Flat head | Imamother

1stimer

Mon, Feb 07 2005, 11:59 am

Does anyone know how important re-positioning is for a baby with a flat head? My baby has a flat head due to positioning, and I am wondering if I should persist with re-positioning e.g. when he is sleeping move head to other side even though he might wake up?

zuncompany

Mon, Feb 07 2005, 12:02 pm

We are a B"H success story with this! Tev had a flat side and would only turn his head one way at 2 months. Our ped gave us ideas and we were viligent about repositioning and adding in tummy time. At 4 months it was looking better (which is usually the height of it). We kept up all the hard work (which was so much easier cause he liked tummy time more and he started rolling on his own and going on his tummy more while playing anyway. We just had his 6 month appointment and the ped said it looks 100% better! Its totally worth the repositioning.

sara

1stimer

Mon, Feb 07 2005, 12:06 pm

dovid has a flat head and would also only turn one head to one side - but it was b/c of torticolis (the neck muscle was tight) b'h it was diagnosed at 6 weeks, he started pt at 2 months. He now bh (5 months) is almost completly better and only needs pt once a month. but his head, while better is still flat.

what ideas did your ped give you?

zuncompany

Mon, Feb 07 2005, 12:36 pm

gil wrote:

what ideas did your ped give you?

Cause Tev hated tummy time (would scream bloody murder to the point of holding his breath) to do things like put him on your tummy, tummy to tummy and play with him. For only a few mins at a time. We bought a few tummy time toys off ebay for a few bucks to get him interested in being on his tummy. Sit him up on your lap so he had to hold his head up and distract him on the side he doesn't like to look at. He liked this so much more than tummy time. Also we got the go ahead for an exersaucer at 4 months and the johnny jumper. He loves those and it keeps him off his head... only should put them in for short times though. He also told us to put Tev on his side to sleep instead of his back and prop the flat side so he wouldn't roll back on it. We would lay him like this in his crib (which was a whole different horrible situation that we now know was reflux) and got some awesome crib toys to try and keep him happy laying on the non-flat side. Also the company that makes boppy makes something for flat heads. I don't know what its called. Our ped told us if things didn't get better he would find out for us what its called. Maybe your ped has heard of it and can tell you where to find it.

sara

Tovah

Tue, Feb 08 2005, 11:12 am

my baby also had a flat head bh it rounded out since now she sleeps on her stomach. but my doc told me and I think it helped every other night switch where she sleeps ie: one night place her head at the head of the bed and the next at the foot of her bed.

wonder

Wed, Mar 30 2005, 10:09 am

What is a flat head?
My baby had his head a little over to the right, and would only like to look and turn one way, is that a flat head? B'h he straightened out now, we also spoke to him and showed him things on the side he didnt turn to, and also put him on his stomach alot.

1stimer

Thu, Mar 31 2005, 4:17 am

wonder, a flathead is when the shape of the head is assymetrical.

A separate thing, is when the baby only looks to one side and positions his head to one side to and does not have a full range of movement. This could indicate torticollis, which is a tight muscle in the neck. A lot of tummy time and physiotherapy usually can make the condition better, occasionally some kids need surgery to correct it.

Related to that, when a baby is always lyeing on one side it might cause the head to get flat.

BlumaG

Fri, Apr 01 2005, 11:30 am

I asked mym otherin law n I was wrong sorry
her daughter had an elongated head n she took her to some kind of bone/head manipulator and within a few monthsi t was fine, she wasnt born like that it got that way after a few wks, her skull bones were overlapping.