Do you change your newborn's sleeping
position every night? If not, it may lead to him developing flat spots
on his head, or a flat head.
Abhinav was born a healthy baby boy.
Everything seemed normal with him at first, but as he turned 2 years old,
his parents, Rita and Anil, noticed that there seemed to be something wrong
with the shape of his head. They consulted their doctor, who said that
nothing was wrong at all, and his head would gradually go back to his normal
shape. Rita and Anil were relieved when they heard this, but
they continued to monitor Abhinav's head shape. As Abhinav entered his
fourth month, his parents realized that his head was definitely not taking
on a normal shape. It was flat from one side, and normally developed from
the other. So they decided it was about time they found out precisely what
the problem was.
What was wrong
with Abhinav?
Abhinav had developed a form of cranial
asymmetry, known as Plagiocephaly. There are three kinds of cranial asymmetry.
Plagiocephaly, in which the child's
head is asymmetrical at the sides. One side is flatter than the other.
Brachycephaly, in which the back of
the head is flat.
Scaphocephaly, in which the head of
the child is long and narrow.
Why does this
happen?
A newborn baby's skull is very soft,
and it is still developing. The bones can easily be affected by pressure.
When a baby sleeps in one position for very long, a lot of pressure is
being applied to that particular area of the skull, causing it to flatten.
As a result, your baby may develop a flat head.
Does this condition
get alright on its own?
In no way does a flat head affect
brain development. In addition, very often, as the child grows up, his
skull regains its regular shape and this condition resolves itself, but
this is not always the case, so it is advisable not to take a risk. After
all, prevention is better than cure.
Prevention
A flat head occurs when a child sleeps
in the same position, with the head turned in the same direction, every
night. To avoid this, you should turn your baby around every other night.
Your baby will most probably want to face the room, and not the wall. So
if your baby is placed at the head of the crib one night, and at the foot
the other, he will sleep on his left or right side, accordingly. This is
called 'counter positioning'.
You can also place a mobile once
in a while, so your baby sleeps flat on his back.
Avoid making your baby sleep on his
tummy. While this may not be the cause of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome),
statistics show that it increases the risk. However, this does not mean
your baby cannot sleep on his tummy at all. He can, as long as he is in
your supervision, and for short periods at a time. Not only will this help
prevent flat spots on your baby's head, it will also aid his development.
Name:
Heidi
Country: usa
my son developed a flat heat that i noticed when he was 3 1/2 months old. when i looked at pictures though it definitely started to become noticable by 2 months - i just wasn't aware of this condition at the time. the ped told me it would resolve itself and to keep him on his back. but by 4 1/2 months i was concerned and did my own research since he was pretty severly flattened by this time. so i began repositioning him every few hours during the night with a rolled up quilt so he was always on one side or the other - never on his back. this was very difficult to keep up through the night but if i didn't do it i would worry too much to sleep anyway. i only was able to do this for 1 month anyway because he began turning on his own so i couldn't keep him where i positioned him. but by this point he found it more comfortable to curl up on his side - so he did this on his own. his head looked the worst at 5 months and didn't change much until 7 months. now he is 9 months old and i don't worry about him at all because he is just beautiful! his head rounded out and he finally developed a neck which helps create the appearance of more roundness. his hair also grew in so he doesn't have that bald spot which made him appear even flatter. when i look down at his head i can notice that it is a bit broader in the back than the front, but that is the only view that shows any indication that he had a flat head, once upon a time. his head no longer looks flat and i can now worry about other things! whew! if it didn't get better by nine months i was considering flying to arizona (i'm in colorado) for the helmet that would reshape his head. i'm very relieved that i don't have to go this route now that his head is rounding out. and it keeps getting better and better all the time. i'm quite sure that there will be no sign of this by his first birthday. so for those of you who are as worried as i was - my son was flat from one ear to the other in the back and is now sportin' a beautiful round head at nine months - no helmet necessary!!!
