10 Month Old with a Flat Head!

My friend's little boy had a super super flat head. His was on one side. Like a friggin' pancake. The doctor ordered a helmet for him and he only wore it once or twice. The boy didn't like it so the parent's didn't make him wear it anymore. He just had his 2nd birthday. His head is rounder but still noticibly lob-sided. Better, but not "normal." I would think an evaluation for a helmet would be beneficial considering how dramatic his condition seems to be. Good luck. :)

Two of my kids wore the helmet but theirs was severe like the way your son's sounds. I've had so many people tell me how they fixed the problem themselves but they don't realize that it wasn't a bad case if it resolved on it's own. I say go get a consultation, it can't hurt.

Hi, honestly I think you should check it out. Both my sons had a flat spot on their heads. They both wore helmets for about 4 months until it finally got too hot because it was summer. The helmets you get here in Seattle at the Children's Hospital are "passive" meaning that, frankly, they don't work very well. In retrospect I would have gone out of town to get the Star band (I think that is what it is called) because it is more effective. My sons are 3 1/2, one of the boys still has a noticeable flattening and his ears are misaligned. Luckily his hair covers it pretty well but I regret not being more proactive.

Both my kids had/have flat spots on their heads. One was from a tough birth. She then would not lay on a certain side, causing a flat spot on the back to one side and thus resulting in a protrusion on her forehead. The other had torticollis and would not turn his head so he got a flat spot in the back on one side. I took them both to pediatric cranial specialists. With my second, I noticed that his one ear was being pushed out and so his face/head was no longer symmetrical. I actually got two opinions from cranial specialists with him. He had to go to physical therapy and my pediatrician instructed me to have him sleep on his side (opposite the flat part.) He did this from 3 months until 7+ months. It was so stressful, and I worried about SIDS every time he slept. I also took my son to Cranial Technologies. They make the helmets (DOC bands.) They take pictures and do measurements, but they also are selling their product so you have to listed to what they say with that understanding. There are none in your area, unfortunately. But maybe they could help you find a place or have information about seeing them. Overall, both of my children improved. They definitely do not have round, perfect heads. They did not and will not ever go back to normal (this from all the doctors we saw.) My children's cases were not extreme, and I was probably the only one who saw what was going on and am probably the only one who still sees the misshapen parts. Very few insurances pay for these. The DOC bands are about $3000 a piece and in many children, they will need two. Since your child is 10 months old, the window for fixing it is quickly/quicker closing so I would see someone ASAP. We decided not to get the helmets. There was no danger, and it was all cosmetic. But again, we were mild cases. The repositioning of my son to sleep on his side also helped tremendously. It is a difficult decision so good luck. Let me know if you have any other questions...I have researched and agonized over it extensively.

It's a quandary, isn't it: get the helmet and have a 50 percent chance of improvement. Don't get the helmet and have a 50 percent chance of improvement.

We did not get the helmet for my son, and I kind of regret it. His head somewhat filled in. I'd say it's probably only flat to people like me who look at head shape everywhere I go now. It still bothers me, though, especially looking at his little brother's perfectly round noggin.

If you are upper income, then get the helmet (the band kind, if they have improved design, look more comfortable and promising than the helmet). If you are on a budget, like I A., shucks, I don't know what to tell you. I had my son evaluated by a specialist at Doernbecher's, and even SHE couldn't give me enough information to make a decision. Money finally won out. The head? Still flat, but not bad.

Hi A. J :-)

There is another thread on this forum about a child with a flat head, not sure how to do a search, but it may be helpful to see those responses as well.

I don't know much about these flat heads and helmets, it's all new to me, but I can say that my husband's back of head is VERY flat.. he is a brilliant businessman and has had a very successful life... I don't even notice the back of his head! Maybe they didn't have helmets when he was young? Not sure, but I do know it has never affected him in any way.'

hugs,
A. R.N., Energy Medicine Practitioner

Not sure if this is helpful, but my brother (40 years old now) was adopted from a foster home at around 6 months of age. He was in a crowded home and the foster mom admitted that he stayed in the crib most of the time laying down (grrr-- okay, that was a long time ago). His head was very, very flat! However, it grew just fine and grew in naturally after that.

Best of luck to you and your family!

My kids never had flat heads because when they were little the things was to not place them on their backs, but to place them on their sides and rotate from side to side. However, I've heard this story about my dad. My grandmother had difficultly with his birth so his skull was actually caved in. They doctor's were no help. My grandmother gently massaged his head regularly and his skull was eventually corrected. My thoughts are it sure wouldn't hurt anything to rub your baby's head.

Take him to a person who is certified in Cranial Sacral work. That will round out his head in a few sessions.

Please get an evaluation! My son had the same thing. He is 4 1/2 now and is still flat. We were told it would round out, by 2 we realized it would not and started alternative therapies. I regret not being more aggressive when he was a baby.

I am an elementary school teacher and have seen A TON of crooked heads! I agree with Alice, don't put your babies back to sleep!

I would take her to Dr. Shiela Murphy. She only deals with babies & does cranio-sacral. She's amazing & I can;t recommend her enough. If you'd like her contact info, please jusrt email me here.

My first child had the flattest head ever when she was about 9 months old. She hated tummy time and didn't crawl til she was 10 months old, so it stayed flat for quite a while. I was sure she would need a helmet, but it all filled in totally normal without anything special. It took a long time (I think til about age 2), but now she's 7 and has the roundest head ever! She had no delays or anything like that. I know this is just one story, but that's how it tuned out for us. Good luck!

Hi A.J.:
This is a real toughie. I know you want to hear from parents who did not get helmets, but here's my story. My 1 year old was born with severe torticollis (tight neck muscles) and that, combined with always sleeping on her back, gave her severe plagiocephaly -- so much so that her right eye started to look smaller and her face was slightly asymmetrical. Her physical therapist and pediatrician urged us to get a helmet, but the plastic surgeon we took her to and tons of other resources swear up and down that there is really no good scientific evidence to show that a helmet does anything that the head wouldn't normally do on its own.
We ended up getting Katie the helmet because we figured it was worth the lack of parental guilt in the future. If she looks asymmetrical at 12 at least we knew we did everything we could, we told ourselves. Insurance refused to pay any of the $2000 bill, which was a real shock to our wallets, and to be quite honest, her head still is not close to perfectly spherical. Knowing how unscientific the whole thing is, how costly it is, how stressful it can be to deal with the stares and questions from other parents (not that that's a good reason at all), and really how the results came out, I probably would not do it again, but that's much easier for me to say since I'm on the other side. It takes a lot of soul searching, but I'm sure you'll make the right decision for your little One. Good luck, and feel free to post back if you'd like any more thoughts from me!

No first hand experience, but we know a little boy who has a pretty flat head after much time laying on his back for medical reasons. He didn't have a helmet and is almost 4 with a pretty flat head still. I don't know that a helmet would have solved it, but his head didn't round out in a "normal" way over the past 3 years. He's still a cute little kid and his hair masks it a bit now.