Would any parent in our country ever consciously cause their baby to develop a flat head? Of course not. However, if you are a parent who is holding on to the old Mainland China tradition of binding your baby’s feet, you may also be holding on to another very strange long-standing tradition. The tradition of purposely causing a flat head on your darling baby. This is the belief that a flat head is an advantage that a traditional parent in China would desire for their baby. Yes, you have read it correctly. This is not a typographical error or this writer’s extensive imagination.

For the time being putting your baby back to sleep is here to stay. We are going to delve into the reasons that flat head syndrome is on the rise, how it can be helped, its anthropological background and the very surprising historical perspectives for this head shaping.

What if I were to tell you that historically, a flat head was looked upon favorably in certain cultures. Believe it or not in Mainland China, it’s difficult not to notice that the back of some of the Chinese people’s heads tends to be considerably flat. I always assumed that just like the Chinese people’s eyes are differently shaped than ours, so are their head shapes. Now I have learned that this cranial deformation is forced on them as babies.

Along with the binding of children’s feet, the desire for the back of the head to become flat, is a Chinese tradition going back to the Qing dynasty. One can see the evidence of this phenomenon today when looking at Chinese men with shaved haircuts or buzz cuts. The parietal bone is compacted so that there is a decreased bulge running up from the neck.

How did this Chinese tradition evolve? Shockingly, it had to do with a new parent’s trip to the local fortune-teller. During the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912), the tradition of back sleeping to flatten the baby’s head, began with the Manchurians. These people believed that:

1) By flattening the back of the head, they would squelch the rebellious part of the brain making the people ultimately easier to rule. By keeping everyone as part of “the masses” they discouraged revolt. This is a tradition in Korea as well and is particularly noticeable on North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Un.

2) A round face was thought to bring good fortune and look beautiful by increasing the size of the face. If you recall, the Qing Dynasty hair- style had a braid sticking out of the head, and the Manchurians maintained that the braid would only sit properly on a flat head.

The motherly tradition of binding the feet and flattening the head is still practiced today in Mainland China. Study the following photo of a special pillow contraption that assures that not only does the baby sleep on its back, but the baby is kept in one position so that it cannot even turn the head from side to side. When a Chinese baby’s head is flat at the back and symmetrical, it shows how much care and love the family has for the baby’s well being.

Why did King Tut have a flat head?

Interestingly enough, it’s assumed that in Ancient Egypt, archaeologist’s have found that King Tut had a flat head. This is inline with the fact that there having a flat head had something to do with kingship or royalty. Care takers of royal babies must have bound King Tut’s head to reshape and create an artificial cranial deformation.

In our own country, we are struggling with two opposing issues. We are keeping our babies on their backs for safety reasons to guard against the tragedy of Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) while at the same time, trying to maintain a round shaped head for both aesthetic and therapeutic reasons.

Let’s go back to hundreds and even thousands of years ago. Children in early societies were cuddled and carried about and never left isolated and crying. Ancient communities would rely on extended family to look after their children in times that the parent was occupied elsewhere. Centuries ago, mothers, who could, would breastfeed their children until about five years of age.

Today’s practices of keeping babies in car seats for long periods of time and letting them cry can be causing increased anxiety in babies and children. Kids who are missing the emotional nurturing that they crave, tend to become more self -centered, according to research in Britain. Children who are raised by warm and responsive families have more compassionate feelings as compared to those children who were left to themselves for extended periods of time by their sometimes-well-meaning but busy parents.

Let us compare ancient wisdom to today’s parenting techniques:

? Ancient Wisdom ? Today’s Approach

1) ? Babies are almost constantly held and cuddled. ? Baby seats, carriages, cribs and car seats are where babies spend most of their time.

2) ? Prompt parental response to crying babies will prevent the upset of the baby’s brain chemical makeup. ? Teaching babies to sleep for longer periods especially through the night, the babies are left to cry for short periods at a time.

3) ? Breast feeding is practiced up to the age of five. ? Breast feeding or bottle feeding are both acceptable feeding methods and some breastfed babies are given formula bottles intermittently as well.

4) ? Extended family care for the baby as well as the parents was the norm. ? Day care centers, nannies and babysitters are the parental substitutes for extended time periods.

In many European countries, mothers get extended maternity leave for up to one year. A mother such as this can be more relaxed when taking care of the baby. She will hold the baby for longer periods of time instead of putting them in the crib or even worse in the car seat.

However, in our communities, maternity leave allowance is much shorter. So, a mother is forced to use a day-care facility where there are other babies to watch. Therefore, the caretaker will have to keep the baby in one of the above-mentioned baby paraphernalia’s.

One mother explains on the Daily Mail U.K.,“It’s very easy to say that we should go back to the old ways, but the reality today is that this old -time parenting puts undue pressure on mothers. Most people no longer have extended networks to raise children (with grandparents and relatives living in different communities). Parents keep their children in cribs, strollers and car seats not because they are heartless, they do it because they are isolated, struggling with multiple responsibilities “.

Another Mom from Australia, added, “Well, caveman did not have to mortgage/rent his cave and have tuition fees to pay, etc. We live in a different world and the impact it has had on our development as a species reflects our times, for better or for worse.”

Sadly, this sign of our times must be revamped. Babies do not need to learn who is boss by crying. They need to feel loved and special. This early nurturing will pay off unequalled dividends as they develop into well- adjusted people. Our wonderful country, The United States of America, is realizing the ‘back to sleep” technique that we are implementing needs tweaking, not only with helmets and professional therapy. Parents must reevaluate all the money that they are spending on the most expensive cribs and strollers along with the swings and jumpers. They must realize that all these extras are hindering the cuddling and nurturing that are the most important part of parenting. Maybe by spending less on these luxurious extras, parents will be able to cut down on their working hours.

Although we do not know for certain that this cuddling and closeness will prevent SIDS, it is certainly beneficial. It is even possible that such a change of viewpoint in baby rearing will have a beneficial effect on later behavioral and emotional dysfunctions in childhood.

The Chinese method can have a negative impact on eyesight because the part of the brain that is responsible for eyesight is flattened. This can cause eye problems such as Astigmatism, loss of vision, scoliosis, higher risk of hearing loss and other developmental delays.

So, whether you are causing a flat head on your baby due to family tradition or because of the practical aspects of being just plain busy/working parents, you must adjust your schedule to include plenty of holding, cuddling and loving. By placing your baby on your lap on his tummy while watching TV or other times when you are sitting, you will see improvement quite quickly. When your family is not there to help you, don’t be shy to ask a neighbor or even their child to come in for a short period during the evening to hold your baby. If your baby’s flat head does not improve your next step will be the cranial helmet which is a wonderful invention if needed.