Flat head help

[sunny1]

Hi there, Im just looking for some advice on flat head from those of you who have experience with it. My little girl is 6 weeks old and is already starting to flatten on one side of her head. I am so tuned into it as my boy who is 19 months also got flat head and his head is very obviously misshapen now. I am so cross as I went to my doctor when my little boy was very small and doctor said there was nothing I could do and that itd sort itself out once he started sitting up etc.

I really dont want the same thing to happen my little girl. She has a preference for lying on right side. I keep turning it but she turns back every time. What should I do? Its really upsetting me as Ive seen what it can look like if left untreated and I feel so guilty for not having done more for my son

 

[candyem]

My LO always leaned on the left side of his car seat and that part of his head went slightly flat although the HV said it wasn't too bad.

I bought him a clevamamma pillow with recommendations from some of the mums on here.

His head is fine now, not sure if it was the pillow or he just 'grew out of it' though.

Might be worth a try?

 

[sunny1]

Thanks for reply candyem. Will definitely try that pillow. Has anyone else used it with good results?

 

[RKW]

I use a babymoove love nest pillow and have only been using it so far for 2 weeks but it seems to be working. They are on amazon for £15

 

[ClaudiasMummy]

My brother (he's 10 now) used to have the flatest, weirdest head. Because everytime you moved his head. He'd move it back..
He was like it for a while.. but at about 3 his head just shapened out. I mean they even spoke of getting him one of those helmets.
His head is normal now at 10. If you have concerns, keep on at the doctor.

 

[Lindsey123]

I bought a Clevamama pillow yesterday, actually - not for flat head but as LO is very acidy while she's teething and seemed to keep bringing mouthfuls up while she was flat. She'd been up every hour every night for the last week or so and I was dying from sleep deprivation. It may be a coincidence but she wasn't flailing around flinging her head from side to side as she usually does, and she slept 7.30 - 3.30 (woo!) and then 5am - 7.30 - so I am happy! The pillow supported her head and she looked so comfy

It's def worth a go. I remember how terribly uncomfortable I was pregnant and bought a memory foam mattress. I slept SO well and the pressure it took off my poor hipbones - I imagine it must be the same for baby's head.

The only advice I'd give you is to air it when you get it home before you put it in LO's bed - memory foam smells pretty strong! Good luck!

EDIT: They're on special offer on Kiddicare xx

 

[lj2245]

I got a Tomy Sleepcurve mattress for my son's moses basket. It's designed to mimic how a mother holds her baby. You can find them on Amazon and Argos Ebay has them too!

 

[sunny1]

Thank you so much for replies!! Lindsey123 great to hear that about the clevemama pillow as my little girl also spews a lot when lying down, This might help that issue for her too!
Claudiasmummy so reassuring to hear about your brothers head!! Id hate for my little boy to get bullied because of it when hes older.
Has anyone ever been successful with craniosacral therapy?

 

[mazzie1984]

My first son had a bad flat head when he was a baby and the docs said it would go back to normal on it's own, it never did and he is 4 and he still has a flat head on one side. This time my 2nd son has started to get one, so I got some advice from a pedi, she said as the baby is so young it's not an issue as there heads are so soft, as long as you give a ton of tummy time it should sort itself out. My boy is 3 months now and it is still a bit flat, he favours one side also, i bought a nogging nest to put in his swing, carseat, rocker etc to stop his head from flattning more,
https://www.toysrus.com/buy/baby-ca...nest-head-support-flower-4100102k-trs-3532542

These are great, they are not for sleeping on, they are for the carseat and stuff.
If it is still flat by the time he is 6 months, I will research into helmets.

 

[AmyS]

My daughter preferred one side of her head for sleeping also, and nothing I did would help her to move it! I finally saw a physical therapist, and she gave me a few exercises to loosen her tight neck muscles, and it has really helped. Also, once she became more active, I noticed the flat spot is getting better. She's 6 months now, and I hardly notice it anymore. Her hair is coming in a lot too, so I'm sure that helps!

 

[jd83]

Both my boys had this. My older son was diagnosed with Torticollis as the cause for him always looking in one direction. His neck muscles were tight on one side, so he didnt want to look in the direction that the tight muscles were. He was referred to physical therapy, which we did twice a month for 2-3 months, and they showed us exercises to do at home to loosen his muscles and get him looking both directions. My baby started developing the same thing early on, so I just did all the exercises with him that I had learned with DS1. I also bought a Boppy Noggin NEst pillow that I put him on when he was laying flat on the floor. It helped a ton.

Tummy time helps, although most babies hate it. I did about 5 minutes at a time, it was all either of us could stand, lol. I did it between every feeding though so he got tummy time multiple times a day to work on strengthening neck muscles. Holding your baby in a sitting position can help too, once they have better neck strength to sit assisted.

There are a lot of really good tuturials on YouTube on exercises to do for Torticollis. I would recommend looking them up and giving them a try. They are easy, gentle exercises to loosen neck muscles in all directions, encouraging baby to look in multiple directions. Even if its not torticollis specifically causing the problem, the exercises are just good in general for encouraging baby to look in multiple directions.

I hate when some doctors tell moms that it will just correct itself, to wait it out. That may be true. it may not be true for all babies. There is plenty you can do to try and help your baby, though I would try one of the pillows mentioned, try some neck exercises, more tummy time in small intervals throughout the day, try placing a rolled receiving blanket on the favored side so baby can't turn that way (while in a supervised situation, obviously). Hold your baby in different positions, not always the same one. Place your baby facing different directions in the crib.

 

[easyrhumba]

The boppy noggin nest worked well for us. He started going flat very quickly and I had to switch the sides of the crib he slept on and used the noggin nest in the carseat, swing and bouncy chair. He is about 7 months old and with the pillow, tummy time and now being able to sit up it has really sorted itself out. Good luck!

 

[scoobydrlp]

I agree with jd83. Torticollis could be causing your LO to favor one side. Happened with my baby too. Stretches helped with her neck and range of motion a lot, but she still needed a helmet to correct her head shape. She's been in it for 5 weeks and we're seeing great results! Before we got her helmet we were seeing some improvement with repositioning, but it pretty much took over my whole existence, all I did all day was turn her to get her off that flat spot.

 

[horseybird]

Hi, my daughter has a flatspot on her head as she has always preferred to look right. I spoke to some paedatric physios and they gave me some exercises to stretch her head to left, and I ve also re- organised her cot and mobile to to encourage her to look left, I ve recently bought a pillow from John Lewis, and I try to encourage tummy time. I think it maybe looking a bit better, but I ve got a doctors appt next week just to make sure.

I can report back to let you know what my doctor said?