Treatment for flat head syndrome - mimos pillow

[Houndsandbooks]

Hello
my daughter is 8 weeks old and we have noticed that her head is slightly flat on one side. She has always preferred to sleep facing one side and this is the cause. I have mentioned it to the doctor and the health visitor who have both said it will correct itself but she is refusing to face the other way.
I have done some research and have come across the mimo pillow.

Has anyone had any success with this?

Any other practical advise appreciated.

I don't know anything about the pillows but both my kids had flat heads when they were babies. I used to worry so much especially with the first but when they start sitting up and crawling it seemed to sort itself out.

They are not safe for babies to sleep on due to sids risk. Your health visitor is right, it will correct itself.
I work on nicu and the vast majority of babies have a side preference and get flat headed. We try and turn their head to the other side but most of time they flip back to their preferred side. We don't use any pillows or props because they aren't safe and head shape corrects itself as the baby gets older.

I took my DD to a cranial osteopath who specialises in babies. Within a few sessions she gained movement and would turn her head both ways. I also made an effort to hold her more (second child) and when possible have her nap in the sling. Could just have been her growing older but I found it reassuring to be "doing" something about it.

Tummy time and sling use
Don't use any pillows they are not safe. Your baby will be rolling on their side/front all the time soon anyway

We had the same issues, maybe look into the Perfect Noggin? It's a molded frame with a concave recess for the head which helps correct misshapen heads. It was designed by a pediatric plastic surgeon who specialises in correcting cranial flattening. If you search for "The Noggin Doctor" on FB you should find his page which has a lot more info on it, he seems pretty active in responding to people's questions and requests for advice. The website has links to the peer reviewed studies on it's efficacy and safety, it is a mattress in itself, so does not count as something extra in the crib as regards SIDS risk.

It's not cheap at about £130 and can only be used overnight til baby can roll so it may not be worth it for everyone, but we've definitely seen a difference since using it, although whether that is just her head naturally rounding out as it grows, I couldn't say. Glad we got it though, if only for my peace of mind!