Name:
Rachel
Country: malaysia
this is what i was looking for. tq
Name:
gink
Country: usa
made me feel a bit better
Name:
Gabe
Country: usa
thank you for this article.
i noticed my daughter had a flat head at 3 months & became
very worried. it made me cry.
i didn't know what to do. the doctor said it would round out. i couldn't sleep.i prayed
as well as repositioning. at 6 & 1/2 months i stopped worrying as much. now almost 8 months it seems to be rounding out. i still pray for her to have a round head & no problems. my husband thinks there is no problem with her, & that it is hardly noticable. i hope & pray that it will be totaly round before she turns one.
Name:
leanne
Country: united kingdom
is very useful my baby has had a flat head since the age of about 2months he is now 8mths and i haven't noticed a change. me and my partner are very worried that is will stay like that and i dont like that my partners family are always talking about it.
Name:
Chapman
Country: usa
ok. my baby is developing a flat head on the right side. i try to position her head in different places, but her natural resting position is to have her head looking towards the right. she turns it this way no matter how i position her. even if i try to move her head at night, she awakens. i dont know what to do. i am thinking about just getting an egg crate mattress to make the mattress softer. maybe this will help. i have tried the memory foam pillow they sell at target, but her head just falls off of it. any suggestions? thanks.
Name:
Rakesh
Country: usa
what a relief!
Name:
nehal
Country: india
i read the best tip at the right time. thnx.
my baby is 3 months now, and she has flat head on one side, now il do position changing. and i know shell b better sooooooooon. thnx.
Name:
Sanika
Country: india
my son is 3 months and had developed flat head. i do repositioning during day time but night its not possible. during day i literraly hold his head for hours . exterimally worried. will, he be alright??
Name:
k's mummy
Country: australia
im worried about my sons head he is 4 months now and trying to get him to sleep on the non - flat side is a knightmare but i will persist his ears look lop sided looking from the top i do hope it will turn out ok.
Name:
Upset
Country: usa
you can learn all about this condition by going to the yahoo plagiocephaly website. post a message and the people will get back to you with answers within hours and there are also weekly chats. most pediatricians downplay this condition but they should not. repositioning works best before the age of 6 months when the head is softest and growing the most (1 cm/month). after that time, head growth slows to .5 cm/month and a helmet is recommended. don't believe the pediatrician when they say it will round out on its own--babies still need to sleep 14 hours at age 1. once the head is flattened, baby won't be able to sleep on its side so it will reinforce the flattening by continuing to sleep on its back. also, don't let baby sleep in the car seat all the time--that can flatten the head. if mine were a newborn i would put him on his side to sleep but put him in between those wedges or rolls that you can buy at the store or rolled up towels so he doesn't roll onto his stomach and suffocate from sids. then his head shape is not an issue. flattened heads also result in widening of the face and can also cause the brain to press on the forehead to there is bulging at the forehead, and can cause misalignment of nose and eyes. insist on help from a pediatrician. "tummy time" isn't enough time off their backs. they need to be kept off their heads more. this is such an important issue that it is disappointing that many pediatricians downplay it and don't warn parents. they must fear that parents will begin putting their babies on their stomachs and then sue them if the baby dies of sids.
Name:
sri
Country: usa
my son who is 2 years now.we are not treated his flaten head until 2 years. then we went to ortho pedic, she said its to late beside he has mild flat head only, it will correct itself lateron but it will take time. i hope her words would be true.
Name:
Mother of Three
Country: australia
i have identical twins. one has a flat head the other not. its been flat since 2 months old, well thats when i noticed it. since then, we have been lying him on his side at night, with his twin balancing him so he doesn't roll over. they are 4 months now, and i'm now even putting a pillow behind him when he is playing with his toys, so his head is not in the flat position - the only time is when i change his nappy and in the car. during the day they do sleep by themselves, but i just use rolled up blankets both sides to prevent rolling. there is a slight change since two months, which i am happy about. i am desparate to have this fixed, so hopefully by the time they are 9 months, he would look like his brother!
