xp: Helmet Mamas....a couple of questions

WhiteysWifey · April 2012

Hi Ladies,
First off...I have no idea about the whole helmet thing (the hows and whys). My question is this DD#2 (triplet #3)'s head is very flat on the right side...it has gotten better, but really is quite obvious (it gives her a bit of a bug eyed look because of it). We've tried keeping her off of that side, repositioning her etc. She has no problem with hold her head up, moving it, or favoring one side. The only concern is the shape.

I've asked our Pedi about it and he says that she'll grow into it and it will reshape itself. I have no idea if that's true or not.

My question is this...is this something that a helmet would address? Is this what they're used for? At what ages are they typically in a helmet (E is now 4 months old)? Is she too old now? (her head is definitely not fused yet, she still has a rather large soft spot on top).

We go back to the pedi in June for their 6 month, and we also go the beginning of June back to the hospital they were born at for a 6month assessment. Should I push more about this before then?

Thanks so much for your insight ladies :-)

groovygrl · April 2012

Hi there.

First off, yes the helmets are for flat areas and asymmetry of the skull. A lot of the recent info is saying that too many kids are using helmets, etc and that they don't really need them, just an FYI. (not trying to talk you out of it, b/c I did get one for my son, but that is where a lot of pedis are coming from on the grow out of it point of view).

That being said, was this DD one of the lower (A?) of the 3? B/c plagiocephaly is more common in multiples, esp the "A" multiple b/c of squishing in there, and chances are it started before she was born.

My DS (who was twin A and was head down the entire pregnancy) had it and I was pretty insistent on getting him checked. My pedi knew to look at his head from the top, not the sides/front and could see that one of his ears was shifted forward already by 3 months and at that point she said we should definitely get him evaluated. Try looking from the top if you can (stick her in a bumbo or something) and try to really look at the alignment of her ears & other features.

You're not too late, as they won't generally put them on before 4 months (and I'm not sure if they adjust for preemies) b/c of skin development and many people get them further along in the first year also. My DS wore his from 4-8 months (we had to get two, just a warning, when they're young they can grow out of them quickly but not everyone needs more than one for sure. Many insurance plans do not cover them which is a concern for many ppl.).

Evaluations are free for orthotists and don't require a provider referral if you want to go there & talk to them. But be prepared they'll prob tell you that they think she needs one. Some ppl go to pediatric neurologists and work with them. Also you need to figure out if she is always turning her head that way b/c then there might be a muscular issue that has to be addressed.

GL! It's not the easiest decision but go with your gut & I would not wait until June to discuss it again if it is concerning you, personally.

jendb · April 2012

I would get intouch with Early Intervention. They refered us to the local shriners hospital and then they refered us to an orthopedic helmet place. Early intervention helped with their streaching. I am very pleased with the helmets!! They wore them for 4 months. The earlier they get them done the better!

WhiteysWifey · April 2012

Thanks ladies. E was on my lower left hand side. Her flat spot is from being smooshed into my hip bone...both boys were quite large and just kind of pigeon-holed here there (baby c was 5lbs3oz and A was 4lbs14oz, b {E} was only 4lbs9oz....so she was definitely getting squeezed by the other two).

I haven't noticed much with the torticollis, because she does move it, but she definitely prefers to face toward her right (lying on the flatter side) when she's sleeping. I've tried doing things with towels etc, but it hasn't done much. It's definitely gotten better since she was home (3.5 weeks old), but it's still really noticeable.

Do you think we're ok with waiting the month until our specialist assessment?

Thanks again.
I'll keep you posted.

Mrs. Alice · April 2012

My boys recently finished just under 6 weeks in DOC bands (a brand of helmet). We noticed the flatness about 6 weeks after they came home and our pedi told us to start the repositioning and tummy time at their 4 month check up. By the time they were 5 months it wasn't getting better so she referred us to Cranial Technologies for an evaluation. They recommended helmets to us and it took another month for insurance approval so they got started at almost 7 mo actual/5 adjusted.

It seemed to be perfect timing because they hit a big growth spurt and we saw really fast results. They actually outgrew the helmets! They told us the ideal time is under 6 months (adjusted for preemies), otherwise it takes longer and the results might not be as good. I might try to get in sooner than their 6 month appt. We went through this company https://www.cranialtech.com/ and they do free evaluations plus I think you can self refer. We are very please with the results we got. Let me know if you would like to see my boys before and after shots. Good luck!

lmydogally · April 2012

One of my girls has torticollis and I caught it because she preferred to sleep with her head turned to one side. During the day she would turn it the other way but keys slept turned to the right. I really didn't think it was torticollis until she started PT and they confirmed it. Since she's been in PT and we've been doing the stretches, she's sleeps with it straight 50 percent of the time. Definitely speak to your pedi about getting her evaluated for it.

lovebugkim · April 2012

One of my babies had a flat spot on the back of his head & when I mentioned it to the Pedi at their 4 month appt. she said that he would grow out of it. At 6 months I brought it up again & she said that it seemed to look a little better, but if I was worried to go see a specialist. We went & the Dr. was very pleased at what I was already doing to try & correct it. (We were rolling blankets so he couldn't turn his head, giving him plenty of tummy time, laying him in the opposite direction in the crib, etc.) He wrote a script for a helmet, but told me that it was a personal option & that he honestly felt that he didn't need it. DH & I talked about it, but we decided against it & his head is perfect thanks to my quick response.

flutepharm87 · April 2012

Helmet therapy drastically changed Ian's head shape, we're really happy with our decision to helmet him. We were told that there was a chance he'd grow out of it (he was diagnosed at 4 months old), so we could try other methods to help that along until he was 6 months old. The key time frame to initiate helmet therapy is between 6 and 8 months old. We started helmet therapy at almost 7 months old after 3 months of PT for torticollis. He honestly could have cared less that it was on and his head looks great now. He was in it for just under 3 months. The decision is yours though. It was expensive and we were told that it wasn't necessary and that he wouldn't suffer any developmental delays if we chose not to do it.

Hopeful1! · April 2012

DOC Band Mom here *2 for DS #1. I will ditto what other people said about pedi saying they will outgrow it. My son had severe flattening (20+mm) and it was affecting his facial features. At the end of the day I wasn't willing to risk that it would correct on its own, what if it didn't. I am so glad we did it.

My baby A was also head down for my whole pregnancy, he had really bad, noticible torticollis when he was born. He still has it. I was super vigiliant about putting him in a noggin nest and monitoring his head shape. He has a little asymmetry but not nearly as bad as DS#1 (even though his tort is much worse). I feel okay that he will correct on his own because it is so mild. If I hadn't gone through what I had gone through with DS #1 I might not have even noticed it.

I think you have a Cranial Tech pretty close to you, I think it is worthwhile to get a free evaluation. Even if you don't move forward now, you will have clinical photos and measurements that you can use as a baseline if you get her re-evaluated in a few month. Yahoo also has a really good plagio group.

Good Luck and keep us posted.

ETA: Just saw the age. FYI, your daughter will have to hold her head up straight to get the scan if you do move forward with the helmet. If she can't do that yet you will have to wait but I think you can still get the eval. Insurance will also want you to do repositioning (2 months usually) before they will approve the helmet. Cranial Tech (or other providers like Star Band) should be able to give you some tips if you don't get them from your pedi or physical therapist.

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