Plagiocephaly (Flat Head) and Helmets

Updated on August 21, 2008
K.H. asks from Naples, FL
6 answers

After our last Dr. appt. the Pediatrician suggested that my 4 month old see a specialist for his flat head (mostly on one side). He may need to wear a helmut to help with head shape. We have an appt. with the specialist next week. Has been mishapened from 2 months (maybe even from birth).

Have any mother's gone through this with their baby? Any particular questions I should be asking the specialist? Did anyone choose not get the helmut and did your baby's head just reshape naturally? Thanks for any insights you can supply.

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So What Happened?

Thank you to everyone who responded and shared your experience. We just had our appt. yesterday. They said he's right in the middle - not severe but we need to keep an eye on it.(he's 4 months) Also recommended physical therapy and positional changes so we'll do that for the next couple months and see if he improves. If not, they may recommend the helmet. Thanks again for your support!

More Answers

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K.L.

answers from Tampa on

Hi K.. I have a 3 month old and am going through the same thing. We have an appointment tomorrow at St. Joes with a Dr. Ricalde. My son has always leaned his head to the left. No matter what we do that has been his preference since birth. His head is flat on that side and is mishapened. Definitely rounder on the right. I brought it up to our ped at his 2 month visit and now at 3 months she's finally concerned. I have looked for anything I could find about this. The helmets seem to help the kids I've looked at on the internet. They seem to wear them anywhere from 3 to 9 months in length. We've done alot more tummy time and keeping him off his head and it's helped with his movement. Sorry no real advice for you, just know how you feel. I'll let you know what they have to say tomorrow.

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C.G.

answers from Tampa on

My son (now 2 yr. old) had both plagiocephaly and torticollis (tight muscles in neck causing head to tilt). He was in PT fot the tort and we saw a specialist for the head. Unfortunately, our pedi. didn't think the head was bad enough to seek a specialist early on. And by the time we saw the craniofacial specialist (at almost age 1) they said that a helmet probably would do any good. His head did resolve, pretty much, on its own. It's still a little wide over his ears, especially over his right ear. In retrospect, I wish we would have seen the specialist sooner and had him put in a helmet. I would recommend you go. Depending on how severe the plagio is it can cause other problems down the line, especially vision problems, too. Helmets are tricky though because they are expensive and most insurances don't cover them. I have heard many stories of people fighting the ins. co and winning. Good luck with everything and please feel free to email me with any other questions.

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A.G.

answers from Tampa on

Glad to hear your pediatrician made the recommendation and didn't wait any longer. It's certainly best to get this situation addressed as soon as possible, while bone is still relatively soft.

A company in Arizona, called Cranial Technolgies has what I understand to be the only FDA approved device for correcting plagiocephaly. Their website has a lot of info that can help you prepare for the appointment. If I were in your shoes, I would do as much research on plagiocephaly as possible before seeing the specialist:

http://www.cranialtech.com/index.html

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H.T.

answers from Naples on

My little girl had that problem. She insisted on sleeping with her head to one side. I would prop her head with a rolled up towel under the sheet to turn her head to the other side. Then when she started spending more time sitting it started to go away. It is still there slightly but now that she is moving more, it is going away. She had positional plagiocephaly. There are other reasons for the head flattening that you can look into, but if you suspect that it is because of the way she lays, then try to correct it the best you can and eventually it will fade. Good luck!

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A.G.

answers from Punta Gorda on

I know someone who went through this. The mother was very worried about her daughter being made fun of as she got older. She was also very worried about her beung stared at as a baby. She wore the helmet for almost 2 years. She did not have to wear it all the time. They would schedule outings during the time she did not have to wear the helmet. They have a little more money than the average person, and had a nanny who came to there house during the day, and she did not have to go to day care either. I think that you have to do your research and trust your own judgement. Don't be affraid to do what is best for your child because of what others might think or say.

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M.C.

answers from Sarasota on

Hi,
Our son was also diagnosed with Plagiocephaly at around 3 months and it was pretty bad but the doctor didn't refer us to a specialist and said it would eventually get better. It was really bad so we just tried to keep him off the flat part whenever he was awake. We let it be and he is just fine. That being said, if you look you would still see that his head is a bit flat but that is what hair is for! We also have a friend who did the helmet and she says it was the best thing to do. Her son's head is perfect! I am not sure if this helped or not but we just felt it was better to have a little bit of a flat head than make him suffer with a helmet for months. We are happy with our decision but you need to do what makes you feel most comfortable.

Best of luck.

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