Back to Bed Causes Need for Helmets for Infants

If she isn't rolling over yet, you can place a rolled up blanket under her back on one side to tilt her a little. You can switch sides each time you lay her down. I was always told that this will help keep the baby from sleeping on the same spot all the time.

Many babies heads get a little flat from laying on their backs. Once they start rolling over and sitting up- at about 5 months- the head will go back to a normal shape.

I've had several friends that have had to put helmets on their kids. They even painted designs on them and made it fun. One of my friends kids needed a helmet and they opted not to do it and he is now 6 and his head still looks kind of funny. I don't know what you can do to prevent it. I guess you could look on-line at stores like One Step Ahead and see if they have any head positioners that prevent flat spots. I really wouldn't worry too much about the helmet. It would just be a temporary annoyance.

It could be that there is another issue that is causing the flat spot on her head. My son had a condition called torticollis where the muscles in his neck were tight which caused him to hold his head in a certain position all of the time. That, in turn caused the flat spot on the back of his head. My advice would be to go ahead and get the helmet if your pediatrician recomends it because it makes all the difference in the world! What would be worse, her wearing a helmet for a few months or having a flat head her whole life??

edited to add..
Oh my God...after reading some of these replies...I have to say GOOGLE people...it can be your friend...check the Amercian Academy of Pediatrics for one...I'm not saying that one size fits all parenting is the way to go...I certainly do things differently that I was raised...but the research is there if you are willing to educate your self on it...read a book..talk to a doctor...babies will sleep the way the get used to sleeping, of course if you let them sleep on their tummies they won't sleep any other way...helmets and my lack of sleep is not going to make me take the chance that my child could die of SIDS...and it has nothing to do with the parents not checking on the child enough

Wow...not meaning to bash...but as a mom of a daughter with a mild handicap and one that was followed by a neurosurgeon for the first year of her life for craniocephalpy I find your comment about not wanting your daughter to hear a helmet and look handicapped very offensive. There are worse things in the world than having to wear a helmet. We were sent to a neurosurgeon when my daughter was 2 months old as both of her soft spots appeared to be closed and her head was taking on mishapen look. We had to see them every month for the first year of her life and thankfully the bones of her skull were not fused together so with changing her position and limiting the time that she spent on her back we were able to avoid the helmet. Even her neurosurgeon didn't discredit her need to sleep on her back, they had me wait to put her on her stomach until she was able to roll over on her own. I would have gladly put her in a helmet if she had needed it and not given it a 2nd thought. I also stand by putting babies on there back to sleep, do some research the info is out there..SIDS deaths are down due to this.

My daughter also had a flat spot. It was caused by a traumatic birth, not the back to sleep campaign. With some physical therapy we were able to avoid a helmet by working with her. Even if she did have to wear a helmet we would love her the same though. Count your blessings if this is the only thing wrong as it could be worse. Good luck!

A.,
We had the same situation with our daughter. She was always a good sleeper and slept on her back, like they tell you to do. Her head was really flat. We continued to do the same thing that you are doing. She will be a year old next week and her head has rounded out nicely. I have another friend who had the same experience with her little boy and he now has a very round head! I have a feeling that things will work out naturally!

A.,
Let your son sleep on his tummy sometimes! Doctors don't really know what causes SIDS. Sometimes its sleep apnea, and their little lungs just don't start up again. 40 years ago, my mother-in-law lost a son to SIDS. It didn't have anything to do with how he was sleeping... Sleeping on the stomach is a natural thing. It helps your child develop his neck, back and stomach muscles. Think about it. If you have to go to the store and buy something in order for your baby to sleep 'properly' then reconsider. If you have to put something on a baby's head to correct a deformity caused by sleeping the 'right' way, maybe it's not the best thing. A child's head is still soft because the bones have not knitted together. Constant pressure on one point on the back of the skull will cause it to conform to whatever is putting pressure on it. Do you sleep in one spot all night long? Would it be comfortable to even try? You have to do what's best for your baby. Only you can determine what that is. But, please take time to consider ALL the angles of this subject. My son slept on his back AND tummy, he's three, he's healthy, and his head is not mishapen. Good luck on whatever you decide!
L.

Thank you, Laura, for your response. I agree with you.

I received the phone call that my niece's beautiful almost 8 week old daughter had died from SIDS, so I'm talking from experience. No child could have been more loved on, cared for or watched over. SIDS isn't scary - it's buying a tiny casket. SIDS is taking the birthday balloons to the cemetery. Parents of SIDS babies feel enough guilt on their own. Please don't add to their burden with ignorant comments.

When I was growing up it was acceptable that most everyone smoked cigarettes and no cars had seat belts. Today, do we still have people die of lung cancer and in auto accidents? Of course, but look at the percentage being saved. Thankfully we evolve and learn.

There is a wealth of information available - research, read.

