Flat head...

NortyLeigh

My son has a flat spot on one side of his head. I alternate where he naps so that his head isn't always on the same surface. He sleeps in a handmade wooden cradle at night. He sleeps on his back but turns his head to one side and, unfortunately, favors only one side. I took him to the pediatrician yesterday and my doctor told me that I have to put him to sleep on his side and prop a towel behind his head to keep him from laying on the flat side. I am stressing because of the SIDS risk. His head is pretty strong so I think that if his mouth was covered by his sheet he may be able to lift his head and cry but it still scares me. We ordered the Snuza last night for piece of mind. Anyone else have to put their LO to sleep on their side?

hansonam446

My LO's head is also flat on one side I think this is fairly common though and will resolve itself once they start picking their head up, etc. If the Dr recommended it I would think that he believes the benefits outweigh the risks and would try to follow his advice. I've heard good things about the Snuza. Good luck and don't stress about the SIDS thing...I know it's hard though. I'm afraid everything I do puts him at risk since they make you so paranoid about it at the hospital.

apansey87

My baby sleeps on her side sometimes. I make sure her arm is out to prevent rolling. Are you covering with a sheet? I would use a sleep sack instead.

I just got a snuza because I was having anxiety every night because babies that sleep on their backs can have SIDS too, so I was never truly relaxed at night.

NortyLeigh

He did sleep with his arm out last night and that helped prop him up some. We were using the miracle blanket but I started using a sleep sack a few night ago. Thankfully, I don't really need to swaddle DS anymore because his movements startle him at times but they don't wake him up and he isn't a fussy baby. How do you like the Snuza? I'm excited to get ours!

apansey87

I really like the snuza. It is easy to use and its pretty loud. She doesnt seem bothered by it at all. It secures well with the clip, doesn't move when I pick her up to nurse etc. I read some tips from other parents that when they are bigger and move more use a little medical tape to secure it to the diaper to prevent false alarms.

islelily

Flat spots can be pretty common in young babies when they spend so much time on their backs. My concern is when you mentioned your DS prefers turning his head to one side. I would ask your pediatrician about torticollis. DS1 was diagnosed with low muscle tone and torticollis around 2-3 months of age. We ended up getting him physical therapy through the county for the torticollis. We were taught how to do stretches with him to work through the tort and correct his flat spot. Good luck!

jastl32

islelily:

Flat spots can be pretty common in young babies when they spend so much time on their backs. My concern is when you mentioned your DS prefers turning his head to one side. I would ask your pediatrician about torticollis. DS1 was diagnosed with low muscle tone and torticollis around 2-3 months of age. We ended up getting him physical therapy through the county for the torticollis. We were taught how to do stretches with him to work through the tort and correct his flat spot. Good luck!

this completely. Our DD had torticollis as well and when you mentioned favoring one side I immediately thought of that.  You will most likely be referred to a pediatric physical therapist for an evaluation and therapy. It is much better to get it caught earlier than later not just to fix the torticollis (tightening of the neck muscle that makes it more comfortable to turn/tilt to one side) but also to allow time for the head to reshape while it is still soft. We had to get a helmet for DD but her case was severe. 

NortyLeigh

Good to know, thanks! I hadn't heard of torticollis. Did your babies' heads favor one side all the time or just while sleeping? He sits with his head up straight a lot but likes it on one side while sleeping in his cradle or on us. He can turn it the other way, though. Right now he is lying in my chest not on the flat side but it's because I put him that way. I took him to the doctor yesterday and he examined his head and neck. I am supposed to put him to sleep on his side and them go back in to have them check it in a month. What signs did you notice before your LO's were diagnosed?

islelily

We first noticed him favoring one side (turning to the right side) when he slept or laid down on us. We could turn his head to the left, but he would often use his energy to move it back to the right. It wasn't a direct turn to the right, but his head was sort of cocked too. We also noticed that when we tried turning his head, to the left was tight/harder to turn, but to the right was quick/loose.

FWIW - the pedi didn't bring it up first, we did at 2 months. She said if we were concerned, we should call the county infant and toddlers program (where they offer pediatric physical, occupational, etc therapies. We did call them and had an evaluation at 3months, which he qualified for physical therapy. It was determined later in the therapy that he also had low muscle tone, which made it harder for him to gain muscle control and correct the torticollis. We ended up doing a corrective helmet from 7-11 months of age. That corrected a lot of his issue!