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Children's health

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Original poster

Baby has flat head.... will it get better?

34 replies

Courtney10891 · 15/12/2017 16:10

Hey guys, so subject says it all my 15 week old has a flat head. I started noticing it around 10 weeks. I took him to the gp because I was Very concerned. I was told not to worry but obviously I’m worrying. I paid to go and see a cranial osteopath who diagnosed torticollis and plagiocephaly. The torticollis seems to have been fixed and he can now turn his head both sides but it is still quite flat on one side of his head. The cranial osteopath recommended getting my baby a helmet. When I said this to the physio who I saw through the nhs she said no way should I get a helmet and it would correct by itself. His head is very flat on one side. Does anybody have any advice or know anything? I don’t really want to get him a helmet. Will it get better?

OP posts:

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furryelephant · 15/12/2017 16:17

A lot of the time it gets better as baby’s head grows more and they become more mobile/spending less time lying down. Or their hair grows and it just becomes a lot less noticeable! Trying to reduce the time baby is spent on their back/with head in the position lying on the flat bit can help, so lots of tummy time, holding them, wearing them in a sling rather than lying in the pushchair etc will all help try not to worry too much, it’s very common and a lot more adults than we think have a flatter head of some sort, you just can’t see it because of the hair

00100001 · 15/12/2017 16:18

If a GP and a physio have said don't do it, why would you?

It will correct itself, make sure to lie baby 9n a different side etc

reallyanotherone · 15/12/2017 16:21

Yes, it will resolve itself.

Put it this way. If those helmets did anything to avoid either physical or cosmetic issues the nhs would fund it. They do consider treatments, weigh up risks and benefits, and make informed decisions, you know. They don’t just decide they can’t afford something and who cares if a child ends up with a deformity.

So yes, there are very good reasons you don’t get those helmets on the nhs. Of course, should you want to pay the 3k for the helmet plus consultations with your cranial osteopath to oversee it, then go ahead...

Original poster

Courtney10891 · 15/12/2017 16:23

Thanks for your replies. The only reason I was considering the helmet was 1 - I’ve gone online and I guess got myself really worried. I’ve seen a lot of comments and stories where mums are saying they was also told by the gp/ physio that it would get better and it didn’t and then it was too late to do anything about it and 2 - I’ve started to notice one cheek is bigger then the other so thinking it could be affecting his face.

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whatithink · 15/12/2017 16:27

I have twins that both had this as they were so squashed together in my tummy they came out both favouring a side. In all the early baby pictures it is obvious now that they each favoured a side when lying down, but by the time we spotted it, it was too late to do anything about it. We spent many nights getting up to turn their heads the other way but of course it was pointless.

Even if it is bad, the NHS position on it is that it is purely cosmetic and will get better itself.

We considered helmets but I just couldn't make my little babies go through that. They have to wear them about 23 hours a day.

As other have mentioned, try and your child of its back as much as possible. Tummy time, carrying, walker etc.

10 years on I can honestly say with my two it is barely noticeable when they have wet hair. With dry hair you can't tell. It has got massively better and one of them had a really sharp angle to his flat bit.

Original poster

Courtney10891 · 15/12/2017 16:33

Thank you so much for you reply!! How old were your boys when you started noticing it improving? I literally never lay him on the flat side during the day but at night time he will always lay on the flat side, I’ve tried to
Move his head whilst he is asleep but he will always turn it back.

OP posts:

reallyanotherone · 15/12/2017 16:36

If you are noticing other deformity like cheek, not just the skull, go back to your gp.

Photos of how it is worsening over time, not improving, may also help.

The nhs had been known to fund helmets if individual cases are severe/complicated enough. See if you can get a paeds referral, try a google to see if you have any brachy/plagio specialists in your area. Frenchay used to have a good one, don’t know about anywhere else.

Remember, anyone advising you to get a helmet privately will profit from it, so it is in their interests to recommend it and dismiss nhs opinion.

Babybauble · 15/12/2017 16:39

My DD has this, Google scared me senseless. Ended up buying weird pillows which did zero. She's 6 months now and it's only just starting to improve. She was born with it, like you no Dr or health professional recommend anything and weren't concerned. I had a big baby but a tiny bump, so I'm sure that's the reason she was born with it. I don't worry now though as she has lots more hair and you can't tell much, it does usually improve.

LittleGreyBear · 15/12/2017 16:40

My eldest DS's flat head did not go away on its own but it's covered by his hair so doesn't show too much.
My friend's DS opted for a helmet but still has a flat head so not sure if the helmet worked. (Both age 5 now)

Make sure you only lie the baby on special baby pillows when sleeping or when lying on playmat. I think this is really important. I did this for my second DS and he didn't develop a flat head.

LittleGreyBear · 15/12/2017 16:42

The pillows should at least stop it from getting worse.