I agree with many of the post about letting your baby sleep how she wants to. My daughter had a flat spot on the side of her head, but it rounded out on it's own around 9 months. We side slept her, with a wedge. Also, when your daughter is old enough to roll over, you really won't be able to control how she sleeps. My daughter loves to sleep on her tummy and has been doing that since she was about 6 months old. Don't stress too much, just give her lots of tummy time and rotate how she sleeps when possible.

Hi A.,
You really do have one extreme to the other on some of your responses here. I have done a lot of research on SIDS and what I have found is it is highly linked to the mattress chemicals and to vaccines. Buying an organic cotten mattress could help put your mind at ease. You always have a choice on the vaccines too. At around 4 months, your little angel will be rolling all over the place so you wont be able to control it. I would look into it, change things if needed and put her on her belly. Best of luck!

Their skulls are soft and made up of many bones when they're new. Because of SIDS, please continue to have her sleep on her back. And don't have her lying on her back when she's awake. Any extra time putting her skull up against a flat surface... So upright! Or tummy time...

If she does end up with the helmet, she won't be the only child with that. It happens. I completely understand your hope that it doesn't come to that -- I'd feel the same way. But it's not permanent and it will result in a pretty-shaped head later so just "roll with the punches", so to speak. Celebrate that you have a child who's worst problem is the flat head thing! When you look around and see mothers who's children have much more difficult situations, you appreciate how blessed you and your child are!

I just remembered: I got a memory-foam thing to put under my daughter's head when she was tiny. I think from One Step Ahead. Also, because she was a frequent spitter-upper, I got her ped's okay to put her on her side. Alternated sides to keep the head pretty. Still, if choking isn't a concern, I read SO MUCH that the back is safer than tummy or side so, if I were you, I stay with the back and look for one of those memory foam things. Good luck!

Hi A.,
It is common if a baby sleeps in one position withh develop a flap spot. You can try to make her sleep in a different position to help to shape her head. get a positioner. They sell them at any baby store and put her to sleep on eher side for a while and then turn to the other side. Then to the back again and so forth. babies head are very soft at this point and they can be molded with this tecnic. Try this first and see if it helps.That happened to my first son and doing this and a regular basis helped a lot. The helmet could be a choice if the flat spot doesnt get better over time and if it is hindering development in any way. And even then usually this is temporary.

Try the positioner first and see how it work.

I hope this helps!

A.

All of this talk of a flat head can be PREVENTED while abiding by the AAP recommendations for Back to Sleep. Back to Sleep is only half of the campaign, Tummy to play is the other half. The Back to Sleep campaign has reduced SIDS by 50%. For those that say we all slept on our stomachs and survived, how do you think those parents feel whose children died of SIDS during those years? Same thing goes for car seats, of course we survived, if we hadn't we would be here to talk about it. As for the flat head "epidemic" we need to give our children the opportunity to spend time on their tummy. Tummy time completely prevents this problem. Infants that don't care for tummy time have not been conditioned. It starts at birth and continues everyday. You can check out guidelines for beginning tummy time at www.tummy2play.blogspot.com Good Luck.

Yes, your daughter should be sleeping on her back till she is able to roll over completely on her own. And I've never heard of a baby wearing a helmet because of the flat spot on the back of their head!!! The dumbest thing I've heard in a long time in fact!!! The flat spot will go away on it's own over time as the baby gets more active and is able to roll around and sit up. And so what if your baby 'looked' handicapped? Wouldn't you love her just the same?

You need to get over your vanity issue and do what is best for your child. Sometimes the kids who wear helmets don't really even need to wear them very long to correct the flat spot. A friend of mines child only had to wear his while sleeping. You can try postioning her head differently when she is sleeping. It worked fine for my son. Think about it like this....don't you want your child to be safe? If there was something you could do to prevent SIDS wouldn't you do it? Or are you so concerned with your child "looking handicapped" that you would risk the chance of SIDS? I tell you what, I'm sure any mother would rather see their child in a helmet, if need be, than dead.

For the record, my child is handicapped. She has a back brace for her scoliosis, feet braces, and she uses a wheelchair. Do you think I give a damn what other people think about how she looks wearing all that stuff? No I don't. I'm just happy she is alive. Your comment was very offensive.

Our first ped told us with our first son, to switch the position we put him in his crib each week. That way the pressure wouldn't always be on the same side because his head always turned toward the door, no matter which direction we laid him. We also did that with our second and neither had the flat spot problem.

Your child is not Handicapped for wearing a helmet to get a rounder head. My cousin wore one and he did very well with it. I have seen a few since then and thoes kids never looked handicapped at all. Get over it

This happened to my friend also. She started laying her baby on his stomach for naps but kept laying him on his back at night and his head started to even back out in about a month.

