For a baby, being able to lift their head and see the world around them is an important, and exciting, milestone. Head control for babies usually isn’t immediate though, they first need a little time to develop their neck muscles to be able to hold their head up.
For parents, when do babies start holding their head up is a common question asked once they begin tummy time.
In this article we’ll uncover when do babies hold their head up typically, how and when do babies get neck control, and what you can do help infants gain head control.
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When Do Babies Hold Their Head Up?
Babies start developing head strength early on. It’s not uncommon to see the start of a newborn lifting head at 1 week in some cases!
What average age can babies lift their heads depends, but most babies start to show signs of neck control when they are between 1-month-old and 3-months-old. You may notice the amount of time they keep their head up will increase as their muscles gradually become stronger.
You may see your infant lifting their head when they are laying on your chest or during tummy time – especially if there are sounds or something going on that they are curious about. When your baby reaches 4-months-old they likely will be able to hold up their head and even their chest during tummy time.
Remember all babies develop differently. If you’re concerned your baby isn’t developing neck strength, speak to your pediatrician for further guidance.
When Do Babies Get Neck Control?
Neck control and holding head up go hand and hand. When do infants gain head control depends, but often happens gradually yet quickly throughout the newborn stage.
Research shows that often babies get neck control by age 3 or 4 months. However, every baby is different and may develop neck strength earlier or later.
Newborn neck strength can look like your baby holding their head up for a few seconds at a time. You may start to show signs that their neck strength is developing as early as 1 week after birth, but likely closer to 1 month. Gradually their neck control will improve as their muscles strengthen. Some situations may affect when certain babies develop head control, such as if a baby was born preterm.
How to Help Infants Gain Head Control
Tummy time is the best way to work towards supporting infants' head control – think of it like your baby’s first workout! The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says that babies should practice tummy time more and more as they age.
For example, in the first weeks home from the hospital your baby should be practicing tummy time for neck strength 2-3 times a day for about 3-5 minutes a session. By the time they are around 7 weeks, it's recommended they are up to 15-30 minutes of daily tummy time for neck strength. By the time they are around 5-months-old to 6-months-old, tummy time should be done around 1 hour a day. By the time they are 6 months it should be between 60-90 minutes.
If your baby doesn’t love tummy time for neck strength, there are ways to make it more fun. You can put your baby’s favorite toys or transitional objects around them, put your baby on your chest when you are laying on your back, or get on the floor with them.
Making sure you use your baby’s wake windows for tummy time is important – a tired baby likely won’t want to work on their neck muscles, which I’m sure you can understand. Some parents find implementing an Eat Play Sleep schedule for your baby helps parents find the right time for your baby’s tummy time.
Want to make sure you’re doing tummy time at the right time? Take this free 3-minute quiz and get a custom schedule built around your baby’s circadian rhythm, so you know the best time to work on your baby’s neck strength.
As your baby gets older and gains more neck strength, they likely will start gaining more head control. As they hold their head up more, they start to strengthen the front muscles, which is what’s needed to control their head and neck movements.
Every movement builds upon the last. Remember, the safest way for babies to sleep is being on their back, not their tummy.
Tips for Supporting Infants Head Until Gain Head Control
Until your infant gains neck control, it’s important to properly support their head during activities such as picking them up, holding them, or feeding them.
- How to Support Head When Picking Up from Crib: One safe way to support infant head when picking up from crib is to put one of your hands under their neck and head and the other under their bottom. Then you can scoop them up and bring them to your chest.
- How to Support Head When Holding Baby: When you are holding your baby upright, you can support the back of their neck and head with one hand while resting them forward on your chest or your shoulder. You can hold your baby’s weight from the bottom with your other hand.
- How to Support Head When Feeding Baby: If you are breastfeeding, there are multiple different positions to hold your baby to support their neck including the football hold, cradle hold, or side-lying hold. If you are bottle feeding, try to support their head with the crook of your elbow as you hold them in a slightly upright position with your forearm under their baby. Laying your baby flat when feeding is not considered safe.
What to Do if Baby Not Holding Head Up
Baby neck muscles will gradually develop over a few months, so during the first few weeks of life newborns often have a “head lag” as their neck muscles are still weak. Your pediatrician will look at your baby’s neck strength as part of a routine checkup.
If your infant or baby won’t lift head during tummy time or you’re wondering how to help your baby develop head control, don’t fret. The best exercise for newborn neck strength is tummy time, so keep making sure they get enough of it every day – even if your baby hates tummy time.
If your around 3 month baby won’t lift head during tummy time still, bring it up at your next pediatrician appointment. While it likely is just a slight delay in the developmental milestone, it’s always good to address any concerns early. Usually, cases of a baby not holding head up will resolve before baby reaches 4-months-old, but sometimes there could be another cause or additional intervention is needed. Use your baby’s adjusted age if they were born prematurely.
What Milestone Comes After Holding Head Up?
When infants gain neck control and can hold their head up, they are well on their way to developing the muscle strength needed for all future movement milestones, including total head control, rolling over, sitting up, crawling, and walking.
For example, when infants practice raising their heads off the ground, they also strengthen the back and torso, which is an important part of when babies start crawling. You may notice your baby starts to raise their chest along with their head as their abdominal muscles start to strengthen.
Once your baby holds their head up, they may be more inclined to reach for things they see during tummy time – further strengthening their arm muscles and encouraging coordination and even balance. Also, watch out for kicks during diaper changes – they will start to get forceful!
Once your baby starts to be able to roll over, keep an eye on them during tummy time so they don’t roll anywhere unsafe. Additionally, if you’re swaddling your baby, immediately stop swaddling once they show signs of rolling over.
Final Thoughts
As a parent, it can be easy to compare your baby to others – especially when it comes to seemingly simple milestones like when babies lift their heads. However, remember that your baby, like us, needs to work hard to develop the muscle strength needed to carry them throughout life.
With the proper amount of tummy time and encouragement, and check ins with your pediatrician to monitor progress, your baby should be start holding their head up in no time.
Enjoy this period of your baby’s life. Seeing them see things for the first time is a marvel and a reminder of how joyful and special babyhood can be.
For more information about how to practice safe sleep while still ensuring your baby meets developmental milestones, download the Smart Sleep Coach by PampersTM app. The app creates a custom step-by-step sleep plan to guide you through how to build healthy sleep habits in your baby (and get them to sleep through the night) while also ensuring they get the restorative sleep they need to grow and thrive.
