearing.
At 4 months, the child’s hearing becomes more developed, and the child begins to distinguish between the voices of mom and dad. Hearing a familiar voice, the baby will look for where the sound is coming from. It is necessary to include rhythmic music for your baby, since music at this age has a beneficial effect on his development. The baby begins to remember frequently repeated words and even tries to display them in his own way. It is necessary to communicate with the child as much as possible and tell him even the simplest things. It is recommended to read a lot of books to your child, and reading with intonation and reading with different voice timbres will be better for his perception.
When baby is ready to sit
Fermented milk formula for newborns
A child's readiness to sit down is directly related to the development of the spine. The child's body must become sufficiently strong and be able to withstand the load of the body. Even if a child really wants to sit up at 4 months, in the vast majority of cases he is not ready for this. You can tell that your baby is ready to sit down by the following signs:
- in the position on the stomach, the baby raises the chest;
- the baby begins to lean on his arms, attempting to lift his body;
- The baby grabs onto the parents' fingers in an attempt to change position.
Don't rush your child to do something he's not ready for.
At these moments, mothers and fathers should be close to the child in order to protect him, if necessary. It is impossible to force a baby under any circumstances - such a step can lead to the most undesirable consequences. For example, muscles, neck or musculoskeletal system may be damaged.
Dream.
By 4 months, the number of hours allotted to a child’s sleep decreases. On average, a child sleeps 12-15 hours. 10 hours are spent sleeping at night. It can be continuous or interrupted 1-2 times for night feeding. The remaining hours should be allocated to daytime sleep. At this age, it is necessary to begin to accustom the child to a sleep schedule. This will make it easier for him to fall asleep at the same time. Some children by 4 months may not wake up at night. There is no need to be afraid of this and you should not wake up the child either. The child must be put to bed by 21.00-22.00. This is the best time to fall asleep and restore the child's body.
When is the baby ready to sit?
The baby is ready to explore the world around and get acquainted with new toys within a couple of weeks after birth. However, with motor skills the situation is somewhat different. It is quite possible that a child at 4 months is trying to sit up while holding onto a support. A healthy baby will definitely learn to sit, stand and walk by the hand. It is important not to rush things and allow the child’s muscles to adapt to new tasks. Parents can determine the child’s readiness to sit by a set of signs: the baby can already stand on all fours and at the same time reach with his hand to objects, as well as bend his legs. The most successful option would be for a child to be able to crawl on all fours, since crawling is the best way to prepare the back muscles for vertical loads.
The baby will be able to make independent attempts to sit up when he is able to pull himself up with his arms. After this, the child can turn on his side and, leaning on his hand, lower himself onto his butt. At first the position will be unstable and the baby will fall on its side, but over time it will learn to maintain balance.
Feeding.
Feeding a child can be breastfeeding, bottle feeding or mixed feeding. Breastfeeding means that the baby is fed exclusively on breast milk. Artificial nutrition consists only of adapted milk formulas. Mixed nutrition includes both breastfeeding and supplementary feeding with formula.
The feeding regimen during breastfeeding can be at the request of the child, or according to the hour. As a rule, a child at 4 months eats every 1.5-2 hours. Breast milk contains all the vitamins, macro- and microelements a baby needs. If the child is gaining weight and eating well, it means that the milk is fatty and has all the beneficial substances. Formula milk is used when the mother has little milk or for some reason it does not saturate the baby.
At 4 months, you can start giving your baby juices or purees little by little. It is recommended to start with an apple. It is not recommended to give a lot of puree for the first time. You need to start with 1 teaspoon and observe how the child’s body reacts to the new product. Each subsequent product should also be administered 1 spoonful and watch the child’s reaction.
What can negatively affect a child's health?
When a 4-month-old child tries to sit up, parents sometimes take actions that are not recommended by pediatricians. It is unsafe for a child’s health to sit on pillows, as he falls in different directions, as well as to be carried in a “kangaroo” type carrier, where he sits and the entire load goes on the spine. It is also forbidden to place the baby in a high chair or stroller with a vertical back position; it is permissible only in a reclining position. Not only the baby’s unprepared spine, but also compressed internal organs can suffer from the load. The natural curves of the spine, which will support posture, are formed gradually, so the spine of children under six months is not intended for vertical positions and allows children to only lie down.
How to help a child develop?
It is necessary to continue to communicate with the child as much as possible through exclamations: “Oh-oh-oh!”, “Ay!”, “Oh!” The baby should hear conversations of different people, the radio, the sound of a vacuum cleaner, etc. All family members should be involved in the process of caring for the child so that they can develop close relationships.
It is necessary to show the baby how to play with toys, how to hold and grab them, and how to make sounds from it. Using a toy, teach him to turn from his back to his tummy and vice versa. A 4 month old baby's favorite toys are his fingers and toes. It is recommended to play with the baby's hands, bringing them to your face. You can put your baby’s hands in yours and clap your hands. The child must independently choose the toys he wants. You need to put several toys in front of him and let him choose. Soap bubbles bring special pleasure to the baby.
Looking forward to new skills
By the age of 4-5 months, the child can already do a lot on his own - raise his head, roll over, look at toys. And parents want to see the baby sitting cutely in his crib and playing with rattles on his own. In the wake of such a desire, the child’s attempt to grab the mother’s outstretched finger and pull her towards him in the same way as a favorite toy is perceived as a desire to sit upright. Naturally, parents have a question: should they help when a child tries to sit up at 4-5 months?