My pediatrician told us the same thing about my son. No matter how we positioned his body during sleep, he would always figure out a way to get his head turned to the same position. (I guess it was comfortable for him.) My doctor said we should wait to evaluate until he was six months old. He is now one year old, and he never had to wear a helmet. (He had reflux, so he hated tummy time. The bumbo was what saved us.) Back sleeping has reduced SIDS deaths by something like 65-70%, and I think that is way more important than the primarily cosmetic issues it might cause. (I know, sometimes there are physical/medical issues due to deformity, but that is pretty rare I have been told.) And, who cares what people who would judge a tiny baby based on the fact that she is a little different think? Just focus on taking care of your little one's needs. Teach her to appreciate other's differences and not make assumptions based on outward appearances, and we will be working toward a world that is a kinder, gentler place one person at a time.

I slept my son on his side when he was swaddled and on his belly afterwards. I see both sides of this argument. Why chance Sids? But I did a bit of reading about the fact that belly sleeping helped them strengthen their necks so they could react to whatever need be. Daytime belly time wasn't enough.
I also find it very scary that sleeping a baby on their back is flattening heads in great proportions, not because of shallow reasons but for body/brain development.Sids might have lowered in numbers but it seems that other problems for kids are through the roof these days.
There is never a 100% answer to anything. You need to do what you feel is right.

I have seen the children who have to wear the helmets. They definitely aren't a pretty sight, but a far (FAR!) cry more appealing than the idea that you could have prevented your child from dying of SIDS and not done it. I really don't want to sound preachy, but SIDS is something we SHOULD be afraid of and if studies say that sleeping on the back is the #1 way to prevent it, then that's what needs to be done. Don't worry about what other people might think of your baby's appearance - just keep her happy and healthy.

Let your child sleep how she is comfortable. All three of my children slept on their tummies. They are 6,5, and 1 1/2.
You have to be willing to do this and not be afraid of sids.
Good Luck

I am a mom of 3. When our littlest one had a flat spot to try when she is sleeping the roll her head to either side to remove the constant sleeping on the back of the head. This should help with the flat spot. You could alternate the head position so flat spots do not develope anywhere else. (Mon, Wed, Fri. and Sunday on one side and Tues., Thurs. and Sat. on the ohterside.) That workered for our little one.

I see that you have started quite the controversy over this topic. I believe that it is all about the wording. I honestly think that you did not mean any harm in your comment, but then again I try to give all the benefit of the doubt, however wording is harsh and frankly thoughtless. I am a nurse and can tell you that SIDS campaign has saved many children. I do know that there are many other risk factors and a big one is smoking in your house. I always preach against this. Also I believe it is true as many have mentioned the chemicals and using used mattresses. You sound a little naive about many topics and should try looking online for the APA recommendations. (American Pediatric Association) I am glad that God has blessed you with the daughter that you have always wanted and that she is healthy. You are more lucky than you know. I have not lost a child to SIDS but do see many brought into the er where I work and it is absolutely heart breaking to see the parents and how they feel blame. If you need a helmet then get one, if you need a second opinion then get one, but remember that if you let something like this stop you from placing your baby in a position that could prevent her from losing her life even if it is just a small statistic remember that you will never get her back.
That being said I think you should not let the comments that you have recieved stop you from using this website. Maybe apologize and live and learn. I really enjoy talking with other mothers and find this to be stress reducing. Best of luck. L.

A., my son sort of got a flattened head. Go to babies r us and they have this headrest thing you can buy that has the center cut out to keep the baby's head round, I bought two one for the carseat and one for when he slept. they are about $20 but so worth it!!!!! My baby's head rounded nicely! At babies r us this headrest is over but the carseats--just ask a salesperson. They go quickly so call first or order online. Good luck!!!! No need for a helmet!
Johna

A.,
I also had this issue with my little girl. She had a flat spot because she didn't move alot in her sleep, plus she liked her swing and bouncy seat (where she would have her head laying against a flat surface) and all of that contribited to her flat spot. According to my pediatrician, he wanted to keep an eye on it until she was a year old, and then we would look into a helmet.
My advice, keep checking on her at night and if necessary move her head, also watch how she is sitting in her jumper and other toys. If her head is laying against the back of the seat you may want to start giving her more tummy time play.
I understand exactly how worried you are about this (I was too) but try not to fret over it too bad.
Oh, and to let you know, my little girl is now 5 and never needed a helmet :) She is perfectly normal and about to graduate Kindergarten.

I wish you all the best :)

WOW, A....
This is definitely the most ignorant and insensitive request that I have ever read! I'm sure you've managed to offend many parents with your comment about not wanting your "angel" to "look like she's handicapped or something."

While the death rate for SIDS has declined dramatically in the past 10 years, according to the American SIDS Institute, 2,500 babies still die annually in the United States due to SIDS.

So, while you're so concerned about how your daughter might look wearing a helmet for a short time, I imagine that she would look much worse in a coffin to you...something to think about...perhaps you can get over your vanity!!!

Never had the problem with a flat head, but then I put my kidos on their side not their back. They weren't comfortable on their back. Then eventually I put them on their stomachs where they really slept well. I'll be having my 5th child and will continue to do the same thing.

Hi A.,
I have heard of this before. The doctor told me the same thing. Our doctor said to rotate arms when holding him. Sometimes hold him on the left side and other times on the right. This totally worked for our son and they never mentioned his head not being round again. I understand your concerns.
Good luck and try not to worry about it.
C.

