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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Baby's sleeping position

11 replies

Rob1n · 08/03/2010 11:52

Hi,
Does anyone have any tips on how I can get my 7 week old to lie with his head facing the opposite side to what he's got used to? He has almost always slept with his head to the right, but I realy need to get him to sleep with it on the left because his head is flat on one side.
I have tried turning his basket around so that i am on the opposite side, tried propping him up with various things (although not sure this is really safe) and tried putting something for him to look at on the other side. I can put him down with his head to the other side, but he always turns around at some point, and i don't know whether it's worth waking him up to try and adjust?
Nothing is working! Any ideas please? I a worried about what the outcome will be if the shape of his head doesn't balance out - the doc wants to see him again in a week to see if it has changed.
Many Thanks

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Seona1973 · 08/03/2010 12:22

you could try using one of the special baby pillows designed to help correct/prevent flattening of the head. We use one of these ones although at the time they were called goi goi pillows.

AuntyC · 08/03/2010 13:42

Are you putting him down on his back or his front? It sounds from what you are saying that you are putting him on his front which isn't recommended anymore. If he is lying on his back I wouldn't have thought he could put enough pressure on one side of his head to flatten it. You could try putting him on his side, with a rolled blanket behind his back so that he stays on his side. Then you could alternate which side you put him on.

Seona1973 · 08/03/2010 14:29

the back to sleep campaign has caused a huge increase in flattening of the head - they lie on their back but turn their head to a specific side and that side flattens. Back sleeping is safer than side sleeping which is why I recommended a pillow specifically for babies.

heth1980 · 08/03/2010 14:46

watching this thread with interest.........my 3 wk old DD always has her head turned to the right and her head is noticably flatter on this side. She sleeps on her back btw. I turn her head to the middle or to the left once she's asleep but she just turns it straight back again! She does this whether she's in the moses basket, car seat or bouncy chair and I have no idea what (if anything!) I can do to stop her.

Original poster

Rob1n · 15/03/2010 13:01

Thanks for your replies - I didn't think pillows were safe for use under 1 year old? How are they different to a normal pillow - just smaller?
We are putting him to sleep on his back. One week on we are not having much success. We can put him down while he is asleep with his head to the other side, or turn it once he has gone to sleep, but it soon ends up the other way. Not sure what we can do. I mentioned to the hv that the doc wanted to check his head again and she said she didn't see the point and didn't see the problem with him having a preferred side or a very oddly shaped head! I don't want him to get older and to only be able to lie on one side of his head.

OP posts:

angel1976 · 15/03/2010 14:55

Have you considered if your baby has torticollis? My DS1 was diagnosed with torticollis at 4 months old (after being dismissed by HVs and GPs as just preferring to lie on one side, I took him to a pediatrician who diagnosed it straightaway!). Before that, I tried everything to make him turn his head the other way - goi goi pillow etc and nothing worked. We were referred to a physio and it was an intense set of exercises (to be done 3x a day, the physio teaches you how to do it) that worked in the end. DS1 was finally discharged when he turned 1 but he still has a slight tilt and also a very slight flat head on one side. You really need to get on your doctor as if it is torticollis, it is a lot easier to fix when they are little and their head muscles aren't as developed...

debka · 15/03/2010 15:45

drawing pins worked for us (just kidding... )

Original poster

Rob1n · 17/03/2010 13:11

been back to the docs today and she suspects it is torticollis - so not just problem with slightly flat head but with the muscles tightening on one side. have been referred for physio but 6 week wait so it's going to be a lot worse by the time i get some help!

OP posts:

DawnAS · 17/03/2010 13:55

Rob1n, sorry that you're going through this but definitely try one of the pillows that has been recommended.

My DD is now 9 months always slept on her back. Unfortunately the back of her head is now completely flat and very noticeable. We have a hospital appointment tomorrow and are expecting that they will suggest helmet treatment, which is definitely not what we want, but may be the only thing that helps in the end.

You have got lots of time for this to be put right and Cranial Osteopathy (sp?) I have heard works well for babies of your LO's age. Maybe something to look into - I think it's too late for us to go down that route.

Good luck!

Mouseface · 17/03/2010 14:16

Yes, agree with AuntyC and DawnAS - you need to support you little one so that he lies on his side. You can alternate sides as he wakes for feeds, or stirs in the night until you get some advice from physio. I used a small hand towel, rolled up behind his back and slipped between DS's legs to prevent rolling onto his back. So he looked like he was in the recovery position.

It will reduce the flattening from the pressure/weight of his head.

Good luck

angel1976 · 17/03/2010 19:36

Rob1n - Is there anyway you can pay for a private physio? The only reason why I am suggesting is because your DS1 is only little and with a series of very simple exercises that the physio will teach you to do with your little one, he will improve greatly within weeks. If you wait another 6 weeks, his neck muscles would have strengthened and it would be harder to fix. So you only need that ONE appointment to get the exercises. It's what you do everyday that will matter.

My personal experience was that the exercises were awful to begin with. Had to do them 3 times a day and it involved basically holding down one side of DS's face to force the muscles to stretch. You also had to do a 'tilt' stretch, which involved you holding down his shoulder and the side of his face so you are stretching them away from each other. He screamed at first but we persisted as we didn't want to end up going down the helmet or operation route. He got used to it very quickly and you could tell within weeks that his tilt was much better. But you need a trained physio to show you the correct way to do them. It makes me angry that just a set of simple exercises early on can make such a huge difference but most doctors and HVs just dismiss torticollis when the baby is little. For me, I bought all sorts of gadgets, pillows etc and they never did anything! Please try and get some help now. Good luck!

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