When the first child appears in the family, it is time for parents to obtain new knowledge and skills. The baby requires special care, especially in the first months of his life. Indeed, during this period, the crumb body adapts to new conditions of existence and is not yet able to fully cope with its functions. One of the basics of the proper growth and development of the baby is the organization of the nutrition process. At the end of feeding, in some cases it is necessary to hold the newborn in an upright position. What is it for? How to keep the child a column? In what cases should this be done? Answers will be given in the article below.
History of procedure origin
In Soviet times, babies at the age of three months were already given in a nursery, because that was how long paid maternity leave lasted. In groups of children fed the mixture strictly according to the regimen. Each child received the same portion, the individual characteristics of the kids were not taken into account. Feeding was done every three hours. Due to the use of such a meal regimen, the problem of overfeeding often arose. It was in order for the child to burp the excess, and they kept him in a column.
Why keep the baby a column?
Young parents are primarily concerned about the question "how to keep the child in a column." The answer will be provided a little later. After all, you should first understand why such a procedure is needed at all. There are several reasons why you should keep your baby upright:
- To improve digestion. It sometimes happens that during feeding, the child swallows air with food. Subsequently, this can cause stomach pain and discomfort. If you take the baby after feeding and hold it for a while in a column, this will help to get out the air that was swallowed earlier.
- For motion sickness. Many babies, when their parents keep them upright, pressed to themselves, calm down and even fall asleep. Indeed, in this position, children feel the warmth of an adult's body and experience a sense of comfort.
- To strengthen the muscles of the spine. If you hold the baby column, you can help him learn to hold his head and contribute to the development and strengthening of the vertebral muscles.
- For the development of observation. The baby will gladly travel around the apartment in an upright position with one of the parents.
Do not forget that before carrying out various manipulations with the baby, you must definitely understand how to properly hold the child with a column.
In which cases do not need to keep the baby upright?
In modern society, there is an opinion that differs from the recommendations of Soviet pediatrics. With an immature digestive system, not only the children of a person are born. Babies of many animals are born with the same problem, but their mothers do not keep newborns in a column. Therefore, when a child is completely breastfed and accustomed to taking breasts correctly, the question of swallowing air is extremely rare. In addition, with such a diet, overfeeding does not occur.
Should the baby be kept in a pillar after breastfeeding if she is breastfeeding? If the baby does not show signs of anxiety, does not cry and falls asleep during or after eating - then the answer is no.
When do you need to hold a baby column?
Parents should hold the baby upright for some time in the following cases:
- The child behaves uneasily while eating. One of the reasons for this behavior may be that the baby has already swallowed air, and now it gives him unpleasant sensations.
- The kid is very hungry and eats quickly and greedily. If the child spent more time without food than usual, it means that during feeding he is most likely to swallow air due to his haste.
- The baby is on artificial feeding. In this situation, overfeeding is the most common problem. And to keep the baby in an upright position is not necessary to get rid of air, but to regurgitate excess food.
How to hold a child in a column and how to properly pick it up in your arms before that? The answers to these questions are given below.
How to take a newborn in your arms?
The treatment of the baby should be gentle and accurate. The main rule is smoothness of movement. At the same time, parents should smile at the baby, speak with him in a quiet voice.
Before starting the manipulations, you should bend as close as possible to the child. One adult hand should be located under the head and neck of the baby. The second is under the back and lower back. After this, you need to slowly raise the child with both hands and gently press him to your body.
How to keep the child a column? The following is a detailed description of this process.
How to keep the baby in a column?
For hygiene reasons, it is previously recommended to put a clean diaper on the adult's shoulder. After the newborn is in the hands of one of the parents, you can give his body a vertical position. To do this, raise the baby so that his head is on the shoulder of an adult. At the same time, one hand should hold the head and neck, the second - the back and lower back. You can’t take a child under the buttocks, because this will create an unnecessary additional vertical load on the spine.
Another option, how to keep the child in a column, may be the following. You need to move the baby a little higher so that the baby’s chest is on the adult’s shoulder, and the head and hands are behind him. In this case, you should definitely press the back and neck of the baby to yourself.
What can not be done while holding the child in an upright position?
There are a number of prohibitions and cautions that you should pay attention to when giving the crumb a vertical position:
- To avoid dislocation of the radius, you can not raise the baby, holding his hands, hands or forearms.
- In order to avoid tipping the head and stretching the neck muscles, you can not lift the child, holding it under the armpits.
- There should be no sharpness in the movements of the parent, because this can scare the baby.
- It is necessary to press the baby to the body tightly, but not too zealously so as not to hurt.
How much to keep the child a column?
Each child is individual. Therefore, the baby can get rid of excess air for two to ten minutes. There is no unequivocal and accurate answer to the question “how much to keep the baby with a column after feeding”. If after the specified time the baby is still worried, you should change his position, pat him on the back.
There are pediatricians who advise keeping the baby upright after each feeding. But after a fairly short time, each mother can already understand whether her baby needs help in a specific situation.
In some children, the digestive system grows older and ceases to bother them as soon as the baby learns to roll over on his stomach. For others, until they learn to sit. Parents on the behavior of the child will be able to understand that he no longer needs help.
Conclusion
It is necessary to keep the baby in an upright position in order to help him get rid of the air that was swallowed during feeding, or to regurgitate excess food. Most often, this procedure is necessary for children who are on artificial feeding. The article describes in detail how to keep the baby with a column after feeding. There are also a number of caveats that you should familiarize yourself with before starting manipulations. Parents need to keep the baby in a column until the moment when its immature digestive system is formed.