These benchmarks are general. They complete an exchange with the professionals who follow you and do not replace a diagnosis or an individualized program.
Benchmark 01
From what you're watching
Your baby prefers to look to the right, like little carpet or shake during some meals? Note the context rather than immediately looking for a unique explanation: since when, in what positions, with what other changes?
The health book brings together the benchmarks for growth and development. Comparisons between children give little indication of an individual situation: we are particularly interested in the evolution of your baby, its interactions and the diversity of his movements.
Benchmark 02
Developing small opportunities to move
Choose a time when baby is awake, available and accompanied. On a firm carpet on the floor, present your face or an accessible toy. Give him time to look, reach out and change his hold. You don't need to multiply the equipment to create an exploration opportunity.
Time on the belly can start very briefly on your chest, when you are perfectly awake, then on the carpet according to its ease. Stay close to him, talk or sing and finish before the experience becomes too difficult. Repeated short trials are easier to integrate than an imposed long session. Do not shoot at arms and force no head rotation.
Bench 03
Keep a separate sleep frame
The motor recommendations concern awakening. To sleep, lay baby on her back, on a firm and flat mattress, in her own sleeping space. Sleeping remains clear: no pillow, head restraint or object intended to maintain a position. At least for the first six months, prefer your own bed in the parents' room.
If you feel drowsy during a hug or meal, put your baby back in her bed before falling asleep. A sofa or armchair is not a shared sleep solution. A treatment session, a preference for rotation or a flattening of the skull does not justify changing these rules.
Benchmark 04
Make meals a accompanied time
In the bottle, sit comfortably and keep baby in your arms, head supported and body semi-reared. Take a break and watch if it slows down, turns away the head or no longer wants to suck. A prepared quantity is not a quantity to be finished at any cost.
Find the first signs of hunger to propose the meal before a major agitation. Never let baby drink alone with a caled bottle. In case of breast-feeding pain, repeated cough at meals, exhausting meals or weight concern, ask for an appropriate assessment. The choice of equipment or a manual approach does not replace this search.
Bench 05
Understanding the benchmarks without turning awakening into training
Acquisition lists help to prepare an exchange; they do not allow a diagnosis to be made by yourself. You can bring the doctor concrete examples: does he catch both hands, does he exchange eyes, does he discover new movements? A short video can be useful if the movement is difficult to show at the appointment.
Don't try to get a step through by placing baby in a position he doesn't control. Propose a safe environment, leave play time free and ask for advice when an asymmetry persists or you have concerns. A loss of capacity already acquired must be reported promptly.
A first step
A moment of awakening to try
Example of organization to adapt to your situation, without performance objective.
- Choose a quiet moment, with no goal of duration or performance.
- Install a carpet on the floor and place you next to the baby face.
- Propose a short change in position when available, without forcing.
- Discontinue fatigue; note a possible repeated difficulty to talk about it at the next appointment.
Traps to avoid
- Use a sleeping position on the belly to work motor skills.
- Make manipulations of the neck, skull or limbs from a video.
- Always attribute crying, reflux or food problems to mechanical blockage.
When can I ask for an opinion?
Ask for prompt medical advice in case of rejected meals, much less wet diapers, unusual vomiting or loss of knowledge. A temperature of at least 38 °C before three months requires rapid assessment. Respiratory difficulty, bluish coloring or baby difficult to wake up: call 15 or 112.
Your questions
Should we have a long session on the belly?
No. Short occasions, adapted to the availability of babies, can be distributed during awakening. Comfort and supervision take precedence.
Do I have to finish the bottle?
No. Observe the signs of satiety and propose breaks. A difficulty in feeding or concern about growth requires professional advice.
Is a preference for rotation necessarily worrying?
It deserves to be observed and discussed if it persists, especially with limitation or deformation. It does not make it possible to conclude a diagnosis alone.
The documentary selection
See, read, deepen
French references on sleep, the environment and the installation of the infant.
1000-first days.frGuide / resource · EnglishNHS — Baby moversPractical reference points for ground play and first movements.
www.nhs.ukRecommendation · EnglishNHS — Safe Sleep of InfantsSleeping conditions and prevention of situations at risk.
www.nhs.ukGuide / resource · EnglishNHS — Accompany the bottleInstallation, breaks and respect for the baby's signals.
www.nhs.ukGuide / resource · EnglishCDC — Development BenchmarksBenchmarks by age and preparation of an exchange on development.
www.cdc.govGuide / resource · EnglishNHS — Recognizing a situation requiring medical assistanceSigns of disease requiring evaluation; in France, use 15 or 112 for an emergency.
www.nhs.uk