Hey A.,

Im not trying to bash doctor's but sometimes they don't know what they are talking about. When I was a baby it was safe to put babies on their tummies to sleep and now it's not. I think the whole sids thing, is simply people not watching their babies, or checking on them as often. My baby is gonna be 11 months soon, and at the age of one month the only way she would sleep was on her tummy. We had her in our room sleeping in her bassanette, so we were watching her, and she was fine. Keep blankets and stuffed animals out of her sleeping area, keep an eye on her and let the baby sleep. Good Luck and go with your motherly insticts, doctor's aren't always right.

I always put my daughter on her side and had her back propped up against her with pillows and a railing on the side of the bed.
However, I am a single mom and she always slept with me, so i could make sure she didn't move around much. I know doctors discourage co-sleeping strongly but i was always very worried about SIDS.

My daughter had a lot of reflux so i thought if she slept on her back she could get choked on her regurgitation. (it does happen). But her peds insisted she sleep on her back.

As as mom, I think you have to do what feels instinctively best.

Maybe if you have a guest room with a double bed, try sleeping in there a little while and position her to sleep on her side while you sleep close by.

Hope this helps a little.

L.

Go to Babies R Us - near the car seats & strollers - and look for a Noggin Nest. It's made by Boppy. Use this in stroller, car seat, bouncy seat, etc. My friend's soon had to wear the helmet. She was horrified at first but confessed later that it really wasn't that bad. But she's glad that it's over now! Good luck!

This whole 'Back to Sleep' thing started when my son (now 8) was an infant. I figured that once he learned to roll himself over his flat spot would fill out. Our pediatrician told me that he would 'grow out of it'. Well, needless to say it hasn't. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that is wasn't going to fill in until it was too late for a helmet. We're still hoping that as he continues to grow the spot will become less and less noticeable.

When my daughter came along (she's now 6 1/2), we put her on her back as well. She didn't get a flat spot, but we noticed that her ears were not level and that the shape of her head wasn't exactly right. Her mental development was fine, but we were told that this shaping issue could lead to a dental problem with her teeth not meeting correctly. It would also have implications later in life if she needed glasses and that we would have a very hard time findig a bicycle or sports helmet to fit her. We pushed the pediatrician for something to help.

The company that we found is called Cranial Technologies. The people there were awesome! They calmed my fears about my daughter's growth and development and gave me tons of suggestions on how to deal with strange looks and questions from other people. We ended up putting stickers of her favorite characters on the helmet so that she wouldn't be scared of it. I saw others that were painted in bright colors or like football helmets.

The entire process for my daughter took only about 6 months. She doesn't remember a single thing about the entire experience. I figure that in the grand scheme of things, 6 months isn't all that long and it's so much better to do it now while the correction can be made than to wait until it's too late.

I wish you all the best in finding someone to evaluate your daughter and point you in the right direction.

A helmet? Honestly!
It was suggested to me to alternate the end of the crib that I laid my baby into. Not sure if that would help reverse a flat spot but in our experence it did prevent one. You can also try 5+/- minutes of tummy time every day if she tolerates (my son would have nothing to do with that).
Best of luck.
L

A.,

Welcome to the 21 Century New Age illness for the babies of today. FLAT HEADS! When I was a chjld the new thing was having your tonsoils taken out. When my children were young it was having tubles put in. IN the 90's everyone's child had reflux and now it is the FLAT HEAD Issue.

With each era come new mothers and new issues that they have to contended with. Most of the children with tubes were allergic to milk without knowing, It was causing allergic issues and their ears never quite healed because they were always drinking cows milk instead of Mothers milk.

This generation of children have mothers that have been told "Lay then on their back so they don't have SIDS! What about all the millions of chjildren over the past 60 years that slept on their stomachs and did not die of SIDS!?! SO now the 21 centruy babies and children,when their heads are still pliable and soft are constantly on their backs in bed during their naps, in bed on their backs at night, on their backs in their car seats, on their backs in their bounces seats and the list goes on and on. But the doctor's will not tell you that the head of an infant is soft like playdough. It must be molded. And just like any potter's clay if you only lay it on one side for nine months it will become FLAt on that one side.

Take this challenge and just spend tomorrow looking for babies and everytime you see a baby 9 months and below look to see if it is laying on its head or if the parent or caregiver is holding it or loving on it. Our children have been relagated to the carseats and swings and bouncy seats instead of a caregivers loving arms.

So they are ALWAYS falttening the back of their babies heads! When my child was young my mother told me to be sure to " TO SHAPE HIS HEAD!" I was stunned, what was she talking about? "A child's head is soft and you must shape it by truning it each day so that it does ot have a flat side or back. So each night I would make sure that I turned his little face in the opposite direction form the night before. Also, I made sure that I held him instead of flattening his head in the car seat all day. THis extra holding also helped in his emotional development because of the human intraction that a carseat can not give to a baby. "THE PROFESSIONALS" tell young mothers put your child in the back seat facing away from you! HOw many house of human connestions are this generation of children loosing out on making a human connection like our children did as they starred at out faces as we drove places. The personal tender connections between a mother and child driving was important for a child to develped interpersoanl skills. Now days the children are starring at a back window for hours!

