Poor Itty Bitty has a big problem: His head has started to flatten on the back. And as handsome as I think he is, the flat spot is kinda unattractive.
See for yourself…
Kinda gross right? (Cue the Debbie Downer sad trombone..waah, waah, waah waahhhh.)
Plagiocephaly, otherwise known as Flat Head Syndrome, is extremely common, especially since parents are now advised to place their babies on their backs to sleep. In fact, nearly half the babies in the U.S. suffer from a case of Flat Head Syndrome.
To be honest, despite those odds, I’m rather shocked that Itty Bitty has a flat spot. Aside from sleeping, my tiny baby rarely rests on his head. I’m ALWAYS carrying him.
But, I suppose if you add up all hours that he sleeps during the night, in addition to his mini naps throughout the day, I guess it does add up to a substantial amount of time where he inadvertently rests on the back of his head.
So Hubby and I have decided that we are going to actively start fighting against Flat Head Syndrome. No were not going to start some charity, or create a creepy scholarship in his name. We’re just going to start paying more attention to how he rests and goes about his day.
I’ll let you know how everything goes-wish us luck!
Do you have any tips on how to prevent or fix a baby’s flat head?
Go to cranial technologies and get a doc band. We got one for our son and he only had to wear it for 2.5 months. Amazing difference. Totally painless. Despite looking like a tiny football player or gladiator he wore it 23 hours a day.
http://www.cranialtech.com
or try this Korean flat head baby pillow
http://www.thekoreanbaby.com/item.php?item_id=319&category_id=66
Hi Mary,
This is common and will reform normally but you will need to get him off his back or he will need a helmet like the one mentioned by Marc in the post above. My chiropractor recommended I bolster Riley and Sophia with rolled up blanks to get them to sleep on their sides. I did it from day one and alternated each night (Sun -L, Mon-R, etc). One night / week I would have them sleep on their bellies. The science behind baby sleeping on back to avoid SIDS is weak and has, recently, been questioned by some in the field of pediatrics. Oh, the joys of parenting. 🙂
My oldest had plagiocephaly and had to wear a helmet. She had breathing problems and couldn't lay on her stomach until she could roll over on her own. The helmet worked within 3 months and where we went, the people were wonderful.
My Chloe started to wear a helmet at 8 months. I was devastated, because I like you was very conscious of how she spent time on her back. But she was a wonderful sleeper, and all of that time on her back, made it difficult to correct the flat spot. The helmet worked within four months and she was happy as a clam while in it. It got sweaty at times, but she honestly didn't mind. It was more me who cared. Her head is definitely flatter than her little brothers, but only I can tell. As they say, back is best. And I prefer that than the other dangers. Best of luck, and reach out to me if you have any questions! 🙂
Good luck! Sounds like you had a good plan in place – fingers crossed that all goes well! (P.S. Plus it's an extra excuse to wear the baby in the carrier … I miss those days!)
Mary: been there and done this too! You will conquer it and your cute baby will not have a flat head. Just be strict with your terrific regime and you will do it. I'm so happy you wrote this post – new Moms will love your advice and also see they are not alone!
Just wondering how things are going with your son's flat head? My son will be 4 months on Monday and he has a flat head. We're also trying to be proactive so as to avoid a helmet and doctors have told me it'll round out on its own, but I'm skeptical… Have you seen improvement?
It is still a bit flat – the Tortle didn't really stay on his head that well, so we have just tried to keep his head off of hard surfaces as much as possible. I did end up taking him to a special place that does baby helmets, and the person there said that it wasn't flat enough to warrant one, and to give it time. Good luck!!