Flat Head!

Put him on his tummy for as much time as possible. He is still really young so it may correct itself with tummy time. If not, my neice had a different issues, but she had to wear a helmet for a few months. I believe around a year old. It was hard at first for my SIL and neice but after a while, my neice became used to it. My SIL and MIL decorated it with stickers/etc and that helped a lot. But after wearing it for a few months, it corrected her problem.

I just saw this, sorry for the late response.

My son had torticollis which resulted in plagio and we opted for the helmet. It was the best thing we ever did. We went through cranial technologies. I think their website was www.cranialtech.com . There are also things like STARbands, and I'm sure since 2004, there's even more options.

PM me if you have any other questions. My son wore his from 5-8 months. It corrected his ears being assymetrical, his head basically looked like a wedge. It was really bad, and that was just at 5 months.

It does not always correct itself -- especially if the child has torticollis that contributes to it. If the child does not have a contributing condition, I would say that it could possibly correct itself - or not get any worse.

We were proactive with my son's, and I'd do the same thing over again if it happened. I'm not a fan of "watchful waiting" when my gut screams something else.

Luckily, my daughter did not have the tort and preferred sleeping differently, so we did not have to deal with it again.

Just remember, it's not your fault.

OK, my son had colic and I carried/wore him all day long, literally - he would not nap in a crib - but he still had severe positional head deformity (he was born with it, but sleep position just made it continue.) Had to respond to the person who said that, because unless you don't ever sleep yourself, you can't literally wear a child 24 hours a day. My son always favored one side when he slept at night.

Anyway, with my second son we bought an Amby sleep hammock. Loved it, loved it. Wonderful invention and it would be impossible to get a flat head sleeping in it. His head is perfectly rounded, but then he wasn't born with the starter flat spot, either.

The reason I'm responding, though, is that our pediatrician kept telling us not to worry about it until it was too late for any intervention. That was 7 years ago and it seems like things have changed, but if you aren't certain, don't go past 6 months without having a second opinion. Most medical centers and hospitals have a group that deals with these types of issues and they will have a much better idea of what is normal than a typical pediatrician who, in my experience, didn't really understand what to look for with the unusual type of deformity my son had (he doesn't have the classic flat spot on the back of the head, but a side flat spot that "twisted" his features a bit as his face developed - you would not really notice it now, thankfully.)

We had this too, along with torticollis. This is what I recommend: When sleeping, try putting him on his side. Prop him with rolled up bath towels like a wedge to keep him on one side or the other. Switch the side that he is lying on every night. If he is awake and lying on his back, put some memory foam under his head to keep the pressure off. Try to keep him off his back as much as possible when he is awake. That means, bumbo seat (they sell them at Target) exersaucer, johny jumper, and tummy time. The bouncy chair is not good because even though it is soft, it doesn't encourage the baby to change positions and there is still pressure on the head. Also, if you can slip a piece of memory foam in behind baby's head while in the car seat and use a rolled receiving blanket to turn the head to the side this will help. Good luck!

Find a provider that does Craniosacral technique in infants. Cranialsacral therapist or a chiropractor trained in the technique. This technique uses the pressure of the weight of a nickel, and is gentle, but effective.

They make wedges that have a foam thing for the babies head. You could also try laying him on his side to sleep. Lots and lots of tummy time too! Sounds like you're doing pretty much everything you can. Do you have a Boppy pillow? Those are wonderful for propping up little babies. You can just sit them in it and it will support them from all sides. I have a wedge with the foam pillow that we don't use anymore. Let me know if you're interested in it.

Try carrying him in a baby sling as you work around the house and also while he naps. I love the Ergo Baby carrier. I've only seen it available online.
I also put my daughter on her side when she sleeps. I alternate right and left sides and prop her there with rolled up blankets. Works great!
I wasn't able to use the Bumbo seat until 5 months since she would lean to the side and wasn't strong enough. Just don't use the Bumbo until he's strong enough to do it.

