Flat head and the aftermath

saveinsincity · March 2016

Have any of you LO developed a flat head? Last doctor visit 2 weeks ago, pediatrician said DS has a flat section on his right side of head and stated she will send a referral for a helmet.
Now Monday we have the official 6mo check up and we got a call Friday that the referral is ready and to schedule appointment for evaluation asap.

But DS head seems to be getting rounded up. I understand the reason behind the helmet, will his head ever fix itself? From reading it says helmet must be worn 23 hrs a day.

And lets not even go over the expenses after insurance for it.

Any insight is greatly appreciated

squigles28 · March 2016

We've been evaluated, but my daughter's wasn't severe enough to need it. We go back again in 3 months and they said we should notice a big difference.
So keepnin mind, they measure before deciding if they need a helmet

Christa410 · March 2016

We are seeing a doctor that is doing some cranialsacral therapy for the flat head right now. His pediatrician hasn't acknowledged that its flat so I'm not sure if it's severe enough for her. I figure it's something that can't hurt to try at least. His half brother had the helmet when he was a baby and it's something I'd like to avoid if possible!

we are from the O15 board so my LO is just 5 months - plan on having pediatrician evaluate at his 6 mos appointment.

vibarra27 · March 2016

One of my twins has it a little bit on his right side. But his pediatrician said it should fix on its own once he sits up on his own & isn't constantly laying or sitting up against something. You should ask again maybe? See if he really needs it. Tell them you see a difference.

BrittnieMariee · March 2016

We actually just got a referral because DS has a flat spot on the right side of his head (because that's the side he sleeps on). Not sure how it'll go but I'm hoping it isn't severe enough to need a helmet. But if he does then I guess we'll deal with it!
Good luck!

thinkpink101 · March 2016

One of my twins had a flat spot. It was due to torticollis and it took 5 months until the pediatrician acknowledged that it was a problem and then another month until we saw a specialist and got fitted. By then it was too late to achieve perfect results. He wore two different DOC bands and though it helped a lot he still has a visible flat spot at age 11. I wish we had been able to get in earlier. The sooner you take action the more likely you are to see good results.

xcessxtaci · March 2016

It's not really related but as a child I was diagnosed with scoliosis(doctor didn't notice, my mother did when I started to limp) and was told it would need to wear a back brace 24/7 unless I was in water until I was 18. My parent didn't listen to the 24/7. Nor did I need it more than 6 months. Once I was all straighten out I didn't wear it, doctor ask my mother on the follow up visit had I been wearing it, she lied, and he said it's holding my spine straight great. Moral of the story... Go with your gut.

hopeful87-2 · March 2016

My husband is a doctor (not a pediatrician) and he doesn't really believe in the helmets unless really extreme cases. He says he has never seen any evidence based research proving that it's necessary especially since it's a relatively new trend. When we were babies it was not as common and most of us are okay. Agreed, go with your gut.

LoveLee85 · March 2016

Idk if this was mentioned above but I have a good friend that instead of a helmet, they did therapy(massage type)?! Anyone ever heard of this?

missliz53 · March 2016

Our lo was starting to get a flat head and her chiropractor has been doing cranial sacral therapy to
fix it and we've seen a lot of improvement. Her head is beautifully round once again. Basically it's very gently manipulating the skull bones to round back out. Amelia smiles and laughs through the whole thing. She also talked to us about making sure to keep her off her back as much as possible and taught us how to give her a head massage at home.

TechieGirl1 · March 2016

Ds1 had to have a helmet, he had a flat spot on the back which widened his head. It helped a lot. He was refured when he was 4 months, and it was really an easy process. Granted it was a pain cleaning the helmet and whatnot, but not that bad.

At first I felt really guilty, like I had done something wrong. But he now has a perfect little noggin.

LoveLee85 · March 2016

missliz53 said:

Our lo was starting to get a flat head and her chiropractor has been doing cranial sacral therapy to
fix it and we've seen a lot of improvement. Her head is beautifully round once again. Basically it's very gently manipulating the skull bones to round back out. Amelia smiles and laughs through the whole thing. She also talked to us about making sure to keep her off her back as much as possible and taught us how to give her a head massage at home.

This is what I was talking about! My girl friend loved it, and her son didn't mind it either. Glad it worked for you, also!

PickledPlums · March 2016

At his 4 month check up my boy had quote a flat spot due to mild torticollis and our ped gave us stretches. I asked if he would need a helmet and ped said he didn't like helmets for that, that they're more trouble than they're worth.

saveinsincity · March 2016

Update:
Went to 6month check up and was given the referral to see a specialist. The referral diagnosis is mild torticollis. Which I don't understand because he turns his head just fine.
I mentioned to the pedi that I noticed his flat head spot rounding out a bit, she suggested to still see the specialist. I did read that in some cases of torticollis stretch exercises are encouraged to strengthen the neck muscle.
But as we all know, each specialist is different.

Thanks a million for your feedback. I will update you mommies when he sees the specialist.

On the plus side he spends a good amount of time on his exersaucer now which keeps him off this back and has him exploring at different points of view.

missdaccortezz · March 2016

It's more common now days because all babies are recommended sleeping on their backs. Adults our age and older didn't deal with it much bc back then they encouraged babies to sleep on their stomachs. I've heard great things about the helmet, it's all cosmetic. It's up to you wether or not you want your child to look a certain way permanently once they are older. All the babies I've seen with these helmets had pretty obvious cases of flat head. My son has a slight flattening because he will not turn his head the other way when he sleeps. But when he's awake he's whipping his head around every which way. We're seeing our doc Friday, I think I would go for the helmet if it's offered, but something tells me they will just have us try techniques to help it round out on its own. I've been trying them, but he just loves that left side of his when he sleeps at night. Good luck, all.

FatPony · March 2016

My guy has torticolis so he was at risk for a flat spot. We were referred to a physiotherapist and we do neck exercises to help correct. Lots of tummy time and trying to keep him upright. It's not a concern since he started rolling around like a maniac and sleeps on his face. GL with your LO

CaboBride2015 · March 2016

My LO had torticollis as well and we were referred to PT. I asked the PT about a helmet and she said her case was so mild there's no way she'd recommend it at that point. Four weeks later we didn't have to go to PT anymore and she doesn't need a helmet. We just keep her off her back as much as possible and do the stretches. Once she fell asleep at night we would turn her head to the other side. It's pretty much corrected and certainly won't be noticeable once her hair grows in more.

Flat head and the aftermath

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