Name:
Ava's mom
Country: usa
i'm amazed at how long parents have let their children go with "plagio" and not receive medical advice from their pediatricians. my daughter was diagnosed with torticollis and plagio at 2 months but not refered to a specialist, but simply told to lay her on her other side and do more tummy time. after following that advice, at 3 months, i did my own research and told the doctor we need to be referred to a pediatric neurosurgeon to evaluate my daughter's condition. i was relieved to find that she had mild to moderate plagio and was not a candidate for a helmet because repositioning and neck excercises should solve her problem. the neck excercies (which i do about 10 intervals a day) and the tricks for repositioning given by the neurosurgeon are already showing improvement i urge you to seek a specialist, who see these cases every day. there is a window up to 7 months where repositioning can work, but at the same time, if they are a candidate for a helmet, the younger the age, the quicker the results. if @ 4 months, my ava does not have the desired results of symmetry, we will welcome the helmet.
Name:
Ava's mom
Country: usa
i'm amazed at how long parents have let their children go with "plagio" and not receive medical advice from their pediatricians. my daughter was diagnosed with torticollis and plagio at 2 months but not refered to a specialist, but simply told to lay her on her other side and do more tummy time. after following that advice, at 3 months, i did my own research and told the doctor we need to be referred to a pediatric neurosurgeon to evaluate my daughter's condition. i was relieved to find that she had mild to moderate plagio and was not a candidate for a helmet because repositioning and neck excercises should solve her problem. the neck excercies (which i do about 10 intervals a day) and the tricks for repositioning given by the neurosurgeon are already showing improvement i urge you to seek a specialist, who see these cases every day. there is a window up to 7 months where repositioning can work, but at the same time, if they are a candidate for a helmet, the younger the age, the quicker the results. if @ 4 months, my ava does not have the desired results of symmetry, we will welcome the helmet.
Name:
Margaret
Country: united kingdom
my baby is now 7 months old and we have been working on repositioning since we noticed the flattening at 2 months (even though our health visitor has told us we're wasting our time because it will correct on its own.) we've seen no improvement so we're going to a place in london called cranial technologies to see what can be done with their helmet. has anyone had experience with them and can tell me what to expect? my gp has been no use at all as he knows nothing about helmet treatment.
thanks in advance,
margaret
Name:
helmetsforbabies
Country: usa
my baby graduated a few months ago. luckily our physician referred us. we have to make parents aware of what to look for!
Name:
love
Country: usa
my son is 16 months old and on the back of his head is very flat, but they say it'll round out, but i'm so worry that it won't. any suggesstions? help???
Name:
PuffDaddy
Country: usa
my son had flat head when we took him form the hospital. i complained and the nurse said it will turn round by the time he is 2. he is now 6 and still has flat head.
Name:
itchy
Country: australia
apparently osteopathy may assist with flat head on one side as sometimes there is a problem with the neck that is causing the baby to prefer one side over the other. they can also losen the plates.
Name:
mzpalmy
Country: new zealand
my son is 8months going on 9months hes had a flat head for a while now we were told it would be fine not to worry. im starting to worry since its very noticeble he doesnt have as much hair on the flat area and he has alot of hair.a friend of ours told us to massage the head the flat area abit when he wakes up.think well try that after reading some of the coments on this page i might even see a specialist.
Name:
geeth
Country: usa
how long time head flat prevention time
Name:
Khristina
Country: usa
i have a 9 week old baby and his head is flat from the back,my husband is so scared that his head won't round out.he sleeps on different sides now and it's getting a little better,just a little.would it round out all the way or owuld it stay just like that?did anyone of your babies heads round out at all?thank u
Name:
sarah
Country: united kingdom
i have a nine and half month son - flat head on one side. he was born like this and i have done nothing but worry as i really do not want to put him through wearing a helmet - he hates wearing a sun hat never mind one of those--i am totally torn-i know he has to live with this for the rest of his life but hate the thought of helmets- i keep hoping it will round out before hes 1--all the best to you all
Name:
D
Country: canada
my daughter has a mildly flat head on one side at the back. i noticed it right away (she was born with foreceps and favoured the less tender side). she is only 7 1/2 months old and she is already crawling all over the place. the bald spot has now covered over with hair, and it is a little less flat, but i am not going to stop worrying until is is what i would consider round. what options do i have? i've heard of massage, repositioning, exercises and a helmet....are there any other options?
