- In the first three months of a baby's life,
there are behaviors and signs
that are often referred to as red flags
that pediatric health professionals look for
to indicate that a little one may need a little bit of help.
It's important to know
what these developmental red flags are
because if we can identify the difficulties
a little one is having early
and provide treatment early,
it can reduce the length of time
that little one requires treatment,
as well as reduce the potential impact it might have
on their development.
As parents, it's important to know
what these red flags are
because you are literally with your little one
every minute of every day,
so you're in the best position
to notice if and when these occur.
So in this video,
I'm going to cover what these red flags are.
If you do notice that your little one has any
of these red flags,
firstly, don't worry.
It doesn't necessarily mean that there is something wrong.
All it means is that they should go
and see a health professional
for a little bit of an assessment just to be sure.
So let's talk about the red flags for a three-month old.
Now, remember if your baby was born prematurely,
it's based on their corrected age,
so when they are three months corrected age,
not the date that they were born.
The gross and fine motor red flags are limited head control.
So if your little one isn't able to lift their head
to 45 degrees or 90 degrees when they're in tummy time
and they're unable to support their head
when you are holding them
and providing support around their ribcage.
The second one is that they are constantly turning
their head to one side.
So they have a strong preference
to look in one direction.
At three months of age,
your little one should be able to easily turn their head
from one side to the other.
So if you hold a toy above their face
and you'd go from one side to the other,
they should be able to follow that moving toy.
If your little one is constantly looking
in the one direction,
it may indicate that they have positional torticollis,
which is a tightening of the neck muscle.
And that's preventing them
from being able to turn their head.
Often, if your little one does have positional torticollis,
you will notice that their head tilts to the side
and their chin tucks down.
And you often see this in photos.
So you might want to go back
and look at your little one's photos
and see if they've constantly got their head
in the same position.
Now, if your little one does have a preference
to look in one direction
and is unable to turn their head in the other direction,
then it is important to go get that checked out
because if it's not treated
and it is positional torticollis,
it can affect their body posture,
it can also result in them favoring one side,
and it can also lead to a flat spot developing
on the back of their head.
So the other red flag is a flat spot developing
on the back of their head.
Now at birth,
you will notice that your little one's head is a bit funny,
but typically, the unusual shape resolves
by six to eight weeks.
But if you notice after this point in time
that your little one does have a flat spot developing
on the back of their head,
it's important to go to a pediatric physiotherapist
who can provide some advice on some positioning
and assess if there is an underlying reason
why that flat spot is developing.
It's also really important to rule out craniosynostosis,
which is the early closures of the sutures in the skull.
And this can lead to the skull developing an unusual shape,
which can then restrict skull growth,
and that can impact the developing brain.
The next thing you want to look out for is decreased movement
or stiffness on one side of the body
or in one arm or leg.
So typically, at zero to three months of age,
your little one will be able to use both hands freely.
So they'll be reaching out with both hands.
They'll also be kicking with both feet.
And at three months of age,
they'll be able to turn their head in both directions.
If you notice that your little one has increased stiffness
in a leg or an arm
or they're not able to move one side of the body
or they have a strong hand preference,
then it is an indication that you need to go in
and check in with their pediatrician
to see if there's a reason for that.
The next thing you want to look at is your little one's hand.
So at three months of age,
we want those hands to be open
and that thumb to be out.
So if you notice that your little one's hand is fisted
and that thumb is still resting inside their palm,
then you definitely want to go in
and see a pediatric occupational therapist
to see if there's ways that you can get that thumb out.
Because if that thumb and that hand doesn't open,
it's going be hard for them to start to grab
and play with toys,
which they typically do at four months of age.
Now, before we cover the social and communication red flags,
make sure you click on the free PDF document
in the description box below
as this will give you invaluable peace of mind
because you'll know when to be expecting skills
and when to be concerned.
So the social and communication red flags are,
if your little one does not cry
when they're uncomfortable or hungry.
So babies cry to communicate with you
what they want and need.
They can't yet use words,
but they are very efficient at crying.
So if your little one isn't indicating to you
that they are hungry or uncomfortable by crying,
then that is a potential red flag.
The next red flag is if the little one doesn't notice
or respond to loud noises.
So newborns respond to loud noises multiple ways.
They might go quiet.
They might look for that noise by moving their eyes.
And then when they're able to move in their head
in the direction of that noise,
they might smile or they might search for you
when you start talking.
They also respond to loud noises by startling,
and that is when they throw back their hands, legs,
and their head, and then bring them back
into the middle of their body and start to cry.
If you notice that your little one isn't responding
to noise, then it is definitely a time to go
and get their hearing looked at.
The next red flag is if the little one
at three months of age does not look at the carer.
So by three months of age,
you should be able to have a little one look at the carer
and sustain that eye contact.
And they will also smile
or coo in response to that interaction.
So that also leads me onto my next red flag,
which is if your little one is not smiling or cooing
by three months of age.
In regards to a zero to three month's old vision,
there is two things that we want to check.
First, we want to make sure
that the three month old is able to track a moving toy.
So when they're lying on their back,
they should be able to follow a toy from one side
of their body all the way over to the other side
by following with their eyes and their head.
The next thing you want to look out for is to see
if the little one has an eye
that is constantly turning in or out.
So newborns will have eyes
that are fleetingly appear cross eyed,
but it shouldn't be constant.
If it is, then it is an indication that they need to go
and get their vision assessed.
Feeding red flags are that your little one is unable
to latch while nursing or bottle feeding,
they're losing lots of liquid out the side of their mouth
when they're trying to feed,
or they're appearing distressed when they are feeding.
In addition to knowing what the red flags are,
it is extremely helpful for a new parent to know
how a newborn communicates,
and that is by using newborn cues.
So if you want to help build
a strong foundational relationship with your little one,
then make sure you check out this video.
Also, if you want to know some unusual behaviors
that you're going to see in your newborn
that are developmentally normal,
then make sure you check out this video.
Thanks for watching.
Remember to click on that free PDF document
in the description box below.
And I will see you next week,
where I'll share more parenting tips and tricks.
(soothing music)