An infant attains head control by

Appeared in: NHM UP Staff Nurse-2021 Shift-2nd

Explanation

Head control is a key gross motor milestone that develops progressively.
At birth, infants have significant head lag, which gradually decreases.
By 3 months, head lag is minimal when the infant is pulled to a sitting position.
By 4 months, an infant typically has good head control with no head lag, which is considered the age of attainment.
Complete neck control is established by 5 months.

Option A: At 15 days, a newborn's neck muscles are very weak, resulting in a complete head lag. They cannot support their head.
Option C: By 6 months, head control is well-established. The infant is developing more advanced motor skills.
Option D: At 8 months, an infant has long since mastered head control and is focusing on mobility.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Infant Gross Motor Development Milestones as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Assessing developmental milestones, like head control, is a fundamental part of a pediatric nursing assessment to screen for developmental delays.
Significant delay in achieving head control (e.g., persistent head lag after 5-6 months) can be a red flag for neurological or developmental issues like cerebral palsy or hypotonia, warranting a referral for further evaluation.
What if? If a 6-month-old infant still has a significant head lag, the nurse's priority is to perform a detailed developmental and neurological assessment and report the findings to the pediatrician for prompt investigation.

How to Approach the Question

Identify the core concept: The question asks for a specific developmental milestone (head control) and the age it is achieved.
This is a factual recall question based on knowledge of pediatric growth and development.
Mentally review the sequence of gross motor milestones in the first year of life.
Recall that head control precedes sitting, and sitting precedes crawling/walking.
Evaluate the options: 15 days is too early (newborn stage). 6 and 8 months are too late, as infants are sitting and crawling by then.
Select the option that aligns with the established timeline for attaining head control, which is around the 3-4 month mark.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Infant Gross Motor Development Milestones
Stem keywords: infant, head control
Lead-in keywords: BEST, MOST RELEVANT CLUE
Clinical cues: Age/sex group narrows the expected diagnosis, intervention, or normal reference range.
Negative lead-in flag: false

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E6 Ghai Essential Pediatrics(pp 26-904 of 913) p. 23-25

E6 Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics(2024) — Volume 1 p. 197-199

Practise the full NHM UP Staff Nurse-2021 Shift-2nd

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.