Original poster

Courtney10891 · 15/12/2017 16:46

Thanks everybody, it probably looks a lot worse because my baby is still basically bald lol hopefully soon he will start to grow some hair and it will cover it. You don’t really see many babies in the uk with helmets. I know they are quite a big thing in the states but I don’t think I’ve ever see a baby in London wearing one lol. I can’t help but stare at other babies heads and compare them to my baby. I use a pillow when changing his nappy and in the pram/ car seat and during the day I will let him sleep on the side when watching him but too scared to let him sleep on his side during the night x

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calamityjam · 15/12/2017 16:53

NHS funded my nephews helmet. I took dsis to some of his appointments and saw the measurements and how much it had improved. You can still tell a bit now, but it is loads better than it was.

Original poster

Courtney10891 · 15/12/2017 16:54

Hey thanks for your reply. Was your nephews head really bad in the beginning and how long did he have the helmet for? X

OP posts:

Original poster

Courtney10891 · 15/12/2017 16:55

This is my babies head.... as you can see at the back on the one side it’s very flat x

OP posts:

calamityjam · 15/12/2017 17:03

No my nephews head was way, way worse than your ds's. His whole head was completely out of line and totally flat on one side. He had to have physio on his neck as the muscles were stiff. I have seen heads on kids at nursery where I worked, similar to your Ds. They all corrected themselves over time.

FoofFighter · 15/12/2017 17:07

Dd flat head has improved ( it was a 5 on a scale of 1-6 latter being worst) but still noticeable. No treatment with helmets was recommended at the time. It really is impossible to predict what degree they'll be left with anyway. Her hair is grown to disguise it so most people don't notice but me of course. Very obvious when wet plus if in bunches it's impossible to get them level

FoofFighter · 15/12/2017 17:09

To add, no apparent problems from her torticollis at age 4. That was also very pronounced. Poor thing was properly wedged in inside me!

Original poster

Courtney10891 · 15/12/2017 17:10

I’ve been doing repositioning for the past 5 weeks and noticing a slight difference. For me the biggest worry is what if I leave it and it doesn’t get better and then it’s too late to try anything else. Plus he’s a boy what if touch wood he went bald early then what

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GreyMorning · 15/12/2017 17:23

Mimos pillow. Not cheap but it helps it's the only one that help and I'm using it with DC2 in the day just in case.

DS was prem and suffered plageosepgaly (which clearly I can no longer spell!) it was bad enough that at 12 months he appeared to have a squint from it. Now age 3 it's unnoticeable you can feel a bit of unevenness at the back of his head but his hair hides it, his ears aren't level but no one apart from me notices and glasses just about sit right when he wears them. I was so worried I'd ruined my child but honestly you can't notice it now. It was worse than your picture.

Original poster

Courtney10891 · 15/12/2017 17:30

Hey at what age did you start using the Mimos Pillow? And at what age did you notice it started improving? Thanks for you reply xxx

OP posts:

Sunisshining12 · 16/12/2017 16:35

Hi OP, your LO flat head is barely noticeable at all! I wouldn't have even know. Honestly that is nothing compared to my LO. My LO face isn't symmetrical, and one ear is so flat. He's 11 months now it hasn't improved at all despite physio, pillows & constant repositions. Make me so sad. He still favours that side which obv doesn't help. You Lo will be fine

Original poster

Courtney10891 · 16/12/2017 17:17

Hey, I’m so sorry to hear that. Have you thought about going down the helmet route? It’s horrible isn’t. Sometimes I feel like I’m so obsessed with repositioning him that I’m not enjoy the first year of his life. I just know how horrible kids can be and don’t want him ever gettIng bullied x

OP posts:

PurplePillowCase · 16/12/2017 17:24

dc had a very flat/wonky head.
it was totally outgrown by about 3 yo.

lots of tummy time/carrying in sling was advised both by gp and physio.
the helmets are not generally advised, they can cause discomfort and irritate skin.

PaddysMarket · 16/12/2017 17:28

My DD had a flat head, I used to always say her head was a funny shape and others would tell me they couldn't see what I see. At her 6 week check the first thing the HV said was how flat one side was. As much as I tried to get DD to change sides, she wouldn't. She's now 4 and her head looks just fine, tho it did cause me a lot of worry at the time....I guess I stopped noticing when her hair started to grow.

SimultaneousEquation · 16/12/2017 17:40

The issue about nhs funding is more complex than “if it works, they’d fund it”

It has been through clinica trials in the US and cranial orthotics (helmets) are funded by most insurance companies. They are regulated by the FDA. Because they are used on such young children, there is a high standard to which they must adhere.

There were two pilots for their use in the nhs, in Bristol, and I think in Hull. The problem was that NICE decided they couldn’t fund them as they didn’t fit into the right category to receive funds. Look it up - this decision would have been about 14 years ago.

Anyhow, my ds had quite severe plagiocephaly and brachycephaly. We went private for treatment and he wore a helmet for 5 months which corrected almost all of it. The tiny bit of remaining flatness that he had at 12mo, coming out of the helmet, is visible today (11 years later) when he has wet hair, if you know to look for it. Otherwise he is fine.

His flat head was pretty bad: his ears were a bit wonky and when his head was scanned we could see his forehead was pushed out on one side. I’m very glad we got him treated. Ds2 also developed a flat head due to the same underlying problem with his neck muscles but we spotted it at 2wo and he had physio which sorted it out by about 4mo, and his head didn’t develop the same deformation.

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