In years past a child was held in a mother's loving arms at the doctors office, in church, while visiting with guest of family, while attending older siblings school functions, in the evening after dinner, in the morning while striaghtening up the house, and YES even in the car! Because of this the only time a child head hit the flat surface was when he was put in the bed at night and every mother knew to SHAPE" their child's head. Now everytime I see a child he or she is in a car seat. I mother will shop all day on a Saturday and the poor child is having a 6 hours head flattening session. In a carseat being carried into a store, being carries out of a store, being carried into church, being carries out of church, being carried into the doctor's office being carried out of the doctors office, while mother is shopping, and while mother is even in the room the babies of the 21 century are just carseat babies!!

AND we wonder why so many children now have problems connecting with a human face or connecting with any face. I believe the issue is during the time that children of the past were making human connections by being held -children now days are making connections with toys that parents hang over their carseats-nice by not a human connection.

I believe that if Autism is defined as the inability to not make connections with other humans or children that are in their own little worlds then as mothers we need to see it for what it is. Check your self-how many hours a day do your spend with your child -in his face making him make human connections. As babies, their brians are developing dendrites to recognize and connect with the outside world around them. It is an important time in an infants life. As mothers you must be sure that your child is making those all important connections with other human faces. NOT DANGLING TOYS!!

WE must resist the urge to constantly be leaving our children in carseats instead of holding them and making important emotional face connections by holding our children and not demoting our children to being carseats kids for their first 12 months of their life.

Not only will their heads be flat but their minds will not have had the important opportunities to make human connestions with the caregivers that encourage babies to make personal connections, develope language skills, identify shapes, learn trust, develope coping skills and develope spacial visiability skills that occur when you hold your child.

The most damanging thing I have seen are the mothers that hold their children on their bodies but facing away from them as they feed their children! This feeding-bonding time is so important to human conections. The baby does not have the opportunity to gaze at mother's face and make the important connections necesary for human development. Why would a woman do this-reflux I am told.

I predict that we will begin to see many babies with helmets, Not the helmets necessary for those infants that are working on medical bone abnormal growth patterns but for babies with a need to shape the head due to a condition I call Carsest Kids. New mothers have not been told about HEAD SHAPPING and that along with being told to place them on their backs it stands to reason that many of the 21 century generation of children will be the HEAD HELMENT generation,

Just like it was tubes for my generation, because no one breast fed and they babies were all allergiv to formula or cow's milk but we did not know to have our children tested. They were just labeled as sick! If I had know to have my child tested for allergies, at that time it was not a common thing for a doctor to order the test, I would have saved my child hours of pain and sickness. Now years later, we know he is allergic to all cephalosporians, antibotics, animals dander, mold, tomato items, chchlor, septra, kelflex, bactruim,pedeazole, supra, suprax, augmentin, vakamyicin, tetracycline, and surgrey tape, adheisives, and the list goes on and on. You can mnot blame yourself for not knowing but once you do know you must act accordingly.

SO A. listen to your doctor and if he needs a helmet??? Get it now while HE DOES NOT does not know he is wearing it and just you will have the feelings of OH MY POOR CHILD HE IS IN A HELMET! If you don't correct the problem he will be call names as he grows older and children will notice his flat head and call him "frankinstine" and I know you don't want that for your little one. IN the mean time keep him off of flat surfaces as much as you can. (I hate to see a baby with hair loss on the back of their head because you just know thy have spent TOO much time on their backs!) ALso shape his head by turning his head to the left and right each night. By the time a chid naturally turns himself over in his bed at night he has the capability to get his nose unstuck from being sufficated so again shape his head by turning it as he sleeps from left to right during the night.

Keep Mothering,
Ms C.

My son had torticolis which caused a flat spot on the right back side of his head. We started physical therapy and after three months it was not changing so we did put a cranial helmet on him. Very expensive and most insurances don't cover them. Luckily the air force aid paid for half and Floyd and Brace in Charleston cut us a deal on the other half. I was very blessed. My son's head looks much better. He wore it 24 hrs a day for about three months. He still goes to therapy for his neck muscles but he is healthy and doing great. The helmet are actually pretty cute. We got to pick out a design for it, firetrucks. The helmet never bothered my son at all. Alot more people know what they are for than you may think. All I thought about was my child future and there was no doubt in my mind that this was the right thing to do. Hope this helps. If you want to see some pics, send me an email and I will send you some.

Dear A.,

The Back to Sleep Campaign marked it's ten year anniversary recently and in it's time has reduced SIDS deaths by nearly 50%. Other risk factors for SIDS include second hand smoke, a mattress that isn't firm, blankets or stuffed animals in the crib or any fluffy beeding, and too many layers of clothing or blankets on the baby while sleeping. Also babies placed on their backs to sleep have fewer fevers and fewer ear infections.

