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Parenting

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Original poster

Flat head = bad mummy?!

37 replies

samnbabes · 21/09/2006 11:22

My dd (6 months) has developed a really flat little bonce. This isn't just mummy-madness -random people I meet are poining it out - my h/v said it'd sort itself out, but it's getting worse, and having done a net trawl, I'm told that after 6 months, the bones start hardening and it doesn't get better.

Am in severe beat-self-up mode for having let this happen ... has anyone had experience of heads sorting themselves out when bubas start sitting. Please?!

(PS Have stamped at doc and got ped consult - but obviously won't be for months...)

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JessaJam · 21/09/2006 11:25

Yep, the back of ds head was really flat for ages until he started to sit up and crawl about. MIL was starting to look anxious about it! People were mentioning it too, and I would just smile and say "I know"...
I read somewhere (on MN, naturally) that it's been linke dto the fact that we are all now told to make babies sleep on their backs ...but that could be total rubbish.

liquidclocks · 21/09/2006 11:30

Not rubbish at all JessaJam - that's exactly the reason why loads of babies now have flat heads. Some are worse than others, just depends how soft the skull is.

You really don't need to worry samnbabes, it will start to go back to a more round shape and when they start getting thicker hair around 12-14 months ish, it really becomes very un-noticable. There's very little you could have done so don't beat yourself up - my DS had a very flat head too (at 22 months you can't tell now, it's very rounded again) - I'm due no.2 in week and I've bought a special memory foam pad for this one but tbh, I don't know if it will work and if it doesn't I don't mind, it will sort itself out in time anyway - all my friends baby's heads have too.

NotAnOtter · 21/09/2006 11:31

i have had five children - two had flat heads - one 6 months one 12. one a girl one a boy. they look alike. I think its all tosh. DP has a terribly peanut shaped head .... i cannot imagine why it should matter

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FlameSparrow · 21/09/2006 11:32

DS is now 7 months and is just starting to round out if that makes you feel better?

MrsApronstrings · 21/09/2006 11:34

also remember that once proper hair grows in what appears very flat will not be noticeable

Kelly1978 · 21/09/2006 11:44

both my dts have flat heads. Its called plagiocephaly or brachiocephaly depending where the falt bit is. dt1 is still very niticeable, he is now 18mnths. dt2's head has rounded out so that it isn't notriceable. I can sympathise with how you feel, as I feel bad because I think it was a lot to do with them spending too mcuh time in car seats.
There is helmet therapy available if it really bothers you, but it isn't available on the NHS and costs a lot. Plus it means putting baby in a helmet for 23 hours a day. It is only a cosmetic problem though, and I think too mcuh fuss is being made about it. My dp also has a very flat head, so I think it may be partly hereditry. I simply worked on repositioning mine, and had some success.

hana · 21/09/2006 11:46

please don't beat yourselves up about it - it is becoming more common

it is imp that young babies have tummy time from early on as well, so they get used to being not just on their backs - also good for strengthening their neck muscles

Original poster

samnbabes · 21/09/2006 11:47

Ohh, this is why I love mumsnet - 10 mins later and I'm feeling much better!! Spent last night cuddling her in bed b/cos I didn't want her to lie on her flat little bonce. Mad mummy moment...!

DS always had a lovely round head, but then he wouldn't let me put him down for more than 10mins at a stretch!!

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mumblechum · 21/09/2006 11:53

My son's 12 now and still has a bit of a flat back of head. When he was a baby his head was kind of lollipop shaped and I was q. paranoid about it. Now, it's barely noticeable. A couple of kids have commented on it at school over the years, but because he can't see it himself he doesn't give a stuff. The rounding out process took years in ds's case, so don't worry that it has to fix itself in the early days.

Mellowma · 21/09/2006 12:04

Message withdrawn

Original poster

samnbabes · 21/09/2006 12:40

Thanks everyone. Does anyone know at what stage repositioning stops being effective? I've read 6 months (typical that I'd read that as she hits 6 months hey?) ...

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Kelly1978 · 21/09/2006 13:13

well it is usually at around that age that they start helmet therapy, so the bones are definately not set at that age. I think it becomes less effective after a year or so. I didn't notice my dt's plagiocephaly untilt hey were around 8/9 months, and repositioning helped event aht late, so it is worth a go.

