Paediatricians Send Serious Warnings To Parents Against Forcing Infants To Sit.
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Paediatricians have warned parents to desist from forcing an infant to sit.
In a chat with HealthWise, Prof Temisan Edaye said that forcing an infant to sit leads to serious brain damage.
He said that children who can barely hold their heads should not be forced to sit on their own.
According to the physician, once a child can hold their heads on their own, they would be able to sit.
Why you Must Stop Forcing Infants to Sit
He said that forcing a child to sit at an early age could lead to the following:
- Spinal cord problems.
- Brain damage.
- Cerebral palsy.
The paediatrician explained further that babies are expected to be able to hold their heads at three months.
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So, he urged parents to stop forcing infants less than three months old to sit.
Prof Edaye said:
“When babies are born, they can’t control their head yet and when you carry them the neck falls back. They start learning how to control the neck around two and half months to three months. Most times, by three months, the head is steady and well-controlled around four months.
“So, it is when the head is well-controlled that a baby can sit. If the head of a baby is not well-controlled and you are forcing the baby to sit, the baby can be injured because the head will be flopping and can cause injuries.
“Again, the muscles there are not strong enough and the brain will not respond to what you are doing. It is dangerous to start sitting with a baby at two months.
“So, ideally a baby should start sitting when the head is straight and when the head is fully controlled.
“That is also when the baby should be supported to sit and that is usually around three to four months of age. Between four and five months if the baby is sitting with support, there is no problem.”
The medical expert explained that babies start sitting at six months.
He also emphasised that children who can hold their heads without support can be taught to sit.
He continued:
“Now, if the baby does not sit straight without support, the baby will not crawl. If a baby at the age of four months cannot control the neck, there is a problem with the baby. By three months, the head should be straight. If by nine months the baby is not crawling, there is a problem.
“The ability to do all these things has to do with the brain. A child’s development is controlled by the brain. If a baby by three months of age is unable to control the neck to hold the head straight, there is a problem.
“It means the brain is not developing as it should. Assault on the brain could cause cerebral palsy. From three months, a baby should start controlling the head.
“So, it is dangerous to sit a baby whose head is not straight. The baby may fall the wrong way and have a muscle injury. If the baby falls back, it can put a strain on the spinal cord and it can cause spinal cord injury.
“The baby can also fall and hit his or her head against anything and damage the brain. And the baby that was born normal becomes abnormal from there.”
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Another doctor, Dr Rebecca Talamud said on Healthline that forcing a child to sit early affects their developmental skills.
She said:
“When your baby is just learning how to sit with support, you may want to sit with them between your legs so you’re supporting them on all sides. You may also use pillows as props, but don’t leave your baby unattended when propped.”
Dr Talamud said that children who are placed to sit must be closely monitored.
Source: PUNCH HealthWise