To wonder about my baby's flat head?

[Dorabean]

My DS is 4 months old and has a flat Ish head at the back. All of my friends with babies around the same age have perfectly round heads, yet they all spend far more time on their backs than my DS! AIBU to wonder why he has a flat head and they don't?

Any experience with this?

It's perfectly normal. My nephew's head was like that. As soon as he grows a full head of hair you won't even notice it.

My nephew is 12 now and is a very bright and healthy boy.

Thank you @picnicinnovember. He has a fair bit of hair already and no one has ever commented on his flat head but it does worry me slightly! My friend's LO had to wear a helmet but I wouldn't want to do that!

A child in my family has this. He's now 6 and it's still flat but barely noticeable as he's got hair

Head shape is inherited. Have a feel of yours and his dad's heads..

However this is a situation where they can end up needing the corrective helmet so I’d be aware of the situation and try to do what you can to SAFELY mitigate it. Try to let him nap on his side, say on the settee beside you during the daytime naps, obviously don’t ever leave him for even a second like this or even on his front and invest in a specifically designed memory foam head saver for in his carrycot on the pram. At nighttime of course put him on his back feet to the bottom of his cot as usual

If you were in the US, they’d prescribe a helmet, no probs.

DS had a very odd shaped head, so much so we were referred to a specialist to make sure the bones in his head weren't fusing too quickly. That was quickly ruled out and we were told to encourage more tummy time and that it would eventually even itself out and it has.
Does your 4 month old do much tummy time?

I'd get it checked out just to make sure he doesn't have torticollis where they favour looking to one side. That can result in a flat spot and they may suggest physiotherapy and stretching exercise to treat it. My son had it and it's relatively common.

It's just one of those things. My DS had a flat head and I think it was because he never moved in his sleep. Don't ignore it though. Look into things you can do to safely stop it getting worse. Have him spend as little time as possible lying on a hard flat surface. I had a special little soft pillow for the buggy and bouncy chair (where obviously he was supervised using it). I carried him in a sling as much as possible too. Now he's older it's not really noticeable so much but it is still there. I wish I had done more, sooner when he was a baby.

Thanks everyone!

@Smurfybubbles he does some tummy time but spends a lot of time sitting and standing with us! He hates to be laid on his back and doesn't spend a lot of time in his bouncy chair!

I believe there is a connection between spending a lot of time lying on the back and having a flat heat. It's more common with heavier babies. It doesn't necessarily self-correct.

You need to mention your concern to your gp. It could be genetic, it could be considered normal or it could be deformed and correctable.

Does he spend a lot of time in a baby chair? They dont seem too be their heads much in those. Time on the floor on a mat may help too.

I suggest you see your GP about your concerns, it may be nothing but my DS was born with an odd shaped head & it was diagnosed as a genetic condition & he had surgery to correct it. Apparently it is not always easy to recognise these conditions as they are quite rare so best to have it checked out.

I would also talk to a doctor. It is seen as normal because more and more babies have it, as a result of sleeping in back, being in car seats/prams etc much more. It can lead to issues such as ill fitting glasses later in life. Your doctor will be able to advise you further.

If he doesn't spend a lot of time (except nighttime) then I would also advise seeing your GP. Helmets aren't used as much as they used to be apparently as they don't always fix it. There are mattresses you can get to help but they are pricey and most specialists wouldn't advise buying them as again there's no saying if it will fix the problem!

Thank you for all of your replies! It sounds like seeing the doctor is our best bet, I will get that organised! Feel a bit silly as I know it can be common for babies to have a flat head but I don't want it to be a problem for him!

@Nanny0gg he doesn't spend hours in a baby chair, spends maybe10-15 min max in his bouncer at a time. We go out in his pram but he does like to be upright so not lots of pressure on his head and never longer than 30 min car journeys in his car seat really!

It is usually completely normal to have a flat head for small babies lying on their backs all the time. Once they are on the go and their bones are less plastic the head shape changes. Helmets are not routinely used in the UK. If you are worried, make an appointment with your GP to discuss it. The chances are it is absolutely fine. I strongly advise staying away from Google on this one as there are all sorts of scare stories and manufacturers selling unnecessary items to concerned parents.

My ds has a very flat head at the back. We saw a consultant when he was tiny about his head and they put it down to the fact that his head was very big when he was born and continued to grow very quickly in the first 6 months or so of his life (he was just over 6lb so on the 5th centile with a 90 something centile head which grew to 99th centile!). He gradually grew into his head so he's much more in proportion now (he's nearly 5) and his flat head is hidden by his hair. It's hard to get a bike helmet to fit though.

My friend’s baby had this. She used a special pillow (I’ve just asked her- it was from Babymoon) and it worked a treat. Her child is 8 months old now and his head is round.

@DuckofDoom thanks! I looked into these actually so may order one to try!

My son had a slightly flat spot on the back of his head which started when he had torticollis. He didn’t spend a huge amount of time on his back but it was still flat months later. It improved a lot when he started sitting up. He is 17 months now and his hair has grown over it. You can still feel a very very slightly flat spot under the hair but you’d never in a million years be able to see it unless you were really looking for it. Happens to a lot of babies.

DS had a flat head and we used one of these pillows which worked well.

My LO had a slightly flattened head from birth, which worsened over the next 3-4 months, at which point I spoke to my HV about it. We were referred for an assessment re: possible physiotherapy for torticollis. He wasn't "bad" enough to need physio, but they gave us some good advice on repositioning and gentle exercises.

We followed the advice, but sadly it did not improve, so in the end we decided to go down the helmet route at 7 months. He is 9.5 months old now and went from severe brachycephaly, to borderline "normal". He's still wearing the helmet.

So, OP, if the flattening bothers you, now is the perfect time to start repositioning etc., and do mention it to your HV, as if it's only mild, you will in all likelihood be able to correct it without a helmet.