anyone succesfully get rid of flat spot on head??

scarlett2288

my DS is almost 3 months and i've noticed a flat spot on the side he sleeps on most.  yeah, i know i shouldve alternated sides from the get-go but i honestly didn't know this until now.  for the past week or so i've been sleeping on the opposite side of the bed, as he likes to face me while we sleep...   i'm wondering if this will flatten out the other side, making them even...  or will less pressure on the flat side cause it to round out??  if you fixed the flat spot on your LO succesfully, how long did it take??

MrsPreK

DS had a bad flat spot but it cleared up the more he sat up and wasn't laying down so much. His head was rounded out before a year old.

There is hope, lol. My DH thought DS's was so bad that he talked to our pedi about having him wear a helmet. Our pedi laughed at him

b.heather

I strongly suggest you take this seriously and talk to your pedi about it. Plagiocephaly (flat head) is quite common due to back sleeping, and it is easily corrected through agressive repositining and/or helmeting/banding, but the earlier it is diagnosed and treated the better your outcome will be. It really isn't something you want to let go for a year and then try to fix. (For example, if helmeting in required it works best between 4-8 months).

Having your baby sleep off the flat side is very important. You can physically turn their head, but also moving the crib so what baby likes to look at is on the opposite side - for example, put a blank wall on the side with the flat spot so there is nothing interesting over there.  LO also needs to spend as much time off the flat spot as possible (sitting in a Bumbo, being held in a carrier like a Baby Bjorn, being held in your lap, etc.) Limit time in swings, bouncers, car seats or anything else that lets LO put pressure on the flat spot.  Think about how you are holding LO to feed as well - do you always hold so that the flat side has pressure on it? If so, switch arms - it feels wierd at first, but you get used to it.

You can probably tell we are dealing with the same thing right now - we're trying to avoid needing a helmet, but if that is what it takes to fix LOs head we'll do it. You might look closely too at your baby's head shape - often if there is a flat spot in the back you'll see compensatory bulging in the face (in the forehead or cheek) and possibly some facial asymmetry - this is also something you want a doc to look at. 

How that wasn't TMI! Good luck :-)

bgalante

We're going Cranial Tech tomorrow to get an evaluation for a possible helment. Pedi rec we get a helmet as LO head might not pop out. He favored the right side of his head since birth and we being new parents did not make an effort to continue repositioning his head. Pedi stated it's all cosmetic but if we have to fix it then we will. I would rather not have to spend the extra $$ right now, as insurance might not cover it, but I would feel guilty if his head got worse and effected his facial features. We do try and keep him off his flat side but he pretty much does what he wants during the night and we have little control. My understanding is that if you start wearing the helment sooner then you may only have to keep it on a few months - of course it depends on the severity but your case doesn't seem as bad. Good luck!