Baby Head got flat from one side. Please advise

Parenting and Education (Other) General Parenting
1

Hi,

My baby head got flat from one side.
Now i have started making him sleep on the other side.
Other than that what else i can do as a preventive measure.

Please advise.

Thanks

2

More tummy time.

More time held in an upright position like this:

http://www.newbornbabyzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/kangaroo-care.jpg

either held with your arms or in a carrier/sling/wrap.

Some babies also have a preference for one side or the other while breastfeeding and if that is the case with your little one switching to a ‘football hold’ from a cradle hold can really help.

http://www.breastfeeding-mom.com/images/howToFootball.jpg

3

I had the same problem with our son. Our Doc suggested keeping him upright as much as possible. I think the flat side is getting better. I use 3 different types of jumpers and a walker to keep him up right. When he had less control of his back I propped him up with blankets. I also moved his changing table and put him in his crib so that his flat spot was not down.

4

Our doctor has stricly said no to walker.
He was mentioning that walker is not good for baby hips.

I am not sure how good or bad walker is but we dont use walker at all.

Thanks

5

My daughter had the same thing. We waited too long to get the helmet so the falt spot never fully went away. At 6 months of age, you are not likely to correct it with repositioning only Repositioning works best before 4 months of age. The ideal time for a helmet is between 4 and 8 months. Please look up your local helmet place and go for an eval to determine the severity. I did not and I will forever regret it. We did not band until 14 months and that is very late so my daughter will always have a bit of a flat spot.

I am on several lists for this condition (plagiocephaly and brachycephaly) and spent many months communicating with other moms dealing with the same thing. Many pediatiricans are not knowledgeable on this topic. Please look up starband, hanger band, and doc band. These are the three most popular helmets and there is likely one of these in your location.

If the head is mild, then they probably will not recommend a helmet (or band as they are sometimes called). Moderate to severe cases typically need a band at 6 months. Plus, it will probably take a month or two to get the whole process done. Please don’t delay.

Also, the issue is not purely cosmetic as many doctors say it is. Right now, my daughter wears an eye patch for strasbismus. The eye doctor says that the flat head can cause problems with the eye muscles and eye nerves and cause this. Other difficulties can include ear infections, sinus problems, jaw problems, and some others that I don’t remember. Luckily, her ear infections decreased after she wore her helmet.

A helmet may seem hard, but it went by quicklky. It is not all that heavy and is made of plastic and foam. The foam is shaved to shape the head as it grows. It does not push on the skull, but directs the area of growth. That is why it is less effective as they get older - the head growth slows down.

6

Thanks a lot for the detail explanation…

Really appreciate it…
Karma to you…