Disproportional Head Shape

A.- Most of the time this a self limiting problem. In other words this usually corrects itself. However, that is not so for all babies. But I wanted to let you know that there are things that you can do to help correct the shape of you son's head. Try to find a Chiropractor who does Cranial-sacral work. This is a very effective and gentle method of working with the cranial bones. Check the ICPA website which is :
www.icpa4kids.com and click on "find a doctor". There is also lots of great information for raising a healthy child! My niece had a problem with her cranial bones malpositioning as well and the chiropractor helped tremondously. { They live in Buffalo NY }There is also a book called "Baby Beautiful" that helps parents work with their baby to correct this problem. I cannot remember the author at this time, but I will e-mail you back to let you know who she is.Anyway- also alternate feeding sides, have him sit and try to give him as much tummy time as possible. If you have any further questions - e-mail me. ____@____.com
T. Bialek D.C.

I agree with what has already been said. In most cases it's enough to lay him in a different position (and don't let him sleep in a car seat). My son ended up with a case that is not common and we think began with his (breech) position in the womb - his skull actually developed so that his facial features began to be affected and had to have CAT scans, see specialists, etc. at about 18 months. Luckily his skull decided to round itself out more and it ended up not being very prominent - although still obvious to us - but it was scary and frustrating because our pediatrician kept telling us not to worry about it until it was too late for any intervention even if we had wanted to try a helmet or other therapies.

I wouldn't overreact - the huge majority of kids "even out" over time - but I would take photos, especially from above looking down on his head, so that you can compare if the flat spot is getting worse over time. And if you can have someone with some experience in this field look at him, it wouldn't hurt and would be reassuring, especially if you're not able to get him to change sleeping position after a few months.

A.:

this has become more common with the 'back to the back' campaign.

I recommend to the families that I work with that they rotate the baby.... monday night the head is at the head of the bed, tuesday at the foot..etc....

I would suggeest try lying your son the "other" way for a while.

Also contact Elaine Stocker www.healinghandchicago.com /773 ###-###-#### she has been doing some work with this.

P., RLC, IBCLC
Pres. Lactation Support Group, Inc
800 LACTATE

A.,
It's pretty common for babies to have a flat spot where they lay for a long time. It develops over time and the other poster was right - basically you need to start laying your baby so that his head is turned another way. Also giving him tummy time and sitting up time will help, since he will spend fewer hours laying down. Flipping which direction you lay him in the bed should help too, since he will probably turn his head to look towards the window.

My nephew had the same issue - I agree with the other posts about tummy time and laying him on the other side whenever possible. My sister & brother in law were really freaked out by one pediatrician's suggestion that he wear a special helmet for 2 yrs(!) to correct it, but that didn't turn out to be necessary at all. My nephew's head evened out over time and although it's still a little flat in back you would never know now that he has hair.

We had the same problem with our first son. He would only sleep on one side, just like when he was in the womb. We were told to massage the other side of his head. Since their heads are so soft, the massage can, for lack of better words, push out the place where his head has flattened. We were told that while it only take a short amount of time for this to happen, it will take a lot longer for it to be corrected. Also, as you know, try laying him down on the other side. Our son is 28 months now, and I barely notice it. His head looks a lot better and unless he goes into the military or gets his head shaved when he's older, you'd never know.

Lots of tummy time. My niece had tortocollis which is when your neck is tight and flat spot caused by to laying on her back too much plus being positioned down low for a long time in my sister. She had to do physical therapy to avoid getting a helmet to mold back her head shape. It is common.

Time for tummy time! It's hard with your first because they don't like it, cry and then you might feel guilty but don't. This is part of growing and will help them with learning to crawl then walk. One of my sister's friends sons head became flat because he was always on his back but with the tummy time and exercises his head returned to the round shape. From what I know your son is still young so improving this should not take that much adjustment. Double check with your pediatrician too if they can add anything else you should be doing. Congratulations on your first and enjoy this time because they change and grow so fast!!

This is normal if you keep babies in the same position. Try some "tummy time" every day. (You stay with the baby and let him just lay there, look around or move a bit, using different muscles. Your doctor should have told you about this. Also, you can get a little pillow that looks a bit like a donut. The babies sleep with their heads in the center of the circle, to keep their little heads from getting smushed. Basically, just put your baby into other positions, since his skull is still so soft.
Amy