Hi Jennifer,
My son was six weeks old when his Dr. told us that he needed a CT scan to check for the same thing. Dr. said that his head was flat, but also said that he could not feel the suture lines on his scull. He thought they were fused together, which meant that if they were fused together he would need surgery to cut them apart. I slept him on his right side and that is where it was flat. Dr. told me to start sleeping him on his back and his left side. We slept him in different positions each night and the flat spot disappeared. CT scan showed that the suture lines were in fact there and no surgery was needed! My son is now 8 months old and no flat spots at all!!
I hope this helps you a bit! Good luck, everything will be OK!

We had the same problem with my son, unfortunately we had to use a DOC band. When you put him to sleep keep rotating him and his toys so he has to turn his head in the opposite direction.
Good luck!

Can you wear him (in a sling or baby carrier)instead of putting him in a swing or bouncer chair when you need you hands free? That way he would not be putting any weight on his head. If your doctor says that it is just mild, then maybe giving him lots of tummy time and wearing him could prevent it from getting any worse.
I wore my daughter all the time (mainly because she was really colicky, and that's the only way she would be even somewhat content). She didn't even get that little bald patch on the back of her head, because I swear the back of her head never even touched anything LOL
Just a thought :)

Don't worry! My daughter was the same and has turned out just fine. You could buy a bumbo to get him sitting more. They are fine at a young age; when he gets a little older just make sure you don't leave him unattended in it on a high surface. He will be able to sit up in it and it will get him off his head a little. You could also buy a carrier to get him up off his head. Occasionally he could sleep in that while you are working around the house. I have ergobaby.com - it is AWESOME! Much better than Bjorn - way easier on your back! That is my favorite baby thing. Hope this helps.

I second the suggestion for the sling. I would also avoid carrying the baby in a car seat. Some people take them into stores, plop them in the stroller, etc. It's not suprising that the baby ends up with a flat head.

They are happier, close to mom or dad, and do not get the flat head in a sling.

There are people who specialize in cranial massage. It is usually used to help children born with head shape problems at cause learning difficulties. I would try there first. I also know that they make special helmets to help reshape to head.

Do not let him lay arround during the day. Carry him or put him some position where his is not laying on his head. Get family to do the house work. Get people to help you help him.

I know it will all turn out ok. My mother taught special needs children. You are doing the most important thing in the world paying attention to your child's changes.

You're right on the money with tummy time - you can also try to make it even more fun for him by getting on the floor at his eye level and making faces at him (go for it - be silly!) or hold soft block toys with black/white patterns for him to look at and track with his eyes. As far as sleeping goes, not sure how effective this would be but you could use a sleep positioner that is also a wedge.

You can get special donut pillows for it. They shouldn't sleep on them, but any time he's on his back on the floor or in the car seat, you can put it behind his head and it will take the preasure off the same spot he's always laying on.
You can probably find them different places and made by different companies, but here's what Boppy makes:
http://shopboppy.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&c...
Also, make sure he gets plenty of tummy time (even if he doesn't like it). And get a chair for him to sit up in. My baby LOVED the Bumbo - it's a whole new perspective for a baby who spends most of his time lying there looking at the ceiling. Just don't put it on any raised surfaces, only on the floor.

My son had a bit of a flat spot on his head as well. We did not do anything except to be aware of time spent on his back (only during sleep times) and otherwise we made certain he was on his tummy or upright. He is 15 months now and it has pretty much gone away. Those little heads are growing and changing all the time.
Now, I won't tell you I wasn't OBSESSED with it though. HA. All I can suggest is that you should trust your instinct and keep in touch with your Dr. but from what I have learned from the internet and friends (and our personal experience) is that it usually fixes itself.

My son is now 3 and he too had a flat head. No matter how much tummy time he did the back of his head stayed flat. The doctor said I could put him in a helmet for 23 hours a day and perhaps it "might" help. When you would look at my son from the side he looked funny. You could see his chubby cheeks and a completely flat head in the back. I couldn't understand why because I did not allow him to lie on his head for prolonged periods of time. Anyways I decided against the helmet and to this day the back of his head is flat. He has hair and it is NOT even noticable. I never thought I would notice the shape of a head but my second son has a perfectly round shaped head.