As a mom you have done your best in finding the top local orthotist to evaluate the flat spot on your baby’s head. It was determined that your baby will need to wear a plagiocephaly helmet for three to five months. Your initial thought is, “Oh gosh, what’s everyone going to think?” Many moms like this go through this thought process and often are faced with questions from friends and family. For example, “Why does the baby have a helmet on?” What bothers a mother’s conscience most is the list of questions that they face from friends and family. But, it’s valuable information on flat head baby syndrome that will prove to be the greatest asset for you and your baby in the months to come.

Five facts about treating plagiocephaly

Before educating anyone else, it’s most important that you understand what is plagiocephaly and how treating it through helmet therapy will benefit your baby.

1) Helmet therapy is a painless type of therapy.

2) It formats the perfect head shape for the rest of the child’s life.

3) Through the use of a cranial helmet, pressure on the head is evenly distributed throughout the rest of the skull preventing further misshaping and creating the optimal head shape.

4) Typically, a baby may have to wear the helmet for one month, two months, or five months.  

5) You can customize the baby’s cranial helmet and make it cute and fun.

Going out with your baby the first time wearing a helmet

Once your baby gets fitted for his or her helmet, you are now ready to take them out to the park. With the baby’s helmet affixed to their head, put on the new spring jacket, place them into the stroller, and you’re now ready to go for a walk. Going down the block you bump into your next-door neighbor Sharon. “Hey how is you baby? Oh, he is so cute. Whats that on his head?” Before addressing the question regarding the facts of treating plagiocephaly, lets discuss how to deal with social aspects of an uncomfortable but justifiable question.

I was recently reading an article on Five Ways to Confidently Respond to Uncomfortable Questions. The final suggestion is to be prepared for the interaction and get comfortable with talking about it. This might mean asking the orthotist a few more questions in order to have a trove of information on the topic of helmet therapy. The more facts you know the more confident you will feel when meeting your next-door neighbor.

Changing your perspective on a baby helmet

When your foot does not feel right an orthopedic doctor may recommend inserting a custom orthotic into your shoe. This relieves the stress and disperses body weight throughout your foot which will prevent the pain you feel there. It’s the same idea when it comes to treating the flat back of a baby’s head. Just instead of wearing an orthotic device on the lower part of the body, it’s worn on the upper body. Try and change your perspective and look at it as a way to alleviate pressure on certain areas of the skull which will prevent and provide relief to the flat spot.

Knowing that you’re giving a child the ultimate gift

What’s most important about addressing plagiocephaly is to know that your child will be the greatest beneficiary. They will be able to conduct their life without anyone staring at an odd flat spot on their head. In fact, they will be just like any other kid in their class getting play dates, invites to birthday parties, and pictures with their best pals. Close to half of the babies born in the United States are born with a flat spot on their head and only a small percentage of them require a cranial helmet. Often the spot gets relieved by itself through good positioning habits by the baby. Baby helmets are recommended where poor positioning habits exist and continue to place extreme pressure on the flat spot. When a parent does see a flat spot on a newborn head, a local cranial center might just be the place to take them to reshape their lives. It’s vital to catch the condition while the baby’s skull is still growing. The older the child the longer the therapy period.

Making the baby helmet stage a fun one

Mothers continue to make the most creative and fun cranial helmets around. This can be done at home by purchasing markers, paint, and stickers from the local crafts store. Another option would be to hire a custom cranial helmet designer and give the helmet a real professional look. When football season rolls around you can choose a spouse’s favorite team and customize the helmet according to that team’s colors. Keep in mind that when hiring a custom helmet designer, they cannot affix team logos to the helmet due to trademark issues. This is why they will only work on designing the helmet through colors and football details. When the helmet is complete you are more than welcome to add whatever team decal you want and get in the team spirit. Next time your husband has some friends over for game-day, bring your babe in and I am sure they will all love it.

Let’s say I get a custom cranial helmet and it needs to be adjusted?

True this is a concern. No one wants to invest time and energy in designing a plagiocephaly helmet, only to have to replace it a few weeks later. That’s why the Cranial Therapy Centers chooses to use Orthomerica’s STARband for the cranial remolding helmet. It allows easy contractions and expansions throughout the helmet therapy experience. No need for getting refitted for any additional baby helmets. The same helmet that is originally designed for your baby is the one he or she will finish therapy with.

Getting family involved in your baby’s therapy

When friends and family become educated on plagiocephaly treatment, it may just transform them into an emotional support group. Try and ask your mom to take your babe to the next therapy session. Make an excuse that you have a meeting at work which you just can’t miss and need someone to cover for you. They will sit at the thirty to sixty-minute therapy session and watch the different techniques the therapist will use to get the baby’s muscles stronger. Tell mom and dad that they should feel free to ask the cranial therapist questions. Next time your parents come over they might just ask you “Did you do any tummy time today?” or “You know your baby’s therapist, Alice, recommend a certain pillow for sleeping”. As a mother of a baby wearing a flat head helmet you will find that your encounters with friends and family might be less confronting and more encouraging.

Share your picture on your Facebook and Instagram pages

Did you hear of the term “Sharing is Caring”? Sharing pictures of your baby on social media with your Facebook and Instagram friends can have an amazing ripple effect. Not only will you be encouraged from the positive feedback you get, but you’re creating awareness for a great cause, plagiocephaly awareness. There are many mothers out there that have no idea that a poor spherical head can be reshaped and look like any other adorable baby. Through social exposure and tagging your posts, you may reach these mothers and change the life of the baby who may need plagiocephaly therapy. Celebrities like @chrissyteigen have shared images of their baby in a cranial helmet and gained tremendous amounts of exposure to support helmet therapy. Every picture shared on social media might just mean one more babe getting the proper cranial therapy. Poor facial appearance can have a major impact on another child’s perception for a potential friendship with each other. Having a beautifully shaped head can be the greatest social gift. Anyone can be a plagiocephaly ambassador in their own way making a big difference in a child’s life.

Unsure if your baby needs plagiocephaly therapy?

If your uncertain if the shape of your baby’s head is normal or not, schedule an appointment with your pediatrician to address the concern. Chances are that the doctor will take a circular measurement of the head’s circumference and make a judgment if you should take your baby to a local cranial specialist. When you get there, your baby will undergo a painless scan which will take precise measurements and determine if helmet therapy is required. Sometimes helmet therapy is not required but rather a few weeks of physical therapy. Either way you have nothing to lose by going for a free evaluation.