Babyflathead.com

It was our son’s four month checkup. We were told by our doctor that if we could not correct the baby’s flat head in two months, that he would be required to wear a helmet for three to six months. Wearing a helmet means all day, every day (22 hours a day).

Before the appointment we had noticed the flat spot on his head and were planning on
discussing it with the doctor, but as soon as she walked in to greet us she brought it up
immediately.

Our next question of course was how can we make our son’s flat spot go away? She
recommended more tummy time each day, and that we see a physical therapist to work
with him on some exercises and stretches. We made an appointment as soon as we
could.

The therapist, like the doctor, recommended tummy time, but made some modifications
such as placing his hands out in front rather than typical push up position, and she
recommended that we increase this exercise to an hour or more a day. (stay tuned for a
future post on additional exercises that she recommended).

For us, we were relieved that the issue could be corrected. Looking at his little head, we
both felt that we had done something wrong, but in reality many new parents are facing
the same issues and the problem wasn’t bad parenting. It was reassuring to know we
weren’t alone.

Baby flat head syndrome, which doctors also refer to as positional plagiocephaly, is most commonly the result of newborns sleeping on their backs to prevent SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). A very successful campaign launched by the medical community to promote kids sleeping on their backs has reduced SIDS deaths by almost 50 percent. The increase in Flatheadedness is the cosmetic side effect of this campaign.

An infant’s skull is made up of soft bones and it can actually be deformed by sleeping in the same position night after night creating a flat section on the back of the skull. Some doctors say it is harmless, others say that possible risks include learning and developmental delays, scoliosis, or orthodontic issues, to name a few. This doesn’t include the psychological issues of a child having a visibly flat head. We, like many parents, obviously want to prevent it if we can.

Let us be clear, we are not medical professionals and we are absolutely not recommending that you change your baby’s sleeping position at night, they should still sleep on their backs. See this article from the Mayo Clinic for information on baby sleep safety. We have, however, spent countless hours of research on this topic. We have a 4 month old child that has developed a pretty bad flat spot, and my wife is very concerned. We do not want him to be teased when he gets older or even risk the possibilities of other complications.

We have consulted numerous medical professionals and continue to do so. We have also evaluated various products that claim they help with this issue. The purpose of this site is to organize that information and share it with you. The changes we have made started improving his flat spot after the first week.