Helmet for Brachycephaly.. any one else?

Lferr417

So my son has torticollis and brachycephaly and we are getting his Boston Band helmet tomorrow.

He is typically a sweaty sleeper so I am definitely worried about potential rashes or overheating..experience? Plus were just hitting the hot summer months too- so that wont help!

We are also in the process of transitioning out of a Rock and Play in our room to his crib in his own room! for the past 3 nights he went from not having it... to spending an hour awake and ALMOST falling asleep... to sleeping 930-130am last night (caved and brought him back in after 20 minutes of fighting it)... slow but steady!

Did your LO's have any adjustments with the helmet and sleeping? I am worried that crib and helmet may cause for a few bad nights.. and I want to make this easy on him. Any advice that you have for our first week with it - cleaning, giving breaks - (should i start slowly introducing it?)- anything you can think of

Thanks in Advance!

Oh and he's 5 months old tomorrow (happy 5th months present right?!)

2moms2b

I don't have any advice but I just wanted to say I am right there with you.  We go next week to get one of our boys measured for a helmet.  His was caused in utero due to his brother being on his head for my pregnancy.  He is very hot natured and we live in the Houston area so I am definitely worried about the heat. My ped assures me they are so lightweight and very well vented so it shouldn't be an issue.

We are working on crib transitions now (they are both in rnps) so that when J gets his helmet he is used to sleeping in his crib.  Good luck and I am curious about other's experiences as well. 

Lferr417

We'll be in touch soon I'll PM you our experience next week if you'd like! 

cmhicklin

For my DD I was very surprised, I put it on her and she was perfectly fine with it.  No adjustment period required.  She is hot natured also, and honestly we stayed in a lot that summer. We had a Star band (I think...) and it she would get super sweaty in it. She couldn't walk yet, and wasn't upset about missing out on outside time.  She was supposed to wear it 23 hours a day, but it was off a little more than that the few times we went swimming. 

jo4janet

I went through this with DD1. She had plagiocephaly and she got the helmet from April (during the time she turned 8 months) to her first birthday in August. She is also very hot natured. She actually got contact dermatitis and in hindsight I think it was partly due to some heat rash, as well. Anyway, we ended up getting a stocking cap for her head as a barrier to help with the skin rash and it eventually went away. We had the Starband. Good luck and I hope you have a positive experience. PS It did not ruin her sleep and she also had torticollis. I think it was congenital and I didn't realize it until I realized she had the plagio. She had the cord wrapped around her neck at birth, which I believe caused the torticollis.

Lferr417

jo4janet:

I went through this with DD1. She had plagiocephaly and she got the helmet from April (during the time she turned 8 months) to her first birthday in August. She is also very hot natured. She actually got contact dermatitis and in hindsight I think it was partly due to some heat rash, as well. Anyway, we ended up getting a stocking cap for her head as a barrier to help with the skin rash and it eventually went away. We had the Starband. Good luck and I hope you have a positive experience. PS It did not ruin her sleep and she also had torticollis. I think it was congenital and I didn't realize it until I realized she had the plagio. She had the cord wrapped around her neck at birth, which I believe caused the torticollis.

HIM TOO!! He had the cord wrapped around and had a stiff neck since birth but his doctor never mentioned it more than just a tight muscle... and then i noticed the head tilt and asked again and got "oh yea he has mild torticolis call the EI people" then i did and she only wrote that he has aquired tort.. which doesnt make sense... ARGH! frustrates me.. but luckily EI did a assessment and they are treating him 

milesfromthesun

just a question for the moms with babies with torticollis...my son has had it since birth pretty much.  i noticed he would always hold his head to one side.  my hubby thought nothing of it, and my pedi didn't mention anything about it till his 4 mo visit....then referred us to a physical therapist.

do you, or have you, ever put your baby in the snugabunny (or monkie, lol) swing?  every time i put DS in there, his neck comes out all cockeyed, and we have to do his stretches again. ive stopped putting him in his swing (he doesn't like it for more then 10 mins anymore anyway) but I was just curious if the swings could be further damaging his neck.