Just wanted to give some good numbers and suggestions here. I don't think I saw another post that actually had the amount by percent that SIDS is reduced when putting your baby on her back to sleep. FIFTY PERCENT, that is a huge reduction in her risk. I know you will do what is best for her.

My daughters have always slept on their tummies. They have never had any problems. There are many other things that could contriubte to SIDS besides sleeping on their tummy. Go with your gut.

Ask about physical therapy. My son avoided the helmet by doing physical therapy (neck exercises, etc.) from 2-6 months and his flat spot went away.

Hi A.,
My friend's daughter had an issue with her head and the flat shape and they did the helmet. It worked perfectly and helped greatly. Her daughter didn't have any issues with wearing it either, she adapted just fine. She wore it from the time she was 5 or 6 months until she was 9 or ten months (I'm almost certain that was the time frame). I can get more information on it if you need. I know it's hard to think about that, but children are resiliant and she won't remember it. My friend was hesitant about it at first, but they decided that was the best option for them.

First off they can be hot and the poor little angels sweat. I know SIDS can be scary but try putting her on her sides I was advised this by the nurse's when my children were new born even they warn about sids but never did they say or not do themselves put the child on their sides. If your little one ends up needing the helmet I think you only have wear it so many hours a day not 24 hrs if she would need it you should try to use it I do have a friend that her son needed it and they didn't put him in it her husband thought it looked stupid so she did as her husband said now their so is 9 yrs old and they wish that they did do it. Most people won't think she's a handicap besides better now they if she was older kids can be mean and at 4 months how many kids can say something or ask her a question that would hurt her feelings ??? I hope she doesn't have to wear one how about some head massages by mom or dad I'm grasping here but anything to help her....my prayers will be with you...I wish you the best. PS...I let my kids on their tummies maybe I was lucky maybe tummy sleeping isn't it for sids I don't really know but I cheated after a few months.

A., my now 7 yr old son had to wear a helmet from age 6 months to about 9 months. I was, like you, very upset and worried about it. However, it really was not that bad. He sure did not know the difference, and was his usual happy self. Eventually, I got used to it and had fun with it. At times, I even forget that we went thru those months.
In the overall scheme of things, it was such a tiny blip on the radar of his life, and if we had not done it, he would have had a lifetime of embarrassment and probably teasing about a flat head. The thing is, if you don't do something right now, you can NEVER do anything about it again! And, the earlier you do it, the less time is required. So if your MD recommends it, go forward with it quickly.
Most people now are, I think, aware that this is a problem nowadays with the Back to Sleep thing, and that kids have these helmets for this reason. I think it was much less common back then, but most people said nothing about it, or just looked and smiled. The few that did make comments were really only curious and/or concerned that he had seizures or had undergone brain surgery. Only one idiot said "What's wrong with him?" to which I replied, "Nothing is wrong with him. He just plays hockey." Having a good sense of humor about it helps! And it puts people at ease and/or will put them in their place. Also, we did it up as something fun, with lots of stickers of trucks, trains, etc. on the helmet. Now, you can get colored ones (cow skin pattern, pink, etc.) And, since he wore it in October, my son was a hockey player for Halloween and thus had the BEST costume of all the kids!
Seriously, I know it seems horrible to you, as it did to me, but it is so not, and if this is the only problem your baby has, you are very lucky. It will be over before you know it, and then you will save the helmet and show it to your child and she will be amazed that her perfect skull ever fit into it!
Good luck and hope it all turns out well for you.
M.

A.,
one of my twin girls head started to do the same thing and i was really worried b/c my bff's son had to wear a helmet so we went to the dr and he told us to massage her neck to keep her muscles on her right side loose(she always laid her head to that side) and to rub on her little head also. We also gave her as much tummy time as we could or like you put her in the exersaucer and bumbo seat as much as possible. It will most like work its way back to its natural self, if not i know you don't want her to have one but it is not the end of the world it could be worse. So many kids these days have to wear them that people are aware of the helmets. My nephew is also in one. Just keep up the good work that you have been doing with what you have been doing and things hopefully will work out. :)

L.

A.,
my mother told me it was best to put babies on their side. what i did with mine, i purchased a wedge side pillow for her at babies r us and the other thing i did, which my mom suggested, i would hold my babies head with one hand and with the other i would caress it in a circular motion.it sounded a bit archaic but it worke for me. just like you i started late, but i always listen to my mom advice because she had 5 of us and we are in perfect condition so i figured what she did should work for me to. good luck

You will need to rub your baby's head. This is something that mothers have been doing for centuries and it is called "shaping the baby's head". Everytime you hold her just take you hand and rub her head. It accomplishes several things.....you get to love on your baby and bond with her and also shape her head at the same time. Her skull is still soft so the soft rubbing of her head will shape it before it hardens. Ask any grandma and they will tell you the same thing. My baby has a nice shape head and she is now 13! I shaped her head when she was a baby and didn't really have any hair, so it was more noticiable. Good luck and kiss the baby!

