DS has a Helmet Head

AprilRaine · January 2014

I haven't mentioned it much around here yet, but I had to share: Today our little Sawyer Bean was fitted for a DOC Band helmet used to treat plagiocephaly (basically a flat/misshapen head). We noticed his funny shaped head close to his 4 month appointment and brought it up to our pedi who referred us to a local Doc Band clinic. They have some crazy awesome technology that takes 3-D images and measurements to create a "hat" (as we've been calling it at home) that applies light pressure in spots where the head is too prominent. We've also been doing some stretches at home to help strengthen his neck muscles (he tends to prefer one side).

I just wanted to share this with you gals because I'm excited to see what kind of progress he makes over the next 3-4 months (And also so on next weeks HDBD you don't all assume I've already dropped this one on his head). A friend of mine had the same issue with her little girl a while back and I think seeing her always so happy in her cute little helmet really eased my anxiety over this whole thing. I've felt surprisingly at ease about this whole process. So far he doesn't even seem to care that he has it on at all!

There's Pics!!! The first is his original DSI Analysis- check out how asymmetrical his noggin is from the top view. It's also causing part of his forehead to push out a little. Then our little stink monster in his helmet shortly after arriving home today.

TLDR: DS2 got a helmet to treat a condition called plagiocephaly. He's f'ing adorable in it.

LEMSA · January 2014

I hope it all works out well for y'all. What do they think caused the plagiocephaly?

AprilRaine · January 2014

LEMSA said:

I hope it all works out well for y'all. What do they think caused the plagiocephaly?

Thank you! In our case it's likely a combo of mild torticollis (his tight neck muscles) and sleeping on his back (which can also increase head flattening). Our pedi said that after the Back to Sleep Campaign began to reduce SIDS babies started spending a lot more time on their backs and this has since become a much more common thing.

BellaOso · January 2014

He looks adorable in his helmet!

I can't wait to read updates in the coming months.

Revez · January 2014

Awe! SO cute! You can always decorate it too, put some stickers on there. And how cool are the 3D images? Good luck!

edenrivers · January 2014

Aw, he is so cute! A gf here has to do this with her three-month-old. Same thing, he just favors laying on one side.
Good luck and I hope he does well!

kanned0121 · January 2014

What a little stud!

Moosesoar · January 2014

We are going to the Dr. today for this same issue. Does he seem to mind the helmet at all?

Rowcate · January 2014

Good Luck! He is adorable.

mz-n-ss · January 2014

We had a good friend that went through the same thing. It worked very well for them, I hope for you too. He is adorable in his picture

KQuinonez · January 2014

My best friend's daughter went through the same thing. It is simply amazing how much change that little helmet can make in a short amount of time. I hope it all goes well for you guys! He looks adorable in it.

Snowbird7 · January 2014

Aww, he's adorable! I hope everything works out well for you guys, and I hope he continues to not mind wearing it!

karabear11 · January 2014

He is so cute!

kkay1982 · January 2014

What a little cutie.

Lorjo2022 · January 2014

He rocks that little hat!
My brother and SIL went through the same thing with amazing results!
Hope all goes well

janneann1127 · January 2014

I know lots of people who've had to do this. He looks adorable in his helmet! Glad it doesn't seem to bother him.

MitsB707 · January 2014

He is adorable! Hope his new helmet helps!

Cosmic+Love · January 2014

Aw, he is f'ing adorable in his hat!

I hope he has fantastic results!

BelhurstBride · January 2014

Aw, he is so adorable!

NikkiD522 · January 2014

:-) What a cutie patootey! Those 3D pictures are crazy! Good luck! I can't wait to see more pics!

MommyBolty · January 2014

Such a cutie!! Glad he doesn't mind his 'hat'. Good luck!

magdalina.h · January 2014

Such a cutie! Can't wait to see the improvement

AprilRaine · January 2014

Thank you all so much! @Moosesoar, he still hasn't made any inclination it bothers him at all. He had a great nights sleep in it last night. Good luck at your appointment today!

And as for decorating, there is actually a local car wrap shop that creates custom graphics for helmets, get this... for free! I'll keep you updated with lots of pictures once we get that done too!

Thank you all again for your sweet words!

LJUTCMommy · January 2014

He looks super cute! I hope it all goes well. Keep us posted.

TrueBeliever925 · January 2014

Glad everything is going so well so far! And thank you for sharing the pictures. It's crazy to see what they do and it'll be awesome to see Sawyer's progress.

TexasGirl81 · January 2014

Awe he looks so cute! Just wanna squeeze him. Good luck!

CourtJack · January 2014

He's adorable!

I was just watching that TLC show Quints by Surprise and one of the quints just had his removed. They showed the before and after 3D images and it was amazing the changes the helmet made.

Good luck with it! Looking forward to seeing the results down the road

jchytil · January 2014

What a cutie. My son who is now 2 had to wear a helmet also from 4- 5 1/2 months old. The Dr. said he did so well because we caught it early and right at his growth spurt. His plagio was also caused by tort.he had been breech inside me right up until 39 weeks. I was so happy with the results and glad we had went threw with it I paid out of pocket $2000.00 for that dang thing! However seeing the before and after difference of his head was amazing. He also did really well in it and never had a lot of problems. Hope your little guy does well too and does not have to wear it too long.

starshower22 · January 2014

Too cute!!!

Bunnyfer · February 2014

Saw this while on my Facebook. Cute ideas to jazz it up..

https://www.mommypage.com/2014/01/parents-get-creative-with-their-babys-medical-helmets-photos/

PTmama199 · February 2014

Great for you for catching it early and doing something about it. So many people and doctors play the wait and see game and the prognosis gets worse the older the child gets and most helmet providers won't fit kids older than 11 months. Research has shown no significant change after 12 months. 4 to 6 months excellent prognosis for normal head symmetry. I can't tell you how happy it makes a PT that you are doing this at this age.

PrimRoseMama · February 2014

What an adorable baby!

AACaHa13 · February 2014

He is so cute! Im glad it doesnt bother him. When you say he tends to prefer one side, do you mean he looks that direction mostly or sleeps only on that side? I am wondering if my little guy needs a helmet. I've brought up my concern a few times to his doctor but he doesn't think it looks misshaped at all. He said most babies that do have some flat spots usually don't have any treatment done because it will fix itself once babies are more mobile and sleep in diff positions. I still feel like his head is sort of off. :-/

AprilRaine · February 2014

@AACaHa13, yes, he tends to always look to his left, sleep on his left side, etc. He doesn't have as much range of motion when looking/reaching to the right so we try to encourage him to do that more with stretches, playing with toys on his right side and by changing the position he sleeps in his crib.
Our pedi did also say some flattening is normal and will go away but he said he usually looks at the positioning of the ears to help determine the severity. (I guess most of the time when a helmet is recommended the ears will also be out of alignment). When looking down from the top of his head DSs ears are in very different positions with one being much more forward than the other.
I would almost check out a pediatric physical therapist if I were you and have them take a look at your LOs range to see if they have any concerns. (Mamas instinct is usually right!)

AACaHa13 · February 2014

@aprilraine I just might do that! Thank you for the info. I'm going to take a look at my lo's ears tonight!

DS has a Helmet Head

Re: DS has a Helmet Head

LFAF Summer 2016 Awards:

Choose Another Board

Search Boards