Patient's question:
Hello, my baby is now two and a half months old. She loves being held upright, but when I hold her horizontally, she cries and fusses. Many friends have told me to do it less often, saying it will affect her spinal development. Is holding her upright now harmful to her spinal development?Doctor's answer:
At 3 months of age, the baby's head control is stable and can be held upright. Upright head control is the primary indicator of gross motor development. For example, at 3 months, the baby can lift their head to 45° in the prone position, and at 4 months, they can lift their head to 90° in the prone position. If the baby still has unstable upright head control or head retraction with body arching at 3 months of age, and if there are high-risk factors present at birth, before birth, or after birth, such as premature infants, low birth weight infants, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, hypoglycemia, etc., it is important to take the baby to the pediatric rehabilitation department for examination. Necessary early intervention and rehabilitation treatment should be provided if there is a history of these conditions and symptoms.