My baby has a flat head 😔

[ThorsMistress]

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?

There is no need for the pillows. They are a massive SIDS risk. Babies favour one side, it's completely normal. Please don't waste your money on these pillows. Your DC will be fine

I'm 67 and have a flat head. I wish I'd had a helmet to fix it.
Several young friends have had them for their children and I envy them their nicely rounded heads.

@llangennith hardly anyone has a 'perfect round head'. People just don't notice it because of hair etc.

Ignore the GP’s on this one. The party line is the NHS won’t fund helmets as the treatment is not within their budget and they say it is cosmetic anyway. Pay for treatment if you can, borrow from family even.

crunchie12 it actually does matter. A lot of hairstyles don't work, hats don't fit right, beanies don't fit properly. If there's an option to get it fixed do it.

Yes do it. That’s my experience.

I was worried about this too, my dd is 5 months old. When she was 4 months old I bought a babymoov lovenest plus pillow.
I only use it when she’s napping during the day and on the changing mat due to safe sleeping advice at night. It reassured me to know I was limiting her time on the back of her head as much as possible. It was £20 so we’ll worth it and a great quality item.
She is a little flat but I think all babies are and only the parents really notice it on their own child. Babies have been sleeping on their backs since the 70’s and you don’t see 20, 30 and 40 year old with flat heads walking around... don’t worry too much x

My ds developed a flat head after he spent a lot of time lying down in hospital as a baby. I was really worried about it and his ear and forehead seemed to be affected.

The consultant he was under reassured me it should sort itself out when he could sit unaided and that by 1yr it would be unnoticeable. He was right but I was so worried at the time. It probably helped that after his illness ds would not be put down so spent months being carried instead of lying down in the day

The NHS don't fund helmets because there is no clinical proof they make any difference over positioning advice for simple plagiocephaly

What is your definition is ‘simple’ plagiocephaly?

Of

practical advice

Positional plagiocephaly.

When the sutures of the skull have not fused prematurely (as in craniosynostosis) so that as the skull grows and the baby develops more mobility to spend less time squashing the soft skull the condition resolves

Great. I will always disagree on the basis of hard practical evidence of success. I have also seen children with severe plagiocephaly who have retained flat heads into secondary school.

For those leaving it was too late.

On a side note, me and my sister nearly collapsed in convulsions laughing one day when my mother very seriously told her neighbour about her baby - "Oh she's got a lovely round head!"

It might have been a you'd have to have been there moment.

Poor neighbour didn't know whether it was a compliment or a criticism.

My ds had this brought on by torticollis in thewomb kidshealth.org/en/parents/torticollis-kids.html

I had to physio exercises with him as a baby to loosen up the muscles.
One side of ds was quiet a bit flatter than the other, but throughout his childhood it continued to rectify itself but it took until adult hood for it to round out completely.

The sooner you catch the issue and intervene the better but from what I read helmets don't help much

I have a fleet head and honesty... It seems to be genetic

My son had a flat head due to similar reasons, his hair disappeared on that part too so it was really noticeable. We didn't do anything and it just gradually righted it's self when he was spending more time awake and playing etc. I've seen so many babies with a flat head but no toddlers or teenagers yet

My little boy had a flat head. It’s the sign of a good sleeper apparently. He’s 3 now and has a lovely round head. Most children will grow out of it once they stop spending so much time lying down.

OP, the picture just reminded me of a Dr I work with.
He is so lovely, great at teaching, helpful during procedures, explains everything, no issue if we mess up equipment (theatre setting).
He is an all round super guy! I love working with him.
Just noticed the other day he has a really flat head.
I don't know my point really,. Just that its not what I think of or notice about him?
I think most kids do 'grow out of it'.