Original poster

samnbabes · 21/09/2006 13:45

Thx Kelly - interesting that there's been a different result for your two dts - will tell myself that there must be a pretty strong genetic componant and try to stop beating myself up - she's been a very good baby, so has spent more time lying about on her own than was good, I guess.
I know it won't have any real effect later, just really horrid to feel I've 'broken' her, iykwim....

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Kelly1978 · 21/09/2006 13:52

I know what you mean, because I feel bad myself, but you certainly have not broken her! The flatter baby of my two (dt1) is actually a lot more like dp. The boys are mixed race and dt1 is darker and looks jsut like him, and now he has the flat head like him too
It is still very early there is a very good cahnce that your dd will round out. I repositioned mine with blankets, jsut to get rolled over enough so that they were off the back of their heads a bit, and it was enough. Good luck with it, but don't worry too much if it doesn't work.

beckybrastraps · 21/09/2006 13:53

I have also been steaming angry about this recently. Dd has a flat head, as does her brother, and, I suspect not entirely coincidentally, her father. But with dd it was rather more noticeable because she took ages to grow any hair. And there has been a lot about this in the papers, so a strange woman felt able to commiserate with me on my daughter's "deformity". ANd then, ignorant woman that she was, speculated that it could be linked to her speech delay.

I won't medicalise this. I'm very reluctant to use the word "plagiocephaly". She has a bit of a flat head. Now dhe has more hair, it doesn't really notice. Ds's doesn't notice at all. Dh's only does because he wears his hair pretty short. No-one ever comments about him. It is pretty shocking that "random people" feel it is appropriate to comment to you. It makes me

Original poster

samnbabes · 21/09/2006 14:59

wow becky - at how unbelieveably rude random people can be. Will look at dh's head tonight. Am a big believer in blaming everything on daddy's rubbish genes - he was a bad sleeper, has asthma/exzema (sp?)/hayfever ... so no reason this shouldn't be his fault too

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Original poster

samnbabes · 21/09/2006 19:12

bump for the evening crowd - any more reassuring stories out there?

And any more pratical repositioning tips also welcome - how can I encourage her to sleep on the wrong side - have shopved a couple of rolled up blankets under the mattress in the hope gravity will help...?

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Original poster

samnbabes · 21/09/2006 20:14

anyone?

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Kelly1978 · 21/09/2006 20:16

i put the blankets actually to the side of my babies rather than under the matress.

There is also a pillow you can buy here but I have no idea of effectiveness.

Kelly1978 · 21/09/2006 20:20

I looked at this one here but blankets were sufficient for mien in the end.

chocohead · 21/09/2006 20:52

Noticed my dd's head was flater on one side at around 2 months. Tried repositioning but somehow she always managed to get back to that side.

Anyway at around 8 months when she started to crawl she started sleeping on her front and doesn't spend all her time on that side.

Her head is gradually rounding out. I was really worried about it at first, same as you, beating myself up about it.

I went to docs and paed's who have told me it will sort itself out although it may not ever be completly round but lots of people have asymetry (sp?).

Hope this gives you some reasurrance x

Original poster

samnbabes · 21/09/2006 21:12

Thx Kelly & Chocohead - am slowly beating self up less...

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CheekymonkeysGreatestHits · 21/09/2006 21:51

DS had very flat head on right hand side as he slept with his head that way. We went to consultant and he said to lie on side for a while during the day but he alway managed to wriggle himself away from the blanket and turn to his favoured side. Consultant discouraged helmet business and tbh I don't think I could have put him through 23 hours a day of wearing that contraption.It has now started to 'round out' quite nicely although his ears are out of alignment and he's 18 months and it's all part of his charming gorgeousness

Original poster

samnbabes · 21/09/2006 21:56

Good to hear consultants are anti-helmets, as I really don't want to feel I should be going down that route. Thx

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mummyt23 · 04/01/2009 23:13

so glad to have found this message board. have been looking everywhere for people that have left the head to correct itself as this has been the advise from the hv, gp and physio for my 7 month old. however all i had found on the net was people raving about the helmet therapy and was really worried that would be the only option but not so much the case after seeing all your messages. would still love to hear anymore reasuring stories though. thanks all x

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