Baby faces one direction

[littletoadstool]

A bit of a silly question , but my 8 week old baby always faces to his left. I thought it was because when we put him down the window was on his left hand side so he was looking towards the light, but when we turn him around he still looks to his left! He very occasionally does turn the other way but his head never goes completely to the right. If I call him from his right side he very rarely turns to me. I know its probably a stupid question but is this normal - do babies tend to prefer facing one way?

HAve you mentioned this to your HV? If you get the right one, they are wonderful for putting your mind at rest (IF you get the right one lol)

My DD seemed to prefer looking to one side, but she had a large kefalhaematoma (big swelling on head!) from birth to about 10-12 weeks and I put it down to that. She's fine now (age 7!)

My DS did this although at a younger age - a week? - so we were advised to put him the other way round in his cot so that he turned to look at me. The midwife said that it was probably due to him being engaged for a while so he was stuck in the one position. He got bashed around during birth too It worked pretty much straight away.

If I were you I'd put mobile type things on his right when he's on a mat or a chair.

I would mention it to your health visitor too.

DT1 did this, hv said it was something to do with the position they are in in the womb, and it would correct itself, which it did.

My DS did this for a few weeks... Maybe try sticking him the other way and propping him with a rolled up blanket? My DS grew out of it...

I didi mention it to my HV but she just sort of laughed and said its just the way he is - thats why I felt a bit silly posting the question here! I've put mobiles and things with noiss on his right but he doesn't look at them - I don't think there is a problem with his hearing because he's had the screening and jumps at sudden noises. Will try putting him the other way around more to see if this makes a difference

Hi LittleToadstool, my DS was exactly the same, generally favoured his left side, and seemed unable/unwilling to turn his head to the right.

I noticed it from about 2 weeks. I spoke to the HV who said "oh well just try facing him the other way", but it didn't improve. I took him to the doctor's at 5 weeks who said some babies just prefer looking in one direction. But I knew he wasn't right - sometimes he seemed to want to look to the right and just wasn't able to get his head past about 45 degrees, whereas on the left side he could get his head round the full 90 degrees. When I encouraged him to turn he would get distressed, as if in discomfort. Eventually I spoke to another doctor who agreed it warranted a referral to a physiotherapist.

The physio was wonderful, she gave me some simple, gentle exercises (basically turning his head gently to the left several times a day) and some bits of advice eg change his cot around so that in order to look at you in bed he has to turn his head to the unfavourable side, hang toys on the "bad" side of his head in the pram, generally encourage him to turn his head as much as possible.

I noticed an immediate improvement and within about 3 months (and two further phyio visits) his head was fully mobile.

I never got to the bottom of what caused it but from research and talking to various HPs they raised several possibilities:

1. There is a condition called wry neck, in which a small muscle swelling affects the mobility of the head (my DS didn't have this but it needs to be investigated)
2. Some babies, like MamaGhoul's DD, have an assymetric head that can make it more comfortable for them to put their head in one direction
3. Some babies have their heads turned in one direction in the uterus and it causes one tendon to elongate and the other to shorten, gradually by using both tendons this corrects itself/can be corrected.

I think my DS was probably a combination of 2) and 3) but it needs investigating and if you think your baby's head mobility is not right then insist on a referral to a physio, these things are very easily corrected if caught early. Since then I have found it's apparently quite common, I now know several other mothers whose babies had the same thing, some self-corrected, others needed mild physio.

Incidentally, I wouldn't recommend trying the exercises I mentioned without being told to by a physio, if you do them wrongly it could hurt your baby. However turning his cot and generally encouraging him to look to the right couldn't do any harm while you're waiting to see someone.

HTH - and sorry for the long post!

My dd would only feed on one side when she was born...would cry if put on the other. I took her to a cranial osteopath, with immediate results - she became a two-boob feeder straight away. Definitely worth a try, IMO!

Thanks for the advice - will have a word with doctor as HV isn't particularly helpful about anything! If the doctor doesn't refer me to a physio how would I get to see a cranial osteopath - would I need to be referred by doctor or is it something you pay for privately?

PS. Have been playing with him this afternoon and his head does go all the way to the right and he didn't seem in discomfort (don't worry I did it gently and didn't force it!) but it pings straight back to the left again. I wonder whether it may have also something to do with his change mat, play mat and cot all facing so that he has to turn left to the window - and I always hold him in my right arm so he has to turn left to see me. Maybe because he always did this in the first few weeks while his neck muscles were developing its now more difficult for him to turn the other way?

A cranio oesteopathist is private and can make a huge difference.

It sounds like he has become used to looking that way so the rearranging of the furniture, so to see the window he must turn the other way can't hurt.

Could you lie him on the floor and lie on his 'bad' side and encourage him to turn to you?

Could you feed him the other side? when i took a baby with tight a neck to the cranio he said it was more often easier to do treatment when baby was eating as they are distracted and also they can feel the areas where movement is not so good.

I was under the impression almost all babies have a preference for looking one way or the other, as this article implies. I have two R-handed and two L-handed children and they all looked in the direction which they eventually favoured. Being unable to turn the head is a different matter, of course.

Hi littletoadstool - if your baby's neck pings back, it sounds like ot could be wry neck, also called torticollis. Its caused by a tightness in one of the neck muscles, which sometimes shows up as a lump. This isnt always presenty, but when it is some Drs call it a sternomastoid tumour - nothing to get alarmed about because it has bnothing to do with cancers.

treatment is physio - the physio will show you how to gently stretch baby's neck in a way that will help the muscle to relax. They should also show you ways to position him so taht he can look at toys in a more symmetrical way.

(Sorry just saw another poster who said the same thing.)

main thing is to see Dr asap, so that the stretches can be started.

Good luck!

Both of mine did it, and had feeding problems on one side as a result... a chiropractor fixed em within a couple of weeks (and also sorted colic)