Babies: 0 - 3 Months

Slight flatness on back right side of head

I didn't notice but at our 2 month appointment, the dr. told us DS has some flatness on the right back side. I've noticed when he sleeps, he is always looking to the right. Now we need to prop things under his head so he is looking straight on or to the left to even out his head. She said in some cases, babies have to wear a helmet for 23 hours a day for a few months to reshape the skull. :( I hope DS doesn't have to wear the helmet. Did anyone else get this feedback at their appointment? The only way to position him so he doesn't move his head to the right at night is to have him sleep in his bouncy chair, I feel so bad for him. :(
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Re: Slight flatness on back right side of head

  • same here! my pedi recommended rolling towel or blanket up and propping his right side up  (under his back) so he cant lay his head to the right. also alot of tummy time. she said if we kept up with it, he'd stop favoring the right side and his head would be okay!
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  • note to my above post - only prop your LO while they're awke and supervised!
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  • Here too....pedi said also to play with him on the floor and to talk to him on his leftside so he always has to turn his head that direction. I hope it gets better!
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  • we just were told the same thing....no helmet though
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  • We don't have this but have you tried propping him completely?  Rolling up a receiving blanket behind him will prop him towards his side and makes the head either look up or off to the other side.  We did this at the recommendation of our pedi when Alyssa wouldn't sleep on her back for more than an hour or two. 

    Another thing you could try is using those head positioners from carseats maybe?  If you can figure out a way to keep it stationary within the crib.

    I'm out of ideas but good luck!

  • We were told the same thing about Ryan's head at his 2 month appointment. We moved his sleep sheep and the seahorse to the other side of the crib so he looks the other way when he falls asleep. We're hoping that does the trick!
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  • We were told to do a lot of tummy time.  We also have her sleep on her side at night using the sleep positioner and some of her naps are on her tummy (fully supervised).
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  • Katie has this on the left side and she does favor looking that way while laying down.  The reason is we have a mirror in her crib and she loves to look at herself.  The pedi. told us to change the mirror to the other side.

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  • I also responded on the 3-6 board

    Sounds like your LO has left torticollis (tightening of the left neck muscle cause her to turn her head to the right and tilt to the left) and plagiocephaly (flat spot). DS has/had the right torticollis and it is not a big deal when caught early and easily treatable. 2 months of physical therapy has resolved DS torticollis but his head shape did not respond to repositioning so we put him in a DOC Band from www.cranialtech.com

    I would start seeing a physical therapist, they will show you helpful stretches and repositioning techniques. Hopefully you caught it early enough to avoid a helmet. There are a lot of us dealing with this. Good Luck and let me know if you have any questions. Keep us updated!

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  • My LO had the same thing.  We saw a specialist and got some therapy excercizes to losen his neck muscles on one side and we have to position him on the same side for bed every night but in 3 weeks it has almost completely corrected itself.  The thing is if it gets bad enough, it can effect their site and even cause TMJ later in life so its not something to ignore.
    accordingtoabby.com" "From of suffering emerges the strongest souls. The most massive characters are seared with scars." Kahlil Gibran
  • Also posted in new thread... 

    My pedi noticed DS's torticollis at his 2 month appt and very casually showed us 1 stretch to do with him.  He also emphasized tummy time.  I really wish he had been more aggressive and referred me to a physical therapist after that appt.

    As the weeks past I became increasingly worried about DS's torticollis and plagiocephaly and finally got a referral to a PT.  I had been doing the 1 stretch the pedi showed me WRONG.  I STRONGLY suggest that if you suspect your LO has torticollis, go see a PT that treats infants. 

    I was shown 2 stretches, one to rotate the head and one to tilt it.  Your LO has to cooperate with the stretch.  We were supposed to try to hold the stretch for 30 sec and do 3 reps 5 times a day.  We were also told 1 hour of tummy time per day.  After 2 months of PT I don't notice DS favoring one side over the other.  I NEVER would have achieved these results without the help of a PT.

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  • DD#1 had flattening of the side of the head and torticollis, she wore a helmet for 4 months, I hated it more than she did.  I hope to God DD#2 doesn't have the same problem.
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