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Original poster

My baby has a flat head 😔

46 replies

ThorsMistress · 02/03/2019 21:39

Posting here for traffic

My baby is 5 months old. He sleeps on his back and has done since birth. Because of this he has developed a flat head at the back. I have stupidly Googled and it says it may require a helmet?

He can't yet sit unaided for a long period of time. He manages for a few minutes but that's all. We do tummy time but after a few minutes he gets agitated or rolls over on to his back. I did read once he can sit it will eventually correct itself.

Does anyone have any experience in this?

OP posts:
1Violetcream · 02/03/2019 21:43

Hi... this happened to two of mine. I took them to a cranial osteopath and within a few weeks they had made a massive difference. Both have normal head shapes now. It’s amazing!

Jinglejanglefish · 02/03/2019 21:43

I don’t really know much about it but pretty much most babies sleep on their backs as this in the safe sleep advice, and they don’t end up with flat heads. Have you spoken to a hv or doctor?

Original poster
ThorsMistress · 02/03/2019 21:47

Thank you for your replies.

I read it's to do with their developing skills? Although I'm really no expert.

I haven't taken him to a doctor as I was unsure whether I would be wasting their time?

OP posts:

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Imstickingwiththisone · 02/03/2019 21:49

How flat is it OP? I vaguely ever being concerned about my dc1 but looking back it was really mild and it was due to googling that made me panic. I don't remember when it faded but it did of its own accord.

If you see your HV I'd get their opinion

Imstickingwiththisone · 02/03/2019 21:50

For me it was where the bald patch was that they get at the back so really smooth flat and bald. Righted itself as sleeping habits changed. Dc2 liked sleeping on the side so forgot it was even a thing.

CocoDeMoll · 02/03/2019 21:50

It always looks worse to the parent. Both mine do/have had.
Once they get hair you can’t notice!

Original poster
ThorsMistress · 02/03/2019 21:53

I don't think it looks really bad. But my niece (8) commented on it today but not in a nasty way.

Everyone I speak to about it has varying opinions on how bad it is Confused

OP posts:
IamPickleRick · 02/03/2019 21:54

My eldest was the same as he had a bit of a cone head to start with from the ventouse and then slept in a way that was always on the flat spot. In the day, use a sling not a pushchair so his head is free. Mine also didn’t sit unaided for ages, I think that made it flatter so lots of tummy time. I have to say that my boy does still have a little flat patch (it’s not the whole head, just a tiny area) that is completely unnoticable to anyone else (even DH or my Mum or even DS) but because I knew it was there and worried about it non stop, I can see it. Maybe even if it wasn’t there, I would imagine that I could see it. Don’t worry, even if it doesn’t go completely, no one else will ever notice.

crunchie12 · 02/03/2019 21:55

HV here - get asked this a lot in clinic. Not anything to worry about if baby fine in themself - if you are concerned I'd go to your GP. We always advise lots of tummy time and a sling if you have one.

Original poster
ThorsMistress · 02/03/2019 21:56

This is the best picture I have

My baby has a flat head 😔
OP posts:
Della1 · 02/03/2019 21:56

OP one of my children had this. Can you carry your baby in a sling during the day? This should help and will strengthen muscles needed for sitting etc. Put your baby in a bouncer/sling etc instead of lying on a mat to lessen the time lying down. My Ds is now 6 and you wouldn’t know he had this. Talk to your health visitor incase there is anything else you can do.

SinkGirl · 02/03/2019 21:57

My friends twins had to have helmets but it wasn’t just a small flat spot, their ears were out of alignment if you looked from the top or back. It really depends how bad it is.

Original poster
ThorsMistress · 02/03/2019 21:57

@crunchie12 thank you so much for taking the time to comment! You've made me feel slightly better. Lots of tummy time tomorrow which will no doubt end in tears!

OP posts:
Laquila · 02/03/2019 21:58

In desperation I took my son to a cranial osteopath when he was a few months old and two nights afterwards he turned his head to the other side in his cot for the first time ever. To be honest he still has a slightly flat head on one side but I just don’t cut his hair super short and it’s not that noticeable 😂

Della1 · 02/03/2019 21:58

And yes I agree that once they get hair you don’t notice a slight flat head.

Original poster
ThorsMistress · 02/03/2019 21:59

I don't have a sling but I was thinking about getting one so I can get things done during the day!

OP posts:
ReaganSomerset · 02/03/2019 21:59

Use a sling during the day and change the direction he lies in the cot so that he has to turn his head to the other side in order to see out iyswim?

TidaQuel · 02/03/2019 21:59

My ds1 had a really flat head and still does. When ds2 was born his head also started to go a bit flat. someone told me about lovenest pillow which I got and it’s perfect now. Just wish I’d known about it for ds1.

Hoosey · 02/03/2019 22:00

Looks very like my DS. HV, GP and Paed have all said it will improve once he’s more mobile. I’d get it checked out but the threshold for a helmet is pretty high. Lots of kids have a bit of a flat head now due to back sleeping but it’s more obvious in kids with less hair.

mistermagpie · 02/03/2019 22:07

I say this on all these types of posts, but my BIL is a neonatal paediatrician and he told me that 'flat head syndrome' isn't really a thing. There are some actual medical conditions that cause misshapen skulls of course, but if your child had one of these you would know about it. He says that the helmets are just a money making thing and most babies heads get rounder as they grow and spend less time lying down.

The reason we had the conversation is that my son had a 'wonkey' head. It was quite obvious and I was worried. He seemed to favour sleeping on one side so it sort of got flattened on that side. We did cranial osteopath and all that (didn't tell BIL...) but I'm not sure if it helped. He's nearly two now and literally the baldest baby in the world still so his skull is out there for the world to see, but his head is much better. It's still not 100% symmetrical but you would never notice and really, most peoples probably are a bit wonky but they have hair to hide it.

That load of waffle was meant to simply say, don't worry. His head looks ok to me and I'm pretty sure it will round out as he grows.

Original poster
ThorsMistress · 02/03/2019 22:19

@mistermagpie thank you so so much for your comment.

It's definitely made me feel lots better. I've been worrying about this for weeks and keep putting off posting about it.

All your comments have been a massive help and made me breathe a slight bit of relief Smile

OP posts:
IamPickleRick · 02/03/2019 22:23

That photo is nothing like my DS head, please don’t worry. He didn’t have ears unaligned or anything but it was flat on one side iyswim. That will right itself I’m sure x

Kneehigim · 02/03/2019 22:25

In my day, we were taught to change the side their head was resting each time they were sleeping. You'd remember by placing a teddy to the side they were facing (easy to get jumbled up). He's probably strong enough now to move his head, but that was from when they were newborns. I have a feeling it was medical advice at the time.

Chickaletta16 · 02/03/2019 22:29

Ok ladies us Asians are obsessed with babies having a perfect round head so we put their heads on a special pillow to shape it from birth. It's perfectly safe and This really does work and will.sort out a flat head. I'm attaching a pic.

My baby has a flat head 😔
EmmaGrundyForPM · 02/03/2019 22:34

Ds1 had a really flat head. He was also a very late developer movement wise, didn't sit reliably until 10.months, didn't crawl.until 13 months.

His head was noticeably flat until he started school, then gradually corrected itself as he grew. People did comment on it and I was very conscious of it.

Hes now in his 20s, it has disappeared completely and he's gorgeous. Not that I'm biased!

Please speak to your HV if you're worried but, if my ds is anything to go by, it sorts itself out in the end.