Babies with flat heads!!!

[swiperfox]

ds still has a flat head at the back - everyone says the bones will reshape themselves as he sits up more instead of lying on it - any thoughts??!!

seem to be following you around sf - dgs3 has a flat head at the back - he's 6 months - don't know whether it will round off but we can always backcomb his hair to make his head look rounder

he's beautiful - flat head and all!

OI!

wot!?

my ds had a flat side on his head from lying on it.
I consiously made him lie on his back/other side and it didn't get any worse. But tbh it hasn't got much better.
I'd make an effort to do something about it sooner rather than later. eg tummy lying for playing, side lying for napping etc.

I saw a woman (a grandma) from Africa on tv a few weeks ago. She and the women where she came from massaged their babies heads regularly to help them become round. In her culture a round head is a very desireable. She was proudly showing off her (grown-up, English) daughter's head (she was a bit embarrassed, bless) and did a demonstration on her new grandchild's.

my son is 5 and has a very flat head on one side due to thumb sucking when he was a few months old.It hasnt got better or worse.

my ds had an unbelievably flat head as a baby, he always lay on his back. Once he started rolling over and sitting up it gradually rounded out, so it doesn't look odd, but it is still pretty flat. I commented on it the other day when all our family was around, and both my brothers and my mum immediately said, But we have totally flat heads, which really surprised me as I had never noticed, once you have hair, it obviously doesn't show!

My new baby has a totally round head, to the extent that she doesn't actually lie with her head flat, it always rolls to the side, so I think quite a lot is genetic.

My ds has a flat back of head too. Took him to a cranial sacral therapist and she gave me methods to "reshape" his head, basically feather touch stroking round the back of the head and from the temples upwards. Bones are still melding so they are supple, apparently it works. I have been doing this for a week and baby loves it.

might have to try a little massage with him. I dont notice it so much because i'm with him 24/7 but when we went over to my mums for mothers day a few people there pointed out that he still had a flad head! Poor little mite!!

My baby was born with flat head (plagiocephaly) on his left back side, and my nurse and I repositioned him from Day 3. We tried the logroll, or rolling up a towel for when he was in pram or bouncy seat. Nothing improved it, his head was still flat. So, at 5 months we saw a pediatric plastic surgeon and ordered a helmet from DocBand in America, after everyone, even doctors said, "what are you worrying about, ther'es no problem?" Even the London plastic surgeon was indifferent about putting him in it. Friends and doctors, even hubbie thought I was overreacting, yet he scored in the severe range for plagiocephaly. (the lowest numeral for severe but still.) See, I knew I wasn't crazy.

Now he's just out of his helmet after wearing it 2.5 months (he outgrew it), and I am still not 100% happy with roundness, though he is almost in the range of normal, and the helmet technician thinks he looks great. I am going to have him measured again to see if we need a second helmet, after about 3 more weeks. Bottom line, it's up to you the parent. Do not listen to any friends or experts. Helmet has done miracles towards improving his condition, but many babies do go into a 2nd helmet b/c it cannot guarantee perfection.

They have to wear it for 23 hours a day, but it's for such a short time in the scheme of things. Best is to have babe in it by 6 months old, but even as late as 14 months will get some improvement. BTW, my insurance company paid for it.

Loads of babies with weird heads around b/c mommies do not know, or do not think it's "that bad". Well, if you asked on mumsnet, then you must be concerned. I feel really sorry for some of the babies I know who's mothers do not seem to get it.

BTW, harder for boys, b/c they cannot "hide" their weird flat heads with back combing and hairspray like girls.

That being said, I do have a good friend who's DS had it 4 years ago, but they couldnt' find a helmet doctor in London b/c it didn't exist then. They ended up just repositioning and taking their chances. Well, their son now has a beautiful head. Lucky him. But, who knows? We just thought with all the repostioning we did, our baby coudlnt' get there on his own.

Good luck, it's a tough decision, but there is nothing lost by going to a plastic surgeon. Then you'll know.

thank you for that ccd - I have seen little ones in those helmets and always wondered what they were for - I also didn't realise that it was actually a condition, I was always just told that it's where they are lying on the back of their head so much and as they start sitting up and rolling over more it will correct itself as the bones continue growing. I think I'll ask the hv about it next time i see her

Hi all

There's an article on plagiocephaly in yesterday's News of the World. It's become quite a common problem since the advice to lay babies on their backs to sleep (sound advice, by the way).

I run an MSN support group for the condition if anyone wants to have a look or join. It's at:
groups.msn.com/PlagioUK

My son, Toby, has been in his helmet for five months and it's rounding his head nicely. The helmet doesn't bother him at all. His helmet is a STARband - their website is:
www.plagiocephalyuk.co.uk
and there's lots of information on the site about plagio and treatment, including repositioning.

Repositioning works up until about 6 months old, but after that the bones are a bit harder, and only growth will change the head shape. That's how the helmets work, by only allowing growth in the areas that you want it.

Claire