Baby's Head worry

amberminder

Hi just looking for some advice really. I have a five week old and i've recently noticed his head had become quite flat on one side. He sleeps and turns to that side nearly all the time. It concerns me because I have year old daughter whos head also went very flat, a lot worse than this baby. Her head is still flat on one side but is not too noticeable. I have asked health visitors and doctors about what to do but they just seem to fob me off and give me no answers. I obviously cant stop the baby from lying down but why does this keep happening? They were both in the same moses basket but i changed the mattress. Is there anything i can do and will this correct itself as the experts keep telling me? They are both normal healthy children. Any advice or opinon would be really appreciated. Thanks.

Ted_Hutchinson

Advice on Flatheads

A GOOGLE search will bring up a list of advice sites including one which looks a bit like a mini straightjacket specially designed to prevent this happening (not sure I approve).

Petal_3

Hi there

My son was the same....very flat at the back. It still is...but now he has more hair it's less noticeable. I was always told not to worry about it.....so I didn't. It'll probably correct itself once he's able to move around/change position.

x

chaliepud

My eldest son has Plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome) can be caused in utero or by positioning, unfortunately I knew nothing about it too and was fobbed off by health visitors and paeds, yes, some children grow out of it but it is rare for it to resolve completely. My daughter was fine but when my youngest boy, now 5 months was born it was obvious he had the same problem so went straight to see a cranial osteopath at 6 weeks old, she diagnosed Plagio and torticollis which is a tight stema mastoid, the muscles in the side of the neck, this causes the child to prefer turning and sleeping one side only, increasing the Plagio, he has Osteopathy every other week and it is really improving, my other son, now age 6 is currently undergoing cranial osteopathy too but it will take longer as he is older, maybe 2 years

Feel free to PM me for more info, there are some good websites if you type Plagiocephaly or Torticollis into a search engine, but don't panic when you see the helmets that the US use, not necessary except possibly in very severe cases

HTH
H

chaliepud

Should have added you may be able to stop this by putting him to sleep on alternate sides, you can use a rolled up towel under the appropriate shoulder to help keep the position, also, encourage him to turn his head the "other" way by talking to him from that side. Make sure his car seat/cot etc are positioned so he has to face the unfavoured way to see the good stuff, eg you!

misty

Try not to worry too much. I read somewhere that there will be a generation of babies who (whilst babies) will have flat heads because of the Back is Best campaign to prevent cot death. It is in the majority of cases absolutely normal and nothing sinister. Babies heads are very soft which is why it is so noticeable but as they grow and start to move about in their beds more and lying in a way they favour it will right it self. My son's head was quite flat on one side as he turned his head this way in the night. However, as he had a lot of hair it wasn't that noticeable to others. Is your child still quite bald? as this would make it particualry noticeable. However, having said that if you really feel that it is something more than insist on a referral to a paediatrician. How much do you trust your doctor? I trust mine but if I felt like I was being fobbed off than I would take it further. You say your daughter had the same problem but his righted itself - i imagine it will be the same for your other child. Other people seemed to have covered the practical steps but here are some I found - as your child is only 5 weeks(bless) you could start these straight away.

"Since the introduction of the Back to Sleep campaign in 1992, where parents are encouraged to sleep their babies on their backs to help prevent cot death, the number of cases of plagiocephaly have risen in line with the 70 per cent reduction in the number of cot deaths.

However, whilst lying your baby on their backs to sleep really is a matter of life and death, experts recommend the 'tummy to play' approach so that pressure is taken off the flattened area, allowing time for the head to grow in the right places and help lessen the risk of plagiocephaly. This means laying your baby on his tummy while he is awake and playing.

Can it be prevented?
Positional plagiocephaly cannot be prevented completely but repositioning techniques can help to encourage the head to grow more symmetrically. Plagiocephaly UK recommend the following tips:

When asleep:

Always put baby to sleep on his back but alternate different ends of the cot to encourage him to look to a different side each night.
Move the light in the room as babies tend to follow the source of light.
Reposition your baby's head away from the flattened side once he has gone to sleep
When playing:

Encourage baby to play on his tummy to keep pressure off his head and also strengthen neck muscles When feeding:
Alternate the side you hold your baby when feeding him.
When travelling:

Reduce the time spent with his head on a firm flat surface such as car seats and buggies
Use front carriers rather than back
Is it dangerous?
Plagiocephaly is a cosmetic problem and there has been no research to say that it is at all dangerous. However, Plagiocephaly UK say that these children's futures could consist of playground taunts, lingering emotional distress into adulthood, or medical complaints such as headaches and eye, ear and jaw problems.

How is it treated?
Repositioning treatment can be very effective, up until a baby is about seven months old. The aims of repositioning are to encourage the baby to rest his head on the non-flattened areas, to avoid any systematic pressure that will continue to flatten it.

building

i came accross this lady at playgroup the other day. her son has similar thing and he wears a kind of helmet which is to get his head round again. I know it sounds strange. she said it was only available through private medical care. hope that helps.

small

My daughter has just had cranial surgery for a condition called carniosynotosis which is caused by sutures in the skull not growing correctly. The best website I found was https://www.cappskids.org - it is a US site for parents and I found quite a few UK families on there. It covers Plagio and Cranio. I got most comfort from reading the diaries/stories of other families.

BrokeBrokeBroke

My son also developed a 'flat head' on one side, but it corrected quite quickly by turning his cot (easier than making up on different side each night, just pick it up and twizz it around so they are sleeping facing a different way each night) Apparently babies will always settle to face the same thing, usually the door, so this does really help. Rolling up a thin blanket/sheet in his buggy to encourage lying on the other side of the head also works as does plenty of Tummy time!
Hope this helps!

chaliepud

BBB, that is true, but a child with Torticollis (short neck muscle, very common) cannot face a different way easily, my baby before treatment would face a blank wall rather than turn to his left. I think the it really depends on the conditions severity. I would be interested to hear the original posters reply to all this great info?

H

Baby_A

My daughter had the same problem, I used a head rest which comes with the bouncers you buy for babies. I put it in her bed at night and this made her sleep so she was facing the ceiling, and it did actually work.

Hope this helps!