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Children's health

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Original poster

2.5 year old with flat head

18 replies

absmildred · 04/01/2023 11:23

Hi all.

I am absolutely distraught. My son has a flat head at back. I raised it as a concern when he was younger and no one helped me. I was just told it would sort itself out.. that it wasn't obvious cos he has thick curly hair etc. I followed all the guidance on NHS website but it hasn't corrected itself. And now I have realised it's too late to do anything about it. I am going to see GP next week but sure they will say it's just cosmetic. I am so upset that I didn't do anything more when he was younger. I hate the thought of him being sad and self conscious about it when he is older. Please please don't comment on here if you were clever enough to get your child a helmet. I didn't and it's too late now.

I really need to hear from other people who have same experience as me and how to get over other feelings of guilt I have. I can't stop crying. Thanks

OP posts:
MolesOnPoles · 04/01/2023 11:27

Have you ever, ever seen an adult and said ‘wow what a flat head’? Or known someone to be sad about the shape of their head?

It’s really a non issue.

spanktastic · 04/01/2023 11:31

My son had a flat spot on the side of his head which was really obvious, the health professionals were not really concerned and said it would right itself eventually, he's 14 now and although his head is not asymmetrical, it's nowhere near as bad.

Tickettothemoon · 04/01/2023 11:43

My daughter also had a really flat head when she was little. I was looking at photos the other day and couldn’t believe how flat it used to be. Her head is still pretty “non round” compared to other kids but seeing those photos shocked me how much she’d actually improved. Maybe try take a look back at old photos?

Please don’t feel guilty, you’ve followed advice. As long as he’s happy and healthy you’ve done a great job. No one notices the back of anyones head 💚

TallulahBetty · 04/01/2023 11:47

I'm confused. is 2.5 too late to get a helmet?

Original poster
absmildred · 04/01/2023 12:39

Yes apparently 18months is the latest they can use them. The skull fuses after this.

OP posts:
Original poster
absmildred · 04/01/2023 12:39

Thanks so much unfortunately it seems as bad now as it did then. I feel sick when I look at the pics.

OP posts:
Original poster
absmildred · 04/01/2023 12:40

Umm ok. Thanks.

OP posts:
Original poster
absmildred · 04/01/2023 12:41

Thanks x

OP posts:
Abigail69 · 04/01/2023 12:43

OP
See doc.
Sorry re how it is etc, really sorry
I hope your thread helps others that are fobbed off by these docs.

It is hard when a parent tells a doc something and you get fobbed off.
Thankfully, in places lie MN, though hardly anyone is professional here but many have loads of experiences in different areas and once these are shared, often thread starters can be helped.

If you have time OP, do let us know how you get on

Speedyshoes · 05/01/2023 16:33

Brachycephaly (flat head at the back) is actually really common. Once you "have your eye in", you see it everywhere - studies estimate that 12% of adults have Brachycephaly, so it's pretty much a guarantee you have walked past hundreds, and know several, and never noticed before.
This study might be some encouragement?

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32833829/

It concluded that even in bald men, cranial asymmetry was a non issue - plagiocephaly is incredibly hard to see in adults, and brachycephaly just goes unremarked upon.

I do understand how your heart hurts, and I can see how much you are blaming yourself, but I promise you, he will not be at all disadvantaged when he is grown up.

If you have other questions, there is a Facebook group called the Noggin Doctor's Plagiocephaly and Torticollis Discussion Board which is run by a Craniofacial Paediatric plastic surgeon, who answers questions about babies or children's heads for free. He is about as qualified as anyone you could ever meet.

Original poster
absmildred · 11/01/2023 19:58

Thanks everyone. A big help. I went to GP yesterday. As i suspected she agreed that his head is flat but nothing they can do.. she also said that they wouldn't have done anything even if I had come earlier. My son has no developmental delay or other concerns so basically he just has to live with it. She talked about how we will help him be confident in himself and not worry about it. So I just have to stop worrying and enjoy being mum cos crying all the time doesn't help anyone!

OP posts:
Emmab12345 · 25/10/2023 13:54

My son is 14 months today and he has flathead on one side. Everyone when he was a baby said it would correct itself. Now he’s fully mobile and it doesn’t seem like it’s got any better. GP told me to speak to a physiotherapist but she told me it’s cosmetic and I’d have to go private for the helmet at an unbelievable cost of 2.5-3k!!

lots of friends said their kids heads corrected naturally - what I’m wanting to know is if anyone’s childs head corrected after 14 months as the physio said it’s possible his skull has fused.

hattie43 · 25/10/2023 14:08

It'll only be an issue if he goes bald.

Emmab12345 · 25/10/2023 14:20

What about crop cuts on his hair? Is there no chance it’ll correct itself this late?

Miloandfreddy · 03/11/2023 23:15

Emmab12345 · 25/10/2023 13:54

My son is 14 months today and he has flathead on one side. Everyone when he was a baby said it would correct itself. Now he’s fully mobile and it doesn’t seem like it’s got any better. GP told me to speak to a physiotherapist but she told me it’s cosmetic and I’d have to go private for the helmet at an unbelievable cost of 2.5-3k!!

lots of friends said their kids heads corrected naturally - what I’m wanting to know is if anyone’s childs head corrected after 14 months as the physio said it’s possible his skull has fused.

Please don't worry about this. His head will round out naturally, and if it stays a little bit flat it will only be noticeable to you. My son is 12 now and had the flattest head ever as a baby, it's still flatter than some but perfectly normal, never ever has it been an issue for him.

Moomoomomo · 03/11/2023 23:43

My 6 year old had a flat head as a baby. Same as you I was dismissed pretty quickly when I raised a concern.

Anyway, now it is still not a perfectly found head but if has sorted itself out a lot. Definitely nobody would notice it unless I pointed it out.

Sparkleshine1 · 23/06/2024 22:48

Hi OP
Just wondering if you have an update on your son’s head? I have twin boys who have a flat head and like you all the healthcare professionals are saying it’ll correct itself

Letsbekindplease · 12/02/2025 21:52

I just wanted to jump on here as I often google and search mumsnet posts

my son is now 5.5 and still has an obvious flat head. I often go to bed feeling physically sick and hurt that we couldn’t stop this. His head is severely flat at one side and we have baldness that runs in both sides of the family.

I first noticed it when he was three months. Took him to the gp. Told me it would get better, it didn’t. Took him back again. She told me not to get a helmet because they don’t work. Sent him for a mri scan to rule out fluid on his brain. He was clear.

I would lay him on his side propped by pillows but the damage was already done.

i wasn’t aware of cranial osteopaths etc. had I had the knowledge, he wouldn’t have the flat head. Nobody else really notices it, but I do.

i will say that his head has improved over time. I only hope it continues to do so. X

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