First time parents or even experienced ones can fail to detect a problem with their baby’s head. People will shun reality or doubt their own expertise, and this will cause parents to ignore their inner instincts especially when a pediatrician does not see the purpose of cranial helmet therapy. It’s quite difficult to understand why some people are still so naïve about a simple helmet worn for three months by a baby, causing this to be such a controversial subject. About twenty percent of babies will develop plagiocephaly (the technical name for a flat head baby syndrome).

The famous adage, “better late than never” can apply to certain life situations such as marriage, apologies, and other life circumstances. Certainly, no one wants to miss out on being married when they find the right spouse, this is what G d asks of us, to get married and raise children. If a person gets into a serious disagreement, it is not easy to make up, but it is never too late.

The flip side of “better late than never” is “the earlier the better” when it comes to making sure your baby’s head shape is within normal range. Why take a chance of no correction and make your children live with a disability for the rest of their lives? You might question the use of the word disability when talking about a simple head shape issue, however, anything that makes a child stand out and be different in school has to have a name.

For those of you who suspect your baby may have either torticollis (wry neck syndrome) or plagiocephaly (flat head) please don’t despair. You may have been a victim of a doctor who does not believe in cranial therapy (believing that the head disfigurement will disappear without medical intervention). Or perhaps ignorant grandparents or relatives who have never heard of cranial helmet therapy were at a loss as to how to advise you, so they didn’t. It’s even possible that it was you, the parents, who were negligent even when other good meaning friends, relatives, and neighbors commented on the misalignment of your baby’s head, but you chose to ignore the signs.

Yes, it’s true, cranial helmet therapy has some drawbacks such as cost (sometimes insurance will cover it depending on the diagnosis and the type of insurance you have) and physical appeal (it’s more the parents who have a hard time with the helmet than the baby.) The benefits are immense beginning with appearance and so much more.

If a baby has torticollis which means that the neck is not working properly this can be extremely detrimental to his or her well-being all through life. Have you ever seen a man or woman with limited mobility in their neck? You may think that they either had a stroke or were born with a disability. But what if I would tell you that their so-called disability could have been resolved with either a cranial helmet, physical therapy, or both?.

You may have noticed a grownup with an uneven mouth and thought the poor thing he or she must have had a stroke and so young! Well, chances are his or her face muscles may have been weak at birth and this poor muscle tone could have been corrected in a few months during infancy.

So many parents wait until it’s too late to go for a consultation for their baby’s flat head or twisted neck. Sometimes they think it’s too late to fix the problem and they might still have a chance. Ideally a baby should start cranial therapy between three to six months. As we know each baby has a different time frame of developing and no two babies are exactly alike. When you see a baby’s soft spot this is because the bones have not yet fused completely and so too with other bones in the body that are still soft and easier to reshape. Once the bones have hardened usually by a year, there is no turning back the clock to fix the problem.

If this has happened to you or someone you know don’t despair, there might still be time to position your baby’s flat head. Your baby might take longer than the average three months of wearing the helmet, but therapy can still be possible. In fact, we know of instances of babies up to a year old who have been helped by a cranial helmet even at that late date. That is not to say that every year-old baby with an untreated flat head will be able to be helped, unfortunately that is not the truth. Let’s examine a baby’s head development in the first year and learn how it grows. By being a proactive parent, you will be able to spot any potential problems whether at birth or as they grow each day. After birth the parent can still be in charge of repositioning their baby’s head to correct any favoritism on its part for one side over the other. Tummy time is another way for the parents to strengthen their baby’s neck muscles since the baby generally sleeps on its back.

Just Born (Up to Two Months)

Yes, your baby’s head shape evolves every day. One way to check for an issue is to take notice if your baby prefers to direct his or head to one side over the other. As most parents constantly snap photos on their phones, you will be able to notice even subtle changes day by day.

From Four to Six Months

Your baby at this age has become more active and a little more independent meaning you can reposition his or her head and body, but they are strong enough to go back to the position they favor. Noticing an abnormality is a good thing since it is just about the time to do something about it, namely, to go for an evaluation at a cranial center. Some centers will give you a complimentary fifteen-minute evaluation before you have to commit to anything financially.

When Your Baby Reaches Six Months+

This stage is the time for parents to face the reality that their baby may need a helmet. If you have been taking pictures and see some improvement that’s great, but how will you know if the improvement is sufficient? Because babies at this age are more active, they will not be lying on the back of their head as much yet it’s still vital to fix whatever detriment was done previously in his or her short life span. By specific measurements a professional can determine if your baby needs any type of therapy.

Between Eight & Twelve Months

If your baby’s soft spots are still open, therapy can be quite effective. Evaluation of the extent of the plagiocephaly and the openness of the baby’s cranial bones sutures by a professional will determine if a baby of up to twelve months can be helped by a helmet.

Final Words

There are two main considerations that parents must be educated about when it comes to their newborn’s flat head. Is the baby’s plagiocephaly severe enough to require medical intervention with a cranial helmet and if yes at what age should this therapy begin? Parents are the best evaluators of their baby’s head shape especially if they aren’t first time parents. At birth, many babies have misshapen heads from coming down the birth canal, in fact one benefit of a C section is that the baby comes out without a misshapen head. Still, we all want to have as easy a delivery and recuperation as possible.

When a parent notices that their baby favors one side of the head over the other or the back of its head is flattening, this is the time to take he or she to be evaluated. This could happen anytime from after birth till six months of age. Babies who are born with normal shaped heads and are placed in car seats, swings or even cribs for extended periods can develop flat heads. Babies with elongated heads because of trauma at delivery must be watched because often the head shape will normalize by itself otherwise helmet therapy will correct this problem.

Parents should be on the lookout each day as their infant develops for signs of worsening of head problems and should not despair, help is readily available. Lives have been saved by the “back to sleep campaign” ensuring that babies are put to sleep on their backs but there is a cost which is flat head syndrome. If you have not addressed the problem by six months which is the ideal time, don’t give up. There are many babies whose soft spots have not closed and therefore cranial therapy is still possible. The earlier plagiocephaly or torticollis are discovered the easier it is to remedy and the shorter time it will take. However, never assume that it is too late, just get to a respected and recommended cranial therapist to have your baby evaluated and you will be so pleased with the results if your baby does require a helmet. You will not have to “look back in anger” at what could have been done and should have been done.