Your baby's developing head control

You will have seen that your baby is becoming stronger and has been able to hold their head in the centre of their body when lying on their back and lift their head briefly when on their tummy. Now, their neck muscles are getting stronger and they will start to tilt their head upwards when lying on their back too. 

The importance of head control 

Your baby’s ability to control their head is the first step towards developing balance, posture and coordination.^[1] Keeping their head aligned with their body gives your baby’s balance system a reference point that can be used to control other muscles in their body and combined with information from other senses, such as vision and touch, to help them maintain their position.^[1]  

When your baby can control the movements of their head, they can begin to turn to look at things that interest them and combine information from what they see with their movements. They might watch their hands as they move their arms and begin to realise how their movements and position of their hands are linked.  

Control on their tummy and back

Your baby will develop control first when lying on their tummy and then on their back, it is important for them to have lots of time to move in these positions so that they can develop strength and control.[1]  

You might notice that as your baby gets stronger they hold their head in the centre of their body more often and move their head more frequently.^[2] Then, as they continue to develop, they will move their head less frequently and more deliberately.  

Upper body strength will help them look at and reach for objects  

Your baby will continue to develop control of their head with movements becoming smoother and more controlled.^[2] As their upper body strength starts to develop, they will push up with their arms when on their tummy enabling them to look at objects, then to reach towards the things that interest them.  

References:

[1] Goddard-Blythe, S. (2004). The Well Balanced Child: Movement and Early Learning. Stroud: Hawthorn Press. 

[2] Carolina Daniel de Lima-Alvarez, Eloisa Tudella, John van der Kamp & Geert J. P. Savelsbergh (2014) Early Development of Head Movements Between Birth and 4 Months of Age: A Longitudinal Study, Journal of Motor Behavior. 46:6, pp.415-422, DOI: 10.1080/00222895.2014.929562