How do the baby products affect the development of the baby spine?

06/07/2022

As new parents, the health of your baby's body is definitely one of our main concerns. We are honored to have Dr. Chu, a professional chiropractor to answer the questions related to baby's spine and provide professional advice for your reference.

Have you chosen the right mattress?

During the newborn stage, babies spend nearly 16 hours a day in sleeping. Therefore, a good mattress is a must, as the quality of the mattress affects the baby's long-term spinal development. So, how do we choose a good mattress?

According to Dr. Chu, a good mattress has three elements: "good support", "high air permeability" and "durability". It is recommended to choose a "hard and firm" mattress for a newborn baby. If the mattress is too soft, it will not provide enough support for the immature spine, which will hinder the future development of the baby. In addition, if the baby did not learn how to turn around properly, he or she will be unable to turn again after turning around, which may lead to suffocation. In addition, a hard mattress will help your baby practice the move of turning around and build muscle strength, which will help develop a healthy spine.

A good mattress is important for your baby's future spinal development.

In addition, the bounce, firmness and material of the mattress are also the key to pay attention to. If the mattress could not bounce back into shape immediately, it indicate that the mattress has insufficient resilience. It is also best to choose a material that is breathable, because babies will sweat and vomit, and the moisture substance will be trapped in the mattress, causing mold and affecting the baby's health.

There are some conditions that can help you to immediately determine if the mattress is a good mattress. Dr. Chu suggests that when selecting a mattress, try pressing down on the mattress with your palm, and the depth of pressing should not be deeper than the thickness of your palm. If it exceeds the thickness of your palm, it means that the mattress may not have enough support. After releasing the palm of your hand, the mattress should be able to rebound to its original position within five seconds in order to indicate that the mattress has sufficient resilience.

One action can help you quickly determine whether it is a good mattress.

Parents can observe the spine of their children on a daily basis. For example, whether there are abnormalities such as high and low shoulders, back imbalance, pelvis imbalance, leg length discrepancy, etc. It is possible that these are caused by congenital or acquired poor posture, using a mattress that is too soft, etc. If these situations occur, it is necessary to consult a chiropractor or doctor to provide corresponding solutions.

Using highchair as a crib can be harmful for your baby!

Many highchairs on the market boast that they can also be used as a bed. Is it really possible? Dr. Chu pointed out that, even when the highchair is reclined to the so-called “sleeping mode”, it is still not a complete plane. Sleeping in a non-flat space would cause the risk of suffocation. Also, the baby cannot turn around and is being tied by the seat belt in the highchair. These conditions will also affect the quality of sleep.

In addition, there is a chance that the large muscle development of baby who sleeps in a highchair for a long time will be gradually affected. Future standing and sitting posture would also be affected and at the end it will affect the development of the spine in a long term. In addition, it is not safe for baby to sleep in the highchair as there is no rail for protection at all. Therefore, the idea of using highchair as a crib are in doubt in terms of safety and health.

Dr. Chu shares the importance of the use of highchair to the future development of children's sitting posture.

However, highchair is still a must for baby. It is highly recommended to use a highchair during feeding time. Dr. Chu believes that if babies use adult chairs, they will only eat in a "kneeling" position because they have not yet learned to sit steadily on their own, which will result in poor sitting posture in the future. In the learning process of how to eat and chew, baby takes a long time to finish a meal. If the baby is allowed to sit and stand on their own, without the seat belt buckle provided on the highchair, children would lean forward. Not only will it cause danger, but also harmful to the development of the spine. In fact, if the child does not have the habit of using the highchair before the age of three, it will be more difficult to sit correctly when they reached the age of three.

A highchair provides a dedicated eating space for babies and trains them to establish regular eating habits.

A highchair is an indispensable tool for children to learn proper sitting posture and to train their hand muscles, which is better for personal development. During meals, it is best to sit straight to improve spinal health and it avoids the risk of choking. Children are not recommended to sit in other kind of chairs until they are one and a half years old.

Besides babies, parents also need to take care of their spine

A baby carrier is a favorite tool for many families. I believe you have heard that a good carrier allows the baby to sit up straight, with the knees higher than the arms to form an "M" shaped sitting position, which provides sufficient support for the baby. Newborns are not suitable for long periods of sitting and standing because their muscles are not strong enough, so it is best to use a carrier with a seat for babies between 9 months and 1 year.

If the carrier supports the baby's spine well, he or she will be able to sit comfortably.

The pressure on the parent's back and spine while using a carrier should not be overlooked. Dr. Chu suggests that when choosing a baby carrier, you may consider the design that wrap around the parent's pelvis to help "take the pressure off”. It would be the most suitable one if both sides of your shoulders can be fit in two fingers after you put on the carrier. As a parent, you must pay more attention to your own health in order to have a healthy body to take care of your baby and enjoy the fun of the journey with your baby.

The health of the adult spine should not be neglected, so we recommend using products that are also take care of the parents.

Lastly, we would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Chu again for clearing up any questions you may have about baby products. From sleeping, eating to playing, babies need to use a variety of baby products. For the future development of babies, we must pay more attention in every aspect in order to buy the most suitable product for babies and provide the safest environment for them to grow happily.