I need some advice...to helmet or not to helmet

usarmywifetso

At my son's 6 month check up (which he is a month behind on due to us moving so he's 7 month old), his pedi noticed his head had a flat spot. It was bad enough that his ear was slightly more forward than the other so she referred him to a specialist, whom I met with today. He said the deformity I guess you would call it, is in the moderate range and he recommended a helmet. Since he's already 7 months old, it may slightly correct itself but not fully (hence the helmet recommendation). He would have to wear the helmet for 23 hours a day probably for about 6-12 months because of his age. He assured me that if I chose not to get the helmet, that it would not effect DS's brain development, he would just have an oddly shaped head. I'm just not sure what to do. My insurance does not cover helmets, however the doctor said there is some kind of local fund that we could apply for that could cover it. I'm very conflicted about what to do. It seems like a lot of crap to go through (for both myself and my son) just to fix a flat spot. But at the same time, I'm worried that leaving him with a flat head will effect him more when he's older...what if he wants to cut his hair short but doesn't wanna look funny because of his head shape, or what if he wants to play sports or ride a motorcycle but can't get a helmet to fit right (I don't know if this is something that would be an issue, it's just a "what if" I'm thinking of). I'll discuss everything more with the specialist when they contact me again with more information about the funding but I'm just hoping to get some advice from other mom's who have experience with this. There are pros and cons to both sides and I just don't know what to do. TIA for you input.

Kristen41407

My DD has been in her Doc Band helmet since January 11th (she was 4 months at the time of fitting). My DH and I also struggled with the decision on whether to move forward with the Doc Band. But, I have to say we are so happy with the results so far (stil

kaylaw05

We had our first appointment today.  They told us that they recommended the helmet but it was ultimately my decision. I decided to do it. If I were to wait to see if the flat spot corrected itself on its own then it would be to late to do the helmet.

happytotmom

We decided to get the doc band for our little guy and he was in it for 6 months (4 months to 10 months - 2 doc bands in total).  We are SO pleased that we did it.  I thought it would be a much bigger deal than it was - you just get used to it