One Step Ahead has a positioner made out of memory foam that is supposed to help prevent flat spots.

Hi A.,

My son had to wear a helmet (doc band) about 7 years ago when he was 4 months old. He wore it 23 hrs a day for a couple of months and it required that we drive down to the Northside Hospital area once per week for adjustments. His head was mishaped mostly due to my labor- it was long, I pushed for over 2 hours and he was born face up and they had to use forceps. So- his head is perfect now, and I am glad we did it. I will say that our ins. co considered it cosmetic, and even though we fought them, they still didn't cover it. Don't know what it costs now, but we paid a couple thousand for it back then. Anyways, I don't know if simply back sleeping can cause a head to become so mishaped that it needs correction, so possibly you should get a second opinion or maybe consult with cranial technologies. (They did my son's) I have since had two more children that slept on their back and their heads are fine. Our son's head was flat from his birth, so sleeping on his back didn't help it at all. I will say we had some old nasty lady follow my husband around wal mart wanting to know what is wrong with my son, but that is wal mart for you- most people either comment out of curiosity, or say nothing at all. I have since seen other babies at the mall, etc. wearing the doc bands so I think in the last several years it has become more common. Anyways, my advice is to get a second opinion if you think it might not be necessary in your daughter's case, and then don't worry. If you end up needing one, it will be on and off before you know it and also won't bother your baby.

After reading some of the other comments, it is clear to me that none of us knows what your daughter's head looks like. You really should have a consultation done because while a small flat spot might reshape itself, something more significant might benefit from treatment. Also, the longer you wait, the longer you will be in treatment. So, good luck!

Boy, you sure have gotten a lot of feedback on this, but I felt I needed to respond as well as my son had a helmet for seven months- he actually outgrew the first one!
As did Charlotte, I went to Cranial Technologies and was also told about the possible problems if he didn't wear one. They also let me come in for a free consultation, so check to see if they still do that.
We are 99% sure that my son's flat head developed as a result of lack of room in the wound. He is a twin and my daughter, who was almost two pounds heavier at birth came out first, thus he just slid out. We noticed the flat spot immediately upon birth. We pointed it out to the doctor at each visit and he kept telling us to try and reposition his head and to wait. My son's head was so comfortable in that position, that he would shift around to make it lay on the flat part. He did not have the torticollis that some people have mentioned, but that is also very common and you could have her evaluated to see if that is an issue as well.
Ironically, right after his four month appointment- when the doctor said to wait a couple more months, I got a magazine that said if a doctor says to wait, don't! As many people have said, the skull is still soft and the best time to start it is around 3-4 months- if not earlier. The earlier you start, the less time it will need to be worn.
In regards to wearing the helmet- it was a pretty new concept when we wore it. (My son is now 9). We thought he actually looked cute in it as it accentuated his cheeks. We decorated it with stickers. I never felt like people stared. We did have people ask about it since it was unfamiliar and we just told them and they thought it was neat. We really had fun though sometimes telling people he was in training to be a wrestler and we needed to protect his head! There was a boy about 10 who I think thought we were serious.
My son never seemed to mind it as he never pulled at it, etc. We only took it off to bathe him and clean it. We were ecouraged to keep it off no more than an hour a day, but we went ahead and kept it on as much as possible.
I also have used my son having to wear the helmet as a teaching tool. Just as he was born with the flat spot, other people are born with special needs too. In fact, this morning when I mentioned your concern to my kids, that was one of the comments my daughter said. My son didn't understand why you would be concerned about her looking a bit different.
In regards to sleeping on the back preventing SIDS- there is a reason why it is reccomended for babies to sleep on their back until they can roll themselves over. Please don't discontinue that.
Before making a definite decision, consider doing a bit more research. Go ahead and call Cranial Technologies to see if they still do free evaluations. Even though he wore it a bit longer than the average, I don't have one single regret. In fact, I don't even think about it unless I see a picture of him, see another baby in one or someone such as yourself asks about it. When there are so many things that we could have to deal with in our child's life, this is very minor.
Good luck to you and if you do need one and would like to talk privately, please send me a personal message.
R.

Sorry but with all 4 of my kids I out them on their belly to sleep. If you look at research the problem with the stomach is that the babies were put on a plastic covered mattress so the co2 was not absorbed and came back at the baby. If you put a towel down between the sheet and mattress its fine. Also they are saying that SIDS is caused by bacteria now. Truly no one knows. Its a horrible mystery.

My 10 month old nephew had the same problem with his head because he slept on his back. Thankfully it got better before they had to put a helmet on him because he started rolling over. Also you can try massaging his head in a round motion. Since babies skulls are so soft you can try to mold it.

A.,

I wanted to respond because I wanted to let you know that I sympathize with what you are saying. I am sure that you did not intend to offend anyone with your comment. I feel sure that most of us as Moms have a fear of something going wrong or something not being "right" with our children. I use to work with Disablities and Special Needs and we have so much to be thankful for!! Anyway, I wanted you to know that I understand your comment and I feel that some of the other responds have been pretty h*** o* you for sharing your feelings.

