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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

Flat head - Anyone used the helmet?

44 replies

mama2moo · 14/04/2010 18:20

10 week old dd has had a flat head on one side since she was 3 weeks old. I take her to a Cranial Osteopath as she only turns her head to one side which is causing the problem.

I am try to re position when she sleeps and plays but it is hard. The CO is defo helping.

Dp and I have been looking into how to fix the problem as it bad (I will post a photo on my profile in a mo)

The helmet seems to be the only way to fix it but at £2000 it is pricey if it doesnt work.

Has anyone tried it? Did it work? how old was your lo when you did it?

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Original poster

mama2moo · 14/04/2010 18:25

Photo posted on my profile page.

OP posts:

Woobie · 14/04/2010 18:36

HI Mama,
I have no personal experience, but my best friends DS (now just turned 1yr) had a very flat head for a long time. (Much more noticable than your LO in the photo.)
She was very worried & went to see various specialists as it didn't seem to get better. They reassured her it would & said to go back later this year if it didn't improve.
Well it is improving. He's still got a little bit of a flat shape, but it's definately correcting itself. I'm sure she said it was something to do with his brain growing & basically making his head get rounder to fit it (iyswim) - thought they probably said it differently!!
£2000 sounds rather pricey if it's something that will probably sort itself out.
Have you been told otherwise? & have you been to see the doc for their advice?
Good luck - Fwiw I don't think it is very noticable (especially compared to my friends ds,) but I do appreciate how concerned she was, so I hope you get things sorted, or at least some piece of mind whilst waiting.
xx

FabIsGoingToGetFit · 14/04/2010 18:38

WIll look at your pics in a minute.

DD had the helmet, Was about £2500 and it worked better than the doctor expected. So good he wrote a paper on her.

FabIsGoingToGetFit · 14/04/2010 18:39

Yes, I think treatment will help your dd but I think your next step is to get her assymetry measured.

castlesintheair · 14/04/2010 18:44

Your DD's head doesn't look too bad to me and will probably correct naturally. Having the helmet does work but it costs money and is a pita for a few months and also, like I said, it will probably correct itself naturally. Personally I'd wait until she is a bit older (10 weeks is very young) and see if there is any change. CO is very effective at helping to turn head in the other direction, which is what is causing the plagio.

smokinaces · 14/04/2010 18:48

We had the helmet at £2000 at LOC. DS2 was 4months old and had had a flat head from birth (traumatic delivery, 98th centile head etc) He was 16w when he got it and 32w when it was finished. His head still has a very slight flat patch only I can really see, but thats because his head fused at a very young age (way under a year) and no more manipulation could be done.

His ears were out of line, and now are straight. His whole face changed shape after the treatment, it was worth every penny.

Most clinics will give first consultations as free - and I can vouch for LOC being very honest as to whether other treatments will work before they go towards the helmet. They are also unlikely to see a child under 4 months.

I have some photos too, through a FB profile if you wanted to see?

FabIsGoingToGetFit · 14/04/2010 18:50

castlesintheair You can not possibly know whether it will correct itself naturally or not. The OP has to decide if she is willing to take that chance that it won't.

castlesintheair · 14/04/2010 19:07

Fab, that's why I said "probably". Obviously she has to decide for herself but she asked for the opinion of people who have had experience of helmets/flat heads so I gave mine.

MissWooWoo · 14/04/2010 19:09

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet.

supergreenuk · 14/04/2010 19:17

how do you see the picture?

FabIsGoingToGetFit · 14/04/2010 19:19

The hair comments makes me believe that people still believe plagiocephaly is a cosmetic issue.

supergreenuk · 14/04/2010 19:19

okay found it sorry. That looks like my daughters head. I am speaking to the health visitor tomorrow.

chibi · 14/04/2010 19:24

When ds's head had a flat patch we used a sleepcurve mattress- it has a dip in it where the head goes so that there isn't pressure on just one bit of the head.

This pretty much sorted it for us, though of course it depends in how severe the flat patch is.

MissWooWoo · 14/04/2010 19:32

sorry didn't mean to offend - have asked for post to be removed

onebadbaby · 14/04/2010 19:38

My friends dd had a very flat head- She is now 5 and still asymmetrical. Her hair does hide it, but she does have to be careful of the style- she never wears a ponytail or pigtails as this emphasizes it- and she looks quite odd in hats sometimes. If it was my dd I would at least look into treatment. By the way, your dd doesn't look that bad..

Original poster

mama2moo · 14/04/2010 19:41

Thanks all, I wasnt too fussed until I took this photo and looked at it.

What age do they fit the helmet if we did go down that route? I think I will leave it a few months and see what happens.

I would be interested to see other photos, I have found some online that look similar to my dd's.

I asked my HV and she suggested a Goi goi pillow. Maybe I will try that as well before anything else.

OP posts:

chibi · 14/04/2010 19:45

ds's head was like this - a special pillow/matress could be the answer

he is 11 months old now, his head is fine.

FabIsGoingToGetFit · 14/04/2010 19:46

Helmets work better the sooner they are used.

Get the assymetry measured.

zapostrophe · 14/04/2010 19:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

laurielee · 14/04/2010 19:48

Bit of a hijack, but my DS (now 2.5) has a bit of a flat head on one side after favouring his right side for sleeping on as a baby. I always though that it was just a cosmetic issue, but Fab, you say not - what problems might it cause?

Thanks.

myermay · 14/04/2010 19:51

my ds had a helmet when he was 4 mth old, he had a very flat head to one side, it affect his facial features. We tried CO, which didn't do much, repositioning etc. Eventually we decided to go with the helmet and it work fantasically, you'll never get perfect - but whose head is? the younger you do it the better results you will get. We went to LOC in kingston and the lady was great who we saw. I do think it's more noticable at the side than at the back. We were luck enough that my parents paid otherwise we'd still be paying it off. Good luck with whatever you decide

Original poster

mama2moo · 14/04/2010 19:53

I will look into getting her measured and go from there.

laurielee My dd was 8lb 13oz at birth, back to back (turned just before delivery) and was engaged at 36 weeks. The CO thinks this is why she always turned to one side IYSWIM. After 2 sessions she is already better at looking the other way but still favours that side when lying down. You can go to a CO at any age and Im sure its helping.

OP posts:

smokinaces · 14/04/2010 19:59

my photos

should be the album of DS2s plagio treatment.

onebadbaby · 14/04/2010 20:17

Do you think his could be an hereditary condition. I know a few babies who have flat mis-shapen heads- and in both cases one of their parents does too??

onebadbaby · 14/04/2010 20:24

this not his- not meant to anyone in particular.

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