is it bad for a newborn to lie with their head on one side most of the time?
OK, maybe this is a dumb question, but I'm worried:
Our baby girl sleeps with her head to one side, so that she can see me in bed, I guess. She's 11 days old.
Her cot is by my side of the bed. It's an arms-reach co-sleeper cot and it's great so far - she's right by me but not in our bed, where she wouldn't fit and might get squashed or something. So she seems to mostly end up going to sleep looking in my direction and she stays that way. I guess she can't move her head enough to turn it to the other side yet, and she doesn't seem to stay balanced looking straight up - her head just goes to the side.
Is it normal, for a baby to sleep with their head on one side so they are looking over their shoulder? Will it harm her to sleep that way until she has the muscle strength to move her head about and support it more? How long until they can hold up their heads anyway?
It's worrying me because I know that I'd be uncomfy sleeping like that all the time. I'd get a sore neck. Maybe it's different for babies?
Its common for new borns to favour one side over another and there head will naturally roll that way - but as their neck gets stronger they will start to turn both ways.
Tenar, DS has been doing the same. He's 4 weeks today and favouring his right side. Even when I put him down and have his head facing left, he will end up facing right a few minutes later. Doesn't matter where he is, in his cot, carseat, bouncer. Wish I could help, but it seems we have the same problem here. I'll be asking my Dr at our 6wk check up, but will also mention it to the MCHN next week as well.
Sounds pretty normal to me. BUT If they continue to favor one side as their neck gets stronger you will need to have them assessed for a torticollis (see your gp/physio). Essentially it's when one set of muscles on their neck is stronger/shorter than the other. My DD did this and we had to do a few little exercises, put toys on the non-favored side, and that fixed it. Doesn't become more noticeable until their necks are stronger tho!
if you think she is doing it to look at you, put her in the cot with her head at the other end, so that she has to lie on that side.
Its worth getting it looked at by chiro/physio/osteo for torticollis as MD has mentioned.
Rayray - oh yes - Osteopath! In fact we took DD to osteopath to get her reflux sorted out around that time and I think it might have been the osteo that fixed it in the end. I had forgotten...! LOL
Its really worth getting checked out as torticollis can lead on to plagiocephaly, adnt here are lots of htings you can do to treat it especially so early.
DD's neck was flexed at birth (resulted in needing an emergency CS) and she always favoured her left side straight after she was born.
She even look like a banana, lying there! Her head would be on the left, neck curved to the left, torso straight and then hips curving to the left too.
We saw a osteopath and had a number of sessions (5 or 6, all up, I think - 4 in two weeks to begin with) to help with her torticollis, and we noticed a good difference in one session, and by the end of the 2nd week, we noticed a BIG difference. Much more relaxed in her body, and could start turning her head to the right. The osteo said she had it pretty bad to begin with - very tense and contorted in her body. We started her treatment with the osteo when she was about 4-5 weeks old. Although the younger the better, my osteo told me.
I encouraged her to then strengthen the muscles on the right side of her neck by holding her on my other side so she could look out at the world with her head on the right (both cradling her and holding her upright), and as someone said, toys on her right side, and also a little dangly music box we had attached to the side of her crib. Anything to encourage her to start turning and using the muscles on the other side.
It took a while, but she started using both sides equally. She has a slight flat spot still, but that's difficult to get rid of completely until she's rolling/moving on her own as she now loves to suck her left thumb when sleeping - so her head is still on the left!
Tummy time is really good too, and putting toys whilst she was on her tummy on right side. Also helps with flat spots.
I guess I'll ask the nurse about it at our two-week appointment next week. In the meantime, will try to sleep DD in the pram bassinet sometimes (something I've been wanting to do anwyay, to get her used to the pram in stages), and place her so her head goes the other way.
Ive noticed my DS favours one side alot too...seems like its pretty common tho! We have our 6 week check tomorrow so I will mention it to the doctor! He will move his he to both sides during tummy time, but it seems a struggle to go to his "off" side, and that flat spot he has developed looking shocking lol poor little thing!
So sorry I have no advice other than what the other girls have said about mentioning it to your Dr/nurse next visit...maybe try putting a noisy toy on the off side too...
Definitely worth checking out with chiro/osteo etc as our DD1 could not rotate her head to the L - and had quite a flat spot on her skull - several adjustments by the chiro fixed it up but it took some time for her skull to round out again. Good luck.
My DD did the same. I was worried and mentioned it the mchn and basically she said asked if she could move the head the other way and mine could with no problems it was more she just didn't want to. This went on for weeks and then stopped and now I think she favours the other side
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is it bad for a newborn to lie with their head on one side most of the time?
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