New first time mum worried sick that ds is getting a flat head

[Debbsyandson]

Spoke to hv today as noticed when stroking my 15 week old little boys head he has like a flatness on the left side almost like a dink.Im worried sick that i have caused this as he has his play gym and loves to kick about on that and has now started to sleep through the night on his back,other than that i try to keep him off his back as much as possible.Which was the hv advice which i cant understand as i do do that Anyone else experienced this am i being over anxious as i am now sick with worry

The plagio website is very good. I didn't notice ds's flat head until he was 2.5 so too late to do anything about it. He has bracyacephaly (sp), flatness right across the back of his head, charactaristics include a wider forehead/top of head. I saw an article in a womans magazine and the penny dropped. No HV or MW or GP had picked it up. He is 4.5 now, no one notices it unless I talk about it and then they can see it. He i obviously georgous and his hair hides it well, but given the opportunity I would have tried to correct it in the early months.

My son had a flat head which we corrected with a headband. YOu can search old threads with 'ChicPea' and 'flat head' to find all the info I typed. ALot of GP's don't know anything about it, nor HV's, nor peadiatricians. Depending on how bad it is, you need to do something as early as possible as a baby's head grows fastest and can be easily corrected in the first 6mths of its life.6-12 months the rate of growth slows down, 12-24 months its even slower. Good luck.

Our DD#2 started the same to one side at only a few weeks old. It was most noticable because her forhead was pushing forwards on that side too. We followed the advice on various websites about tummy time as much as possible, alternating how you cuddle them (which side), turning the cot round or putting her down facing the opposite end each night etc. We also found at about 15 weeks or so that she would use her bumbo seat very well and we stopped using her bouncy chair as much as possible within reason and let her have bumbo time instead. Obviously you need to be careful with that as they can only support their heads for a limited time at that age. It is very early yet and there is every chance that this will settle itself as the head grows in the next few months if you follow those sorts of routines. Our DD has a perfect head now at 1yr old with no other intervention. If it had not improved though I personally would have gone for a full evaluation of it and treatment if then thought necessary. There is only a narrow window of time for the corrective helmets if they are required and if you are worried do not be put off seeking advice. At least if they feel it is not necessary they will say so. I have a friend whose DS had to wear one for quite a marked positional plagiocephaly. The outcome was fantastic and he tollerated it really well.

Try not to worry - in most cases nothing more will need to be done.

well i have tried this special cushion and i must say after a day there is alot of difference

My ds has a flat head on one side, I asked the doctor and HV numerous times about it, they said it would right itself, I did the whole thing about positioning him different so he would change sides, it has made no difference. Looked it up on internet at the weekend and the sites all say that I have left it too late to do anything now, (he is 22 months) I am gutted

Luckily he suffers no other problems because of it, it is just cosmetic and you can only really see it when his hair is wet. I am still furious thought that I was fobbed off for so long.

My advice is that if you are at all worried, demand to see a specialist.