My son, who is now 6 yrs old has a flatter head on the right side as opposed to the left. When he was an infant I asked our Dr. about whether he needed a helmet and she said no. I sort of wish that we would have done something for him. His hair covers it, but I can still tell a little bit. I just pray he doesn't go bald when he gets older or he never wants one of those shaved hair cuts!

I think you may want to consider it for your little one if that is what the doctor recommends.

Good luck,
A.

A.,

I was worried about that too when I had my little guy. We laid him on his back to sleep until he was big enough to roll over on his own. Even then, we still laid him on his back...we just didn't worry as much if he ended up on his tummy. We also laid him on a very flat surface and did not have any blankets or toys in the crib that he could get his nose and mouth stuck under.

Something that might help...we made a very conscious effort to rotate his head direction when we laid him down so we could avoid any area getting flat. If I laid him down for a nap in the morning, I laid him on his back, but made sure his head was facing to the right. The next time I laid him down for a nap (or even just to play), I laid him on his back and made sure his head was facing to the left. I just did that so much, that it became second nature. And that way, he wasn't laying on the same area all the time.

If your baby isn't yet rolling, you can even lay her on her side (rotate from laying on one side first, next time lay her on her back, and the next time ay her on the other side). We did a lot of that too.

I hope that helps and good luck! Isn't being a mommy wonderful? Happy first Mother's Day!

I don't think I've ever been so angry reading a post on this site - How vain and unfeeling to others are you that you think wearing a helmet makes her "look like she's handicapped". Are you KIDDING me!?!?!? So what?? Would you love her any less if she were handicapped?? If the only problem you have is the fact that your daughter might have to wear a helmet for a few hours a day you should be on your knees thanking God. Sleeping on her back may not be the only issue that is causing the flat spot, but if it is I'd rather keep my baby alive by placing her on her back than putting her on her tummy to avoid the flat spot. I agree that doctors don't always know everything, but like one poster suggested, check out some info on SIDS and you will see that the back to sleep "movement" has improved SIDS statistics by significant amounts. I would do some research on things, talk to other parents who have done this and contact the center where you would be purchasing the helmet. That way when you make horribly insensitive comments you'll be better informed.

So yes, A., your question is offensive. Mainly the last sentence. It might be a nice, humbling experience for you to have your girl in a helmet if you really have a problem with "people thinking your little girl is handicap or something". You'll learn the truth is, you will love her the same. As for the back/tummy thing, while they have found SIDS to be lowered in countries where the babies sleep on their back, they haven't found why. You (and other mamas)should check out the study in New Zealand where they discovered chances of SIDS go up dramatically on 2nd and then up for 3rd born children, etc. What they found was the parents were using the same mattress, and the chemicals from the fire retardent, etc, were mixing with the fungal growth on the mattress, causing a deadly fume that the babies were breathing in. So, of course, sleeping on their back makes sense because their nose is further from the mattress. They launched a "wrap your mattress" campaign where they gave away thousands and thousands of mattress covers that keep the fumes from reaching the babies. SIDS went down, not just dramatically ,but to ZERO.
The study was well done, and I believe accurate (although, of course, debateable), it makes a lot of sense. It also makes for a lot parents out there who lose their children unfairly. My folks' generations were germaphobic, which unfortunally makes for a lot of chemicals we now have to deal with.
My daughter has never slept well on her back, and she has a crazy gag reflex where if she needs to spit up, she instead loses everything in her stomach. I let my mattress "gas out" for a long time(it was bought and unused for my son), and use organic sheets. She sleeps with light clothes, and no bumpers or pillows, only a very light blanket. For me the tummy is the right place for her to sleep and I don't worry about her choking on her throw up. At night, she sleeps next to me in Organic sheets, and she sleeps well.
Educate yourself, don't worry about the helmet, and try to be a little more thoughtful in your wording.

I agree with Tonya. So what if she has to wear a helmet? At least she's alive and healthy. If a small flat spot on her head that can be corrected is all that is wrong with your daughter, you are a lucky woman. Please count your blessings instead of looking at this as a negative.

I hope I'm not out of line by saying this, but this has got to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen posted! A flat head? Please... I have 3 beautiful children, all put to bed on their backs. None experienced flat heads. Once the babies grow & their hair fills in, you'd never notice a flat head anyway! And as soon as they learn to roll over, they're going to sleep in whatever position they find comfortable. Put your baby to sleep on her back & leave it at that. You have more important things to worry about than whether or not her head is flat!
I only WISH that all I had to worry about with my children was a flat spot on their heads! FYI, my 8yr old son has type 1 diabetes & has to spend the rest of his life on insulin to stay alive (until they find a cure, that is) My 6yr old daughter was just diagnosed with asthma. See what I mean about more important things to worry about???? A flat spot on your head is purely cosmetic!