Many parents are faced with a problem: the child is 2 months old, he is healthy and calm, but, for example, lying on his back, arches his back and tilts his head back. The crumb throws it back, even if it is turned on its side.
Baby with his head thrown back
Is there a reason to worry? Parents are often worried even if the pediatrician says everything is fine. What does it mean when a child throws his head back?
Causes
There is not always a cause for concern. Here are some reasons why a baby's head tilts back.:
- He likes it. Often the baby is looking for a comfortable position. Up to 4 months, the baby can sleep in this position, because for physiological reasons related to age, he cannot relax the muscles. If the baby sleeps up to 4 months with his head thrown back, this is considered normal if the son or daughter feels normal. Maybe a pillow or blanket is interfering with the child? Make sure there are no toys or other items in the bed.
- Something piques his interest. External stimuli induce him to throw his head back to learn something new. Better to place interesting objects in his field of vision to avoid unnecessary curiosity. It is recommended that parents and adults walk around the bed so that the baby can see them. A TV, a computer can attract attention.
- Whims. If the tilt of the head back occurs only during active time, and there are no other accompanying signs, this is part of the norm. In infancy, the nervous system is still undeveloped, children are not able to control their experiences and sometimes express their desires or dissatisfaction in this way. They have no other way to do it. Here it is important to consider the causes of whims and eliminate them. At such a young age, crying can indicate discomfort or desire for something. This reaction can be triggered by a wet diaper, hunger, cold or hot sensations, and much more.
- Lack of sleep and overwork can also change your baby's emotions. When a child walks too much, the stress hormone cortisol is released into the bloodstream. This interferes with his ability to relax, which leads to frequent nighttime awakenings and a fairly early morning rise. These accompanying signs may indicate the root cause of why the baby is throwing his head back.
The kid lies with his head thrown back and looks at the adult
When to see a doctor
In most cases, if the baby keeps his head in this position, there is no reason to worry. EIf you have one of the following problems, you need to go to the doctor:
Medical and neurological causes (intracranial pressure, disorders of the musculoskeletal system). With increased pressure in the skull, the child throws his head back, his jaw trembles, the nasolabial triangle turns blue. This situation can lead to fatal consequences. It is important to consult a doctor.
- Complications or consequences of childbirth: hypoxia, cord entanglement, trauma, cesarean section, use of forceps, premature birth. In this case, throwing your head back is an alarming symptom.
- Heredity. If the child's relatives sleep in this position, then the baby can do so. This is normal, no need to worry.
- Hypertonicity. Nowadays, many newborns are born with this symptom. However, if this is not accompanied by neurological problems, and adults take the child for massage, gymnastics, hypertonicity usually disappears by the first half of life. To check for increased muscle tone, you need to put the baby with his back to the bed and slightly raise his head. If it is difficult to do this, the crumbs are probably too tense. Hypertonia can also lead to frequent regurgitation, loss of appetite and a crying state of the baby.
- Torticollis. If the head is thrown back and tilted to the side when the baby is lying on its stomach, this may be a manifestation of torticollis.
The baby sleeps with his head thrown back
Important! Hypertonia is a serious condition that leads to impaired transmission of nerve impulses. This leads to a delay in physical development. The baby can sit down later, start to roll over, crawl. Therefore, if the baby begins to tilt his head, it is important to go to the doctor at the right time so that he will appoint a massage or physiotherapy. The main thing is that the baby does not start crying.
What can cause the symptom
If the child has no accompanying symptoms, the cause may be any of those that do not require medical attention. Just in case, it is better to go with the baby to the doctor, because the parent may not notice some painful manifestations, especially if this is his first child.
Baby sleeps sweetly
To check why the child is throwing his head back, the parent needs to pay attention to the following things:
- Head position. If, in addition to being thrown back, it is turned to the side, you need to seek professional help.
- How easily the baby moves the muscles. With hypertonicity, this is not easy to do.
- Other physical symptoms.
- The family environment plays an important role. Parents can infect the baby with their condition, which leads to her whims.
- Duration of sleep and walks. There are special tables where age norms of sleep are described. As soon as signs of fatigue appear, the child should be put to bed.
- Baby's sleeping place. It is not recommended to give a pillow and a blanket to a baby under one year old. There should also be no other objects or toys in the crib. The room in which the baby sleeps should be darkened during sleep.
- Ventilation of the room. There should be enough fresh air in the room.
Why does a child throw his head back in a dream
This often suggests that this position is more comfortable for the baby. Often, monthly babies sleep in a bent position, there is no cause for concern. Moreover, in the womb, they are constantly in this position.
Hypertonicity of the occiput muscles
Hypertonia is not always a pathology, since a child is born this way. It’s bad if it doesn’t go away by four months. But this problem is solved quite easily - with the help of massage.
Important! Flexion of the neck and tipping of the head can be observed due to damage to the central nervous system or increased intracranial pressure of the baby. Therefore, it is recommended to visit a doctor just in case.
Why does a child flex when awake
There are more reasons here. They generally repeat the ones described above, but can be more serious, differing depending on whether the arched child is in a vertical or horizontal position.
Upright
- Injury during childbirth.
- Anomalies in the development of motor abilities of the body. A child can behave this way if he has cerebral palsy, or one of the neck muscles is shortened.
- The kid examines the world around him.
- Attracting the attention of parents.
- Whims.
- Hereditary reasons.
- Hypertonicity. This is the most common reason why a baby can arch, his head can be thrown back.
- Increased intracranial pressure.
- Features of the feeding process.
In a horizontal position
- First attempts to turn sideways. Children who have not yet learned to roll over while trying to master this skill may throw their heads back. This is part of the norm.
- Hypertonicity.
- Increased intracranial pressure.
Important! Many reasons are repeated, regardless of the position of the baby. If the baby throws its head back too often, you need to visit the doctor's office.
How to distinguish whims from hypertonicity
It is often difficult for inexperienced parents to understand what in this case led to the baby's head being thrown back: hypertonicity or the desire for parents to pay attention to the baby. To understand, you need to carry out simple procedures:
- Gently place the child on its legs, holding it. With hypertonicity, they intersect.
- If the child is lying on their back, you can try to lift them slightly in the buttocks area. If there is hypertonicity, this procedure will relax the muscles, and the head will return to its normal position.
- You can try to lay the baby with its stomach down. With increased muscle tone, the baby's head will be thrown back, and the shoulders will be spontaneously raised. If the tone of a certain part of the body is increased, the child will automatically roll to one side.
- When the baby is lying on his back, you need to slightly lift the back of his head with your hand and direct his head towards the chest. If the neck muscles are overly tense, the child will resist.
What to do
Dr. Komarovsky recommends not to rush and see how the child will behave in the future. You need to pay attention to whether there are any other signs of the disease. By the age of three months, this position during sleep is quite normal.
Relief measures for hypertension
In case of hypertonicity, therapeutic massage is indicated, in extreme cases, drug therapy is used. First, you need to show the baby to the doctor, who will determine what kind of help is useful for a particular baby. Mom just needs to follow all the doctor's instructions.
Prevention of hypertension
Up to three months, hypertonicity is absolutely normal. The main method of prevention is to show the baby to the doctor in time, who will determine whether the son or daughter has pathology.
It's okay if a son or daughter throws their head back. But it is necessary to observe children's behavior. In general, you need to go to the doctor in a planned manner, even if outwardly everything is normal.
