Once I saw a 30-day-old baby and went to the hospital for a physical examination. Mother asked the pediatrician: Do newborns have to lie on their side for the first 3 months? My baby cries when he hugs horizontally, but it seems very comfortable when he hugs vertically. The baby doctor told her that abortion babies often stand up and hug and stick them on their mothers. They will feel more secure when they hear their mother's heartbeat. Grandma pouted and said, the baby's spine hasn't developed well yet, so how can I do it in the first three months! The doctor said with a smile, old man, as long as the posture of holding the baby is correct, occasionally holding it vertically will not affect the baby's spine! There are many benefits!

I believe that many novice mothers have heard the advice of the so-called "parenting experts" or elders: babies within three months must not hold vertically, which will affect the development of the spine! As a result, some mothers will insist on hugging each other horizontally, and even if the baby cries fiercely, it will never stand up. In fact, this view has no scientific basis. At least so far, there is no authoritative literature to prove that vertical holding is not good for your baby.

How old is the baby to hold vertically?

Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Association for Neonatal Care emphasize that babies can hug vertically in any month as long as the correct posture is ensured. Make sure the baby's head, cervical vertebra and spine are on the same vertical horizontal line.

Within 3 months, the baby's spine is still very soft, and there is no physiological bending like us adults. Moreover, the head accounts for a quarter of the body weight, and the neck muscle strength is weak. Therefore, when holding the baby vertically, we should pay attention to holding the head and help the baby coordinate the strength around the cervical vertebra.

Qin Qin's baby has just been born. Because she has no experience with a baby, she always holds the baby carefully for fear of accidentally hurting him. While holding the baby vertically, Yue Yue said to Qin Qin: Newborns are insecure, and mothers can often hold them vertically. Humming or talking to the baby gently can make the baby feel happy and love from his mother.

Ps: The correct vertical hug is actually an early education method, which is very beneficial to improve the baby's cognitive level and brain development.

Three benefits of holding a baby vertically, you may not have thought of it.

More and more mothers will find that before the baby's full moon, they begin to like to let adults hold them upright. If you don't hug vertically, he will cry to you. In fact, the baby is also very smart and doesn't want to lie down all the time. Relying on my mother's shoulder, I can also see the surrounding environment instead of the monotonous ceiling. The baby will have the desire to explore, and then spontaneously practice the head-up movement.

1, reduce the baby's spitting.

The newborn's stomach is horizontal, and there is often esophageal reflux, which is what we often call spitting and overflowing milk. After each feeding, hold the baby vertically 10~ 15 minutes, and pat the baby's back and upper back with empty hands to help the baby expel the air mixed during breastfeeding, which can reduce the occurrence of spitting milk and relieve the symptoms of neonatal colic.

2. Give your baby a sense of security

Cutting the umbilical cord is also called "the first separation of mother and baby" by psychologists. Before the newborn was born, she was in her mother's womb, listening to her mother's heartbeat. After birth, cut the umbilical cord and establish independent breathing. When he came to this new environment, he felt very insecure.

When the mother holds the baby vertically, the area of intimate contact between the body and the baby is larger. The mother's shoulder gives the baby a support point, which can make him feel more secure, as if he is still in his mother's belly and he is next to her.

3, the baby's vision is broader.

Newborns sleep about 18~20 hours every day, basically sleep after meals, and the waking time is very short. And most of the time he was lying down, and he could only see the foggy white ceiling in front of him. Holding the baby upright can let him see more new things. Babies can perceive the movement, color and brightness changes of surrounding objects, which stimulates the development of vision.

Some preventive measures

Before the baby's heavy exercise has begun to develop, his spinal physiological curvature has not yet formed. The baby's spine is unable to support the whole body. Therefore, when holding vertically, the mother needs one hand to gently hold the baby's head, and the other arm firmly holds his whole little ass to help the baby coordinate his physical strength.

When holding vertically, try to keep the baby close to the chest and lean back slightly, so that the whole baby can freely lean on his mother's chest and listen to his most familiar "music" sound, which will give him great psychological comfort!

Small-month-old babies within 3 months should not hold vertically for too long, 5~ 15 minutes at a time, or lie flat. Mother should carefully observe the baby's reaction. If the baby is upset and crying, it means that the posture needs to be changed.

Pillow parenting information:

Parenting is an extremely complicated science. Novice mothers should constantly update their knowledge base with the baby's growth and development, and learn the most scientific and suitable parenting concepts and methods in time in order to take better care of the baby. Finally, it is necessary to remind mothers that when holding vertically, the baby's face must be sideways to ensure his breathing is smooth.