The bones of babies who have just been born are in the developmental stage, very fragile and soft. Moreover, during the growth process of babies, different types of habits and movements will be formed invisibly. Some of these habits and movements will affect the growth of their bones to varying degrees. Some babies like to talk with their necks tilted. So, how to correct a baby's neck tilt?
How to correct a baby's crooked neck
1. Change sleeping posture. Let the baby sleep in the opposite direction of the head tilt. If the baby does not cooperate, a small rice pillow or sandbag can be placed on the side of the head tilt to prevent the baby's head from tilting to one side, or a fixed pillow can be used for correction. If the baby likes to sleep on the side closer to the mother, the mother can also sleep in the opposite direction of the baby's head to help correct it.
2. Change the feeding position. When breastfeeding, try to keep the side of the head tilted close to the mother's body, so that the neck muscles on the opposite side can stretch and be corrected.
3. Localized hot compress. You can use a warm towel to apply heat to the neck muscles on the opposite side of the head, promoting blood circulation. But the baby's skin is delicate, and the temperature should be slightly higher than the skin temperature, not too high, to avoid scalding the baby.
4. Neck movement. Perform 5 activities opposite to the head tilt direction for the baby every day, each lasting 2 seconds, repeating 10-20 times. You can also use some toys to attract babies to turn their heads in the opposite direction of their head deviation, which can help improve the condition of their head deviation.
The reason for the baby's crooked neck
1. Baby's torticollis: medically speaking, it is a phenomenon where the head is tilted or turned to one side due to the uneven strength of the muscles on both sides of the neck. For infants, torticollis is a common phenomenon. Because the fetus is in the uterus, as the individual grows larger and the space becomes smaller, the fetal neck gradually twists to coordinate the body and adapt to the space inside the uterus. The result of neck twisting is that the muscle on one side of the neck, the sternocleidomastoid muscle, gradually elongates, causing a difference in the length of the sternocleidomastoid muscles on both sides of the neck.
2. After birth, the baby's head naturally leans towards the side with the shorter sternocleidomastoid muscle. If the child's head is kept in the center position or turned to the other side, the shorter sternocleidomastoid muscle will be stretched. After one or two weeks of birth, if the pulled muscles continue to swell, they will form a large hard lump. At this point, the child likes to tilt their head towards the damaged side because this posture can keep the damaged muscles in the most relaxed state, without feeling pulled.
Crooked neck is a common phenomenon in infants and young children, and parents need to help correct it during the baby's growth process. Otherwise, as the baby continues to grow and develop, the crooked neck will affect the overall external image of the baby. Whether it is manual correction or changing direction and posture during sleep, both are ways to adjust the baby's crooked neck. Therefore, as long as the crooked neck is found to be a habitual movement of the baby, parents can try to correct it.
