Will my son need a helmet?

Ericalynn826

My son is 6 months old, Born July 31, 2014. I was in labor for 42 hours until finally I was rushed in for a c-section. He was stuck in the birth canal for such a long time that when he came out he had a really horrible cone head (see picture below) I've brought up my concerns to his doctor but his doctor said his head will round out on its own but he is now 6 months old and still has a pointy head and his head is flat as a board in the back. He has been sitting on his own for a few weeks now so he's not constantly putting pressure on his head by laying down. He's has had GERD and acid reflux since a newborn so he's always had to sleep on an incline, never flat. I am just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if intervention with a helmet will be required? Is he too old now for a helmet?
See pictures below and please any response will help!

lashachris

Poor baby! I have no experience with this but I would suggest seeing a specialist maybe an ortho and Nuero doc.

mcvgal

I have no experience either, but I'd ask for a second opinion. I don't think it ever hurts to ask.

KatWAG

My son is getting a helmet (for 10 weeks) on Wednesday.  

He was born at 33 weeks and spent a good amount of time in the NICU. His bones were softer when he was born since he was so premature. And while he was in the NICU, he spent a ton of time on his back. So now he has plagiocephaly and brachycephaly. Which basically means he has a flat and misshapen head. My LO also slept on an incline due to acid reflux which is a huge culprit of flat heads.  LO’s is severe enough that  is effecting his facial features. One cheek is a little bigger, one eye looks a bit more open, one ear is a bit more forward. Keep in mind this things are measured in millimeters but they can effect things like jaw alignment and how might wear glasses.

 

But do your research on helmets. Lots of insurance companies either won’t cover it or will only cover part of it because they consider it “cosmetic.” Also there was a study out of Europe that claim helmets didn’t fix anything that nature wouldn’t fix on its own. Meaning a helmet will even out my LO’s head in 8-10 weeks but this study claimed that by the time my son is 3 or 4 his skull should have even out on its own with proper therapy (tummy time, neck strengthening, etc) But by 3 or 4 it’s too late for a helmet and it is not worth the risk for me.

 

We are getting our helmet through Cranial Technologies. It weighs 6 oz and has to be worn 23 hours a day. I am sure it will be a big adjustment for my LO, especially considering he will have to sleep in it.

 

Talk to your ped. I think it is at least worth getting a consultation, your LO looks a lot like mine.  But the younger the baby is when they get the helmet, the less time they have to wear it to fix the issue.

 

I am happy to provide more insight after Wednesday when he has the helmet.

VTKatie

No experience with the helmet, but I do with the flat head. My daughter also has GERD and slept in the RNP for 4 months. It made her head REALLY flat.  She started rolling onto her tummy to sleep about 3 weeks ago and I have noticed a huge improvement in the shape of her head.  At her 6 month appt the doctor also said she has a larger than normal soft spot which causes the head to be flatter in the back.  As the soft spot closes, he said her head will continue to round out.  Have you checked to see if he has a very large soft spot?

KatWAG

@zerozeroone how long did it take your LO to adjust to the helmet? Does it still bother your LO? Did it mess up his sleep?

stephcupp

The consult at Cranial Technologies is free if you have one near where you live. My daughters head looked very similar to your sons and she has been in a helmet for 6 weeks with 4 more weeks to go. My insurance covered part of it but it was still around $800 out of pocket. It doesn't hurt to get a consult if you are questioning it. We have loved the experience with them and have been very happy with the results so far.

reils500

I'm a July 14 popping back in to check out the board. I'm also a pediatric PT. If you haven't already, get second opinion. If your son needs a helmet, the sooner you do it, the better (meaning less time required & better correction).
Good luck!

phklein

Gjm

Megan072414

My doctor told me that babies heads are shaping up to two or 3 years of age! They suggest LOTS of tummy time! Also, I was a C-section baby and my mom said I had a football head! They just let it work itself out and I have a perfectly normal round head now. A helmet probably wouldn't hurt but I think you would be fine without it!

KatWAG

Megan072414 said:

My doctor told me that babies heads are shaping up to two or 3 years of age! They suggest LOTS of tummy time! Also, I was a C-section baby and my mom said I had a football head! They just let it work itself out and I have a perfectly normal round head now. A helmet probably wouldn't hurt but I think you would be fine without it!

Okay, but what if you wait 2-3 years and it doesn't just work itself out? Then its too late for a helmet to fix the issue.

Then, what?

email2ash

My son was born with Torticollis and because he favored one side he also got a flat spot. We did PT starting at 2 mon and he now has normal muscle control of his neck! By 7 mon, although better the flat spot was still there. We opted for the helmet ($2100 out of pocket) and after two weeks already see a huge improvement! We have his appt later today to hopefully hear that he won't have to wear it much longer. They like to have it off within 2 months. You can see our happy guy below!