Did I do something wrong to cause my baby’s flat head?

If there is anyone to blame it is the advocates of the “back to sleep” campaign of the 90’s. However, you wouldn’t blame a doctor for saving your life by telling you to quit smoking. Nor would you blame a pacifier manufacturer for your child’s protruding teeth. The same holds true for back sleeping. The benefits outweigh the disadvantages.

The back to sleep campaign has saved countless lives of babies. Since its inception, the incidence of sudden death syndrome or SIDS has dropped dramatically. So, the price we may pay is a live baby with a flat head which can easily be corrected. As a parent, you have done what almost every doctor has recommended for several decades, “do not allow your infant to sleep on their tummy in the crib”. There are many disturbing stories, two that this author knows personally whose babies have died because of SIDS. Opposers of this positioning could argue that those babies who died had underlying conditions, however, the statistics are clear. Sleeping babies on their back saves lives.

Parents of difficult and cranky babies find that sleeping them in a car seat when home gives parents the most peace, quiet and chance to rest. The moment their baby is put flat on its back in the crib is the moment it will start screaming. Such parents may have to pay a price for their sanity. They may have to have their baby fitted with a cranial helmet.

There are some babies that come out of the womb with some deformation of the head. It could be a baby who was born with multiple siblings and was positioned in a certain way in the womb. As long as the treatment starts early the results will be satisfactory. So don’t worry about who’s to blame, there is someone up there that likes you and is giving you a great opportunity to fix the problem with a cranial helmet.

Is cranial therapy only for cosmetic reasons or is it crucial for the baby’s head development?

There are conflicting views on this cosmetic issue. Some experts claim that there is a correlation of flat head syndrome (or plagiocephaly) and developmental delays.

Let’s examine the theory that plagiocephaly is purely cosmetic. There is a very good chance for flat headed babies who grow into kids to be the subject of cruel bullies in school. It’s puzzling why any good person would make fun of another person who looks a bit different. Some psychologists say that bullies see it at home when parents make fun of each other or other siblings. Yet, you can have a refined and warm home and one child becomes a bully. Possibly this child has craved attention and could not get it in a positive way.

We are not going to solve the bullying problem in this forum. However, we want to inform interested parents that it is so important to give your child the best first experience in school. If a boy in your son’s class asks your child the simple question, “Why is your head flat?” It can cause trouble and fear. Your child may ask you if it could have been remedied. You would not want to answer by saying, “It could have been remedied when you were a baby but now it’s too late.”

You might compare this to a teenager or adult child wondering why a parent did not put braces on their teeth when they were younger. However, there is a crucial difference between neglecting to put on braces and failure to fit your baby with a cranial helmet. That is, an adult can still be fitted with teeth braces but cannot be fitted with a cranial therapy helmet. Up until one year and sometimes a bit longer, the baby’s bones are pliable and more easily shaped by a helmet. As the child grows his bones harden and the helmet would not do a thing.

Is the helmet very painful for the baby to wear and will it cause a rash?

When a baby is fitted with a helmet correctly, the baby gets used to it in a few days. The trouble starts when the helmet is not fitted correctly. There are several different methods of measurements for the cranial helmet. Make sure the cranial center you are using has the star scanner measuring method which is one of the most accurate quantifying techniques utilized today.

Rashes and sores are uncommon but yes, they do happen. Heat rash is the most common type of rash that is seen on babies who wear cranial helmets. Especially in hot climates there is a tendency for babies to sweat in their helmets. There are various measures that can be taken to prevent this from happening.

Infrequently, the helmet will rub against a small part of the head and will need to be adjusted by shaving it a bit. Even a little adjustment can cause maximum improvement. The best bet is to first bring your baby back to the cranial specialist before going to a dermatologist. The orthotist will look for the root of the problem and fix it. A dermatologist will only be able to give you soothing cream. All in all, with a well-fitting helmet you will have a happy helmet baby.

Is cranial therapy effective as a permanent solution or will it come back?

Yes, cranial therapy is permanent and no, the flatness will not come back. Cranial therapy is started by four months of age and usually is finished in about three months if used conscientiously. The stricter the parent is about the twenty-three-hour wearing time and the one hour without the helmet, the faster the treatment will be over. Once the skull reaches maturity and the fontanelles are interlocked the head will never change back to the original shape. It just can’t because the bones are too hard. This very fact is the reason why cranial therapy cannot be implemented when the baby reaches a certain age when the bones are firm.

Is cranial helmet therapy a very long process? I heard it could take a year.

If you know someone whose baby’s cranial therapy process took a year to finish, look deeper into how diligent the parents were about keeping their baby in the helmet. Some parents are so sensitive that they cannot get used to strangers and family asking questions about the helmet. What they end up doing is no less than cheating. If they are planning on socializing for a couple of hours and leave the helmet at home, those hours are not only wasted on improvement, but also will set back the head on possibly worsening the plagiocephaly. As stated before, the baby’s bones are pliable at a young age, and therefore the helmet works. At the same time, keeping the baby in its car seat for a family outing can have a detrimental effect on the helmet treatment. Have you ever met someone at a wedding or dinner who insists they are on strict diet only to eat two servings of desert with the same mouth they uttered their dietetic words?

Be sure to ask parents who complain about the ineffectiveness of their baby’s cranial helmet to answer honestly how many hours a day they keep the baby in the helmet. With correct fit and optimal helmet wearing most babies will complete the therapy in three months.

Do you think that an almost 95% success rate is appealing? In a survey of 4,000 babies this was the success rate for those who started helmet therapy. The group reached a full correction and asymmetry in their head shapes. In medicine this is a very soothing number, so you can rest assured that your baby’s head shape is curable. Remember the almost 95% were fully rounded and the others were still vastly improved.

Will plagiocephaly self-correct without treatment with a cranial helmet?

If your doctor has assessed that your baby has a mild case of flat head syndrome it still would be wise to have a reliable and honest orthotist check out their Cranial Vault Asymmetry measurement. There are situations of mild cases that can be corrected naturally using repositioning techniques. These are specific exercises usually under the guidance of a physical therapist who specializes in plagiocephaly. If these exercises fail the next step would be having the baby fitted with a cranial helmet.

Repositioning techniques rely on the seriousness of the parents and family. Certain people are quite diligent when it comes to exercising and regimentation in general. If you are the type of person who gets up early to take a walk even if it rains and makes sure to go on the treadmill the same amount of time and at the same time each day you may very well be successful with repositioning as a therapy for mild plagiocephaly. There is a very short window of opportunity when the baby’s head is pliable and can be reshaped by a cranial helmet. It is crucial to seek treatment if you do not see a difference with the repositioning exercises.