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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Babies Flat Head Pissing Me Off!!

42 replies

PurpleRayne89 · 06/02/2022 02:34

My 5 month old son has plagiocephaly. As a result he has one eye larger than the other, prominent cheek to one side and bulging forehead. All resulted from torticollis, in his case having a preference to one side. Physio have exercises to do which I’ve been doing. Seen 2 osteopaths and they keep focusing on the torticollis even tho I’ve mentioned I’m seeing a physio. They say his face “everyone has some degree of asymmetry”. I thought a cranial osteopath was supposed to focus on fixing this asymmetry. It isn’t naturally occurring but a result of the flat head. I’ve spent so much money on private consultations only to be what I feel like is being fobbed off.

Will this correct itself? What advice do you have because I feel like I’m at my wits end with this now. Doctors aren’t taking me seriously and I cannot spend anymore money on expensive consultations which start at £100+.

Any advice is appreciated.

OP posts:
PrettyMaMa · 11/03/2022 08:09

Purple r

Can you send a link to your post so we could talk

PrettyMaMa · 11/03/2022 08:10

@ cowboy please send the link to your post I can't find it

vivainsomnia · 11/03/2022 08:50

Both my kids were the same. Very severe, enough to justify a scan to confirm it was nothing serious.

It was at the time helmets were introduced. I asked the consultant if they were required. He told me that unless there is a a structural deformity, heads always go back to a normal shape and those helmets are a total waste.

Sure enough, my kids' heads mold themselves naturally to perfect normality naturally by the time they were 2ish. I look back at pics of my son and it was quite scary how deformed his was, one eye much smaller, one side of his jaw much higher than the other. He did look very misshapen!

Thirkettle · 11/03/2022 08:59

I got mine a thin memory foam pillow designed to correct flat headedness. I put it under the fitted sheet so it couldn't move around and he slept on his back. Cured the problem in weeks. Perfectly round head.

Ofc you say this and everyone tells you the baby will roll on its front and bury its face flat into the mattress and suffocate. However the risk from pillows is that they can move around. Pinned under the sheet, this one can't, plus it's rather stiff and can't cover the noise. It acts like a soft extension of the mattress.

Anyway, like I say, sorted us right out.

ChristmasTreeGorgeous · 11/03/2022 09:09

My son had this. Get the helmet if you can and get it quickly whilst the skull is still malleable. My GP have me a load of old tosh about it “resolving itself”. Yeah whatever.

THwife · 11/03/2022 10:07

My daughter had a very severe case and now at 5, one eye is still affected but barely noticeable if you didn’t ‘know’. It really upset me for a while, but other than lots of tummy time etc, I don’t think there’s much else you can do.

Flickflak · 11/03/2022 10:36

This reply has been withdrawn

Message from MNHQ: This post has been withdrawn

Mangogogogo · 11/03/2022 12:34

I took in a little one who had this, really bad. Helmet was the only way but they’re not NHS issued it was private only. Helped a lot! It’s still there a little but now his floppy teenage hair cover it but his face is absolutely fine. Wouldn’t know a thing!

cecilthehungryspider · 11/03/2022 15:14

It doesn't just resolve itself. I listened too much to people saying that and it just got worse and worse. In the end, we used a sleepcurve mattress (which is controversial so you need to make your own risk assessment for that) in the cot, and a small soft pillow in the pram/baby chair (always supervised). I also used a sling rather than the pram as much as possible and a bumbo as much as possible too. All this made a big difference but didn't entirely fix it. The baby is now a teenager and has hair so it's not obvious. Still has quite a large forehead but the large side of normal rather than abnormally large.

Doratheexploret · 11/03/2022 16:12

My son was the same. His ears were in completely different places. I bought a special mattress and over time it corrected itself. He’s 15 now.

Original poster
PurpleRayne89 · 12/03/2022 13:53

@PurpleRayne89

My 5 month old son has plagiocephaly. As a result he has one eye larger than the other, prominent cheek to one side and bulging forehead. All resulted from torticollis, in his case having a preference to one side. Physio have exercises to do which I’ve been doing. Seen 2 osteopaths and they keep focusing on the torticollis even tho I’ve mentioned I’m seeing a physio. They say his face “everyone has some degree of asymmetry”. I thought a cranial osteopath was supposed to focus on fixing this asymmetry. It isn’t naturally occurring but a result of the flat head. I’ve spent so much money on private consultations only to be what I feel like is being fobbed off.

Will this correct itself? What advice do you have because I feel like I’m at my wits end with this now. Doctors aren’t taking me seriously and I cannot spend anymore money on expensive consultations which start at £100+.

Any advice is appreciated.

@PrettyMaMa
OP posts:
PrettyMaMa · 19/03/2022 08:08

We are going for the helmet it's our only choice even if you spend out everything you got at least you know you tried it seems like the only option

Nania60 · 01/02/2023 09:56

@PurpleRayne89

hello, Im going through the same with my DS, he is 4 months. Can I ask you a year later what you're experience has been, did it resolve itself ?
many thanks 🌸

Original poster
PurpleRayne89 · 03/02/2023 09:18

@Nania60 he is nearly 17 months now age there is still some asymmetry. When he looks in the mirror it’s more obvious. It’s mainly the forehead. He has lots of curly hair. I’m not sure what it’ll look like if he shaved it off whether it’ll be more obvious. Sorry for the not so great news!!

OP posts:
BMrs · 04/02/2023 23:18

Get a helmet! It doesn't correct itself and after ten months it's extremely hard to make a difference with a helmet or anything else.

My sister had to use one for her son 6 years ago and was £2500. My son had a slight flat head but nothing extreme. His head never corrected itself though (but it wasn't bad enough to use a helmet).

EagerZebra · 14/11/2024 11:47

Hi there, have you any updates on your how little one is now? My baby is almost 6 months and has plagiocephaly, facial feautures and ears are not asymmetric but his head is flat at the back. He had so many issues when he was a young baby and being a FTM I never knew to reposition him when he was always looking to his right. Feel terrible about it now. We're in the UK so no helmets.

Original poster
PurpleRayne89 · 24/11/2024 12:14

@EagerZebra Sorry to hear of your experience. I’m quite glad I didn’t waste any more on helmets or put my DS through that. His head sorted itself out as eventually he started to turn his head the other way to sleep. It appears he just didn’t want to do that before and there wasn’t any physiological issue. There is some mild asymmetry to his face but it’s likely only noticeable to me. My partner cannot even see it. What do you think your plans are at this point? Baby is still very young indeed.

OP posts:
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