Baby Has to Wear Helmet

My own child does not wear one but an infant in my room at day care has one on. His parents painted it like their favorite football helmet and it looks real cute. It does not bother the baby at all in fact it has saved him on a few falls (he is learning to crawl and stand on his own right now.) He is just as happy as he was without the helmet. He doesn't even seem to notice it. ( He is at the day care from about 7am to 6 pm everyday)

My son wore one- the earlier the better. My suggestion is to work up to the amount of total time he has to wear it. I always gave my son a break. the best is when he is sleeping although that can be the hardest time. Make a big to-doo over how handsome he is and show himslf in the mirror. The helmut did work for my boy and I wish he would have started it at 4-6 mos instead of 11 months. The pediatrician kept thinking his head would round out & it didn't. His head is still kind of odd shaped-
Good Luck!!

My son had to wear a helmet starting at five months. It took a litle adjustment at first but going into it slowly was key. The worst part was the little sore spots that they can get as they are adjusting. We just applied a little Aquafor on the spots to reduced friction and help healing. The best part of the helmet was no briuses on his head from falling when he was learning to walk :). I think it was harder for us to get used to the helmet than it was for our little guy. Take it slow and he should be fine!

Hello there,

I have an 11 year old son who had to wear a helmet when he was about 1 year old. He did great and it did help the problem. He never had issues except the sweating but he didn't have to wear it very long.

H. H.

I personally think the helmets are a scam. The company that makes them is from Arizona. This is the only place I have ever lived where you see kids wearing these helmets. They told me my son was going to need one but we opted for physical therapy and waited to see if he would out grow his issues. His head was flat on one side and he would lean to the right all the time. He turned out perfectly fine after a few months, now his head is perfectly round. Do you ever see a teen age kid walking around with a flat head or a crooked neck? No! because they out grow it. It is a waste of money and puts kids through undue suffering.

Hi M.,
My son had to wear the DOC band for a few months and graduated just before his first birthday. I am thrilled that we did it!!!! I think personally it was the best thing for my child. He had a completely flat spot in the back and insurance paid for the whole thing because he qualified to be 2 standard deviations away from a normal head size.

The people at Cranial Technologies were wonderful and so supportive. I personally think that it is your decision and this company feels that way too. They do not push you into doing anything. I think the previous person was wrong with her comment that it is a scam, otherwise they would be pushing these parents into purchasing one for every child.

They will give you all the information and let you go and think about things so you can talk to your pediatrician about what he/she thinks. They did tell me, that even though Matthew (my son) was pretty severe, it would not hurt him in any way if we chose not to correct it, just that he would have problems with helmets or hats not fitting quite right.

It is a personal decision, please do not let anyone else influence your decision, it's your child and you know what is best. Good luck!

Are you referring to a helmet for re-shaping the head? My daughter wore won, beginning at about age 6 months. She didn't mind if for the most part. She would get pretty sweaty in it which was kind of smelly when you take it off. Baby powder helps with that. I think that was about the worst of it though. It did take her a while to get used to it while sleeping. She would get mad when she tried to turn over and it got in her way! Good luck to you and I hope your son has good results!

M., I am an OT and I have worked with many children who wear helmets and the first few days after they get the helmet are usually rough but after that it is a part of the child's life and as long as you are consistent about putting it on all the time there should not be continued fussiness after the first few days. It seems terrifying but it will work out. I have not worked with any babies who had a problem with the helmet after those initial first few days of adjusting. Give yourself a hug for doing the right thing for your baby.

My friend's 9mo has one and she seems unfazed by it. She is a very happy baby. The only problem I can see is that she realized that she can bonk her head on things and it doesn't hurt. I think the reactions from other kids are harder on mom than baby.

My son had surgery at 2 months old, and we opted not to use the helmet. (He turned out fine). I am a support parent for others going through this, and I know we have talked to some parents who have opted for the helmet after surgery. After a little adjustment - the babies do fine. If you make a big deal about it - so will your baby. Also - expect looks. Unfortunately it happens. Feel free to decorate the helmet. One family I know decorated it in Packers Style!

Good luck!!

the daycare i work at one of the little ones needed a helmet to correct her head, & it didnt even bother her one bit, she was still able to play, run & keep up with the other children.

Those are horror stories. I watched a wondefeul little boy that cried more before he had the helmet than while wearing it! The only part he cried at was while he was getting meassured for it the first time. It was VERY hard for his mom but they made it through it and now he had a beautful, round head. Your son will do great, plus you can decorate it any way you'd like!
Good Luck!
A.
www.romance2nite.com

My son wore a DOC band when he was young for plagiocephaly. If that is what you are asking, I will tell you that we had little to no issues with it. My son was 5 months old when he was fitted for his and he wore it 23 hours per day for a number of months. It took only a few days for him to get used to it and he was oblivious of it from that point after. I also know a number of other people who have had similar experiences. It really isn't all that bad. Make sure you get stickers and decorate it on a regular basis. I bought things like trains or bugs and put them all around it in a line. I changed them about every two weeks. Some of my favorite pictures of my son are of him in nothing but his doecorated DOC band. If you have any questions, feel free to email me. ____@____.com Take care. R.

PS, Regarding the person who said this is a scam, don't you believe it! I could not be happier with the results and I do know people who have flat heads as adults. We just do not always notice it under their hair. But other issues can occur including inner ear problems and TMJ. My son had both plagiocephaly and torticollis. We did spend time doing PT. The PT fixed the torticollis but not the plagio. I know someone who opted to not do a band and her little girl ended up having to have surgery because by the time she decided it was an issue (at 1 year) it was too late for the band and there were other issues due to the plagio.

Hello M.,

15 years ago, I had a son who "needed" a helmet. It was traumatic for him at times, but he got used to it and it seemed to help. Those who made it and worked with him and I were wonderfully caring people.

However, knowing what I know now, I believe that a few good chiropractic adjustments would probably have done the trick. You may want to consider that if there is perfect spinal alignment, the head, neck, shoulders, whole body will operate and move freely and correctly, thus allowing the head to mold and take on its proper shape. Just a thought.

Whatever you decide, God bless you both!

K.

Hi,
I work as a developmental specialist in an early intervention program working with kids 0-3yr. old with developmental delays/disabilities. Some of the kids I work with have had to wear a helmet for plagiocephaly (shifting of the skull plates). None of them have had any real problems, they adjusted well. Only one child had a rash from it by one ear because his meds. made his face puffy, so they had the helmet readjusted, then he did just fine. The helmet will need to be adjusted/remade as the child's head is reshaped to maintain proper fit. You can get them made with cute patterns (like winnie the pooh, vehicles, etc.) and colors (one family got their son's helmet in blue then they painted on the emblem of their favorite football team). All of the kiddos I've worked with have had great success with the helmet.

M.,
Married, work full-time, mom to 6 year old daughter.