Plagiocephaly

LuvsCupcakes · January 2016

Hi, just wondering if anyone else's baby has been diagnosed with Plagiocephaly and had to get a helmet? My 7 month old just got his 3 days ago and we are really struggling with getting him to sleep in it. If there is another group that it would better to post this in please let me know that also. Thanks!

Bigboobsmcgee · January 2016

There are a few posts about this on here but I'm happy to answer. My daughter (now 15 months) had both torticollis and plagiocephaly and had a helmet for about 2.5 months. The first week or so was a little rough but then it was a piece of cake. Really. I caved in and took it off for a couple naps right after she first got it but otherwise I stuck to it and eventually she didn't even notice it was on. Try to hang in there because it does get easier. I have yet to hear from a parent that says their child never got used to it. They all do eventually!

LuvsCupcakes · January 2016

Thank you so much! He doesn't seem to mind when he's awake but he's only sleeping a half hour at a time for his naps and when he "wakes up" I can tell he's still exhausted. I just feel terrible. I know it will get better but I was hoping it would be sooner rather than later.

Bigboobsmcgee · January 2016

LuvsCupcakes said:

Thank you so much! He doesn't seem to mind when he's awake but he's only sleeping a half hour at a time for his naps and when he "wakes up" I can tell he's still exhausted. I just feel terrible. I know it will get better but I was hoping it would be sooner rather than later.

I know. I totally understand. I was completely freaking out when my daughter first got her helmet because I was sure it would screw everything up but surprisingly it didn't. I think naps were messed up for maybe 3 days. Nighttime sleep wasn't a problem at all.

Hang in there! It will pay off big time

Bigboobsmcgee · January 2016

Also keep in mind that naps suck at 7 months old, helmet or no helmet!

SmrBrd2012 · January 2016

My son is currently in one and the first couple of weeks were a little rough. He was fine during the day too but sleeping was hard. It turned out the helmet was leaving pretty substantial red marks and needed to be adjusted. It's still a little awkward putting him into bed but he is doing a lot better now.

Sarcasm101 · January 2016

I would keep in mind that wearing the helmet is like wearing a winter hat. So your LO might be hot, which could cause him to wake up.

Knottie1440551223 · January 2016

K

LuvsCupcakes · January 2016

Thanks all! It's been a few more days and he's doing much better. You have great points about being hot and being just 7 months old....he's got a real personality now!

beemaya83 · January 2016

Hi ladies. I haven't posted an official introduction so just lurking but I'm so glad I found this post. My baby has some serious (in my opinion) flat head and was diagnosed with torticcolis. I was told by the pediatrician flat head will eventually get better. She did refer me to a physical therapist now. Well 3 months later, baby is 7 months now and still has the flat head. I'm really considering in bringing it up again to pediatrician but I'm not sure what steps should be taken. I think he may need a helmet also.

ETA: can anyone tell me how serious the condition needs to be in order to get LO a helmet? From your experience of course.

saric83 · January 2016

beemaya83 said:

Hi ladies. I haven't posted an official introduction so just lurking but I'm so glad I found this post. My baby has some serious (in my opinion) flat head and was diagnosed with torticcolis. I was told by the pediatrician flat head will eventually get better. She did refer me to a physical therapist now. Well 3 months later, baby is 7 months now and still has the flat head. I'm really considering in bringing it up again to pediatrician but I'm not sure what steps should be taken. I think he may need a helmet also. ETA: can anyone tell me how serious the condition needs to be in order to get LO a helmet? From your experience of course.

Our little human has a helmet, and we made the decision after the orthotic specialist did a scan and gave us a score. He told us ahead of time that the average range for babies now (that they sleep on backs) is mid-80s, and previous generations were mid-70s. And he told us he would recommend a helmet for anything over 91. So it was good to know that it wasn't really subjective.

But one thing to keep in mind is that we were told that as you get closer to 12 months, the less likely a helmet is to make much improvement. We were also told that most babies' heads start to naturally round out as they're simply off of it more as sitting up, crawling and standing happens more than just lying around.

beemaya83 · January 2016

Thank you @saric83 for the info.

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