Some research has found no advantage to using a helmet, while other studies show that using a molding helmet as early as four months helps change head shape faster.īabies wear the helmet for 23.5 hours each day for several months. What we do know is that molding helmets make parents feel better.” Do molding helmets make a difference? “A molding helmet may have some advantage in altering head shape in babies. “If your baby has severe plagiocephaly, your primary care doctor may also consider referral to a neurosurgeon to be sure the skull bones are formed and growing normally.” “If this is the case, your doctor may refer you to a physiotherapist for stretching exercises,” says Dr. Your doctor may find that your baby’s plagiocephaly is related to torticollis, where one of the muscles in a baby’s neck is tight and prevents them from turning their head fully. Parents who are still concerned about the shape of their baby’s head have a couple of options. “You can also encourage your baby to look to their least favourite side using toys during playtime or by switching the direction they are lying in their crib each night, though babies should still be put to sleep on their backs to decrease the risk of SIDS.” “The first step is to change your baby’s position often, and to include lots of tummy time in their daily routine - it’s a great way to take pressure off the head and to encourage your baby to develop their head control,” says Dr. However, parents can affect this process. With normal cases of positional plagiocephaly, the condition spontaneously improves after the baby reaches six months of age, when they spend less time on their back and have developed greater neck strength. Forrest, and in these instances, a diagnosis can be made soon after birth. In most cases, the chances of a flat head being indicative of other more serious health issues are rare, says Dr. See your child’s doctor to rule out other medical issues. “In particular you can see the forehead protruding on the same side of the head as the flattened part.” What to do if you’re concerned about flat-head syndrome “Instead of the head having a round shape, there is a flattened area on one side of the head near the back.” If you’re looking down on your baby’s head from above facing away from you, and imagine it like a clock, you may notice the rest of the head changes shape either at around four to five or seven to eight o’clock. “This is because the bones in an infant’s head are soft and can change shape with pressure,” she says. Clare Hutchinson, a pediatrician at Toronto’s North York General Hospital. Positional plagiocephaly can develop when a baby spends a lot of time lying on their back or prefers to look to one side, says Dr. Christopher Forrest, head of plastic and reconstructive surgery at SickKids Hospital in Toronto, because of “the Back to Sleep movement, in which babies are put to sleep on their backs to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), it’s as common as one in five or one in six babies.”įor parents who notice their newborn baby’s head is flat on one side, “it creates huge anxiety, especially for new parents,” says Dr. Positional plagiocephaly (or flat head syndrome), used to be infrequent and only occur because of certain conditions in the womb.
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