helmets for flat head from sleeping on back

[sue1386]

helmets for flat head from sleeping on back

does anyone hav eexperience with heads becoming very flat and lopsidedly so if baby slept with head more on one said

did it return to normal by itself or have you had experience around 4 or so months with being fitted with a special helmet to help it return to normal round shape.

[Tinks]

My son had a flat head from sleeping on his back. It did go back into shape. I've never heard of a helmet though.

I've heard that if you put the child to sleep on alternate ends of the bed each time they sleep it reduces the flatness.

Also give the baby more tummy time during the day insead of having him/her lie on the floor or in a rocker all day.

[~TT40~]

with the SIDS reccomendations to only ever sleep baby on their back, it is more common for the 'flat head' syndrome.
Babys heads are capable of mouding for a few months, so it can go back into shape naturally.
like Tinks said, if you notice bub always has their head turned a certain way in the cot (common if you are in the same room) sleep them down the other end (turned around) so they will then turn and look the other way, and give that part of their head a rest.
Plus lots of tummy time when they are awake. not only good for upper body strength and control, but also for keeping them off the back of their head.

At times those helmets are ness. they are avaliable through chiropractors, and sometimes some babies do need them. MACH can connect you to some providors and specilists who you can talk to about them. sorry i dont actually know much more specifically about them.

good luck with it.

[Life is Good]

Our little boy started getting a flat head as early as when he was 2 weeks old! We were told at the time that if we didn't work hard at trying to rectify it, a helmet may eventually be necessary.

I did a great deal of research and saw several specialists and nurses in an attempt to address the issue before it got "helmet worthy" and this is what they suggested (some things are not SIDS friendly, so use them or don't use them):

The following was suggested, but just didn't work for us:

If bubs isn't too mobile, look at getting a lovenest pillow.
Swap baby around in cot so that it encourages them to face opposite directions. This did not work - our boy didn't care about looking at the window!
Stacks of tummy-time. Again, didn't work for us as he hated it (and still does!)
Roll a towel up and place under bub's shoulder on the flat side. This will encourage them to face the other way. He rolled off it every time!

This is what actually worked for us. His head is now 100% normal:

Visit a paediatric physio and chiropractor. The most likely reason that bubs is favouring one side is due to having a stiff neck and/or weakened neck muscles due to their positioning in-utero. The physio will give you strengthening exercises to do with bubs and the chiro will adjust their neck ligaments accordingly.
Sleep bub on a lamb skin so that the surface under their head is softer than a firm mattress.
Sleep bubs on their tummy facing their head on the opposite side of the flat spot.

I know how very stressful this is and I really hope that you can avoid the expensive and stressful helmet route. Big hugs - I know exactly what you are going through

[karen]

Hi I just came across this thread. My son is now 8 months old. At his 6 week check they noticed his flat head and favouring one side. He was also referred for hip dysplasia and it was the specialist for that who also noticed he was favouring one side and so referred us for physio. It was very annoying as until that point, it had been noted but no one had referred us, again just suggesting we turning him round in a cot and more tummy time.
Basically the specialist diagnosed torticollis, which is stiff neck (and aparently around 20% of hip dysplasia babies also have it) so he physically couldn't turn his head. I chased and chased for urgent physio appointments but it was this specialist referral from the hospital which got us in quickly. He was nearly 4 months old by then and I had also read up about helmets and stuff so wanted to act fast.
The physio gave us exercises for him, which we did and by our second visit, there was significant improvement and he was voluntarily turning to the other side. The exercise which worked best was to hold him close to my chest (cuddle him) but with his head turned to the harder side and gently stretch it.
He still has quite a flat head even now but has no issue with his neck. the Physio and nurses say that while the fontenal is still open, the head will re-shape but it will take months. but tummy time is key or any seat type thing (Bumboi chair etc) which keeps the weight off their head when awake is good once they can support their head and good neck control.
However, my friend had a baby a few days before me. His head also mis-shaped and whilst she asked about torticollis and helmets, was told that her baby was fine physically and just needed more tummy time etc. His head also is still quite flat and I think it is just something which will be more common these days. I think you just have to look out for the severity of it. More severe cases the front of the opposite side protrudes a bit and apparently eyes become unlevel.
I think helmets seem to be for the really severe cases and looking at my son, it was really flat but have to admit its slowly improving and now the stiff neck is fixed, he'll even sleep with his head on that side. Although now he just rolls onto his side or tummy in the night as he's older so hopefully it will continue to improve.
Hope this helps
Karen