flat head timeframe

TeamHayes

i am beyond paranoid of ds getting a flat head esp since he is a boy and cant hide it under long hair. any idea when we are out of the weeds? he has a soft spot right on the back of his head that i feel like is contributing to his head not being as round as i am comfortable with even though dh says it is all in my head. 

JaimeG183

just went to the pedi about this today she said his is normal and most dont go away until 6+ mths when they lift their heads more on purpose

right now they lay on it so much still

Laouli

JaimeG183:

just went to the pedi about this today she said his is normal and most dont go away until 6+ mths when they lift their heads more on purpose

right now they lay on it so much still

my pedi said the same thing!! And said it could take up to a year for it to clear up...

schmood

I'm an orthotist, so what I can tell you is that the optimal time to start a helmet (if you think it's bad enough to warrant one) is between 4-6 months.   We have people come in for evaluations at 3 months and will typically wait until at least 4 months and reassess.  Additionally, in MN, a lot of insurance companies are requiring about a month of physical therapy to see if that helps correct the flatness before authorizing a helmet.  If you are concerned about it, you could always go in for an eval, either with an orthotist or with a physical therapist.  Or, you could work on repositioning LO so that he's not always laying on the flat spot.  Face him the other way in the crib, put toys on the opposite side of him to encourage him to look the other way, etc.

TeamHayes

his head isnt bad or really anything i just worry it will get bad bc he is spending more tie napping and on his mat and playing in his swing. so basically it gets better as they are mobile?

mrs+harlow

We bought the Boppy Noggin' Nest last week because I was paranoid too. At the pedi , he told us the same thing...that a bit of the flatness he has is normal and will correct. He even felt the back of my head and goes " mom you have a bit of a flat head too!" LOL

We use the Noggin' Nest while he's on his play mat , playing in his swing or sitting in the Boppy with me on the couch. It has a little hole in it that relieves the pressure on the back of the head.