Hi!
We have the same issue! I have a 6 month old little boy, and at about 3.5-4 months I started noticing one side of his head was flatter than the other. He always slept on the same side of his head. At about 4.5 months, our pedi. referred us to a Cranial Specialist and they suggested getting a helmet (DOC band) for him. We did not have the greatest experience with the Cranial Specialist (orthotist)... we felt like they were giving us a sales pitch and the selling points were the imperfections in our child. His case is what they called moderate.
My husband and I thought about it for a few days (and prayed about it), and just did not feel right it was the right decision for us. It was also very expensive and not covered by insurance because it is considered cosmetic. I talked to my pediatrician again and told her my thoughts, and she said that she would recommend waiting until he is about 9 months and see how it looked then. She said she read a study recently about the DOC bands and how at 2 years of age, the study showed no difference in most of the children that had the DOC band versus the ones that did not. Therefore, in most cases it will work it self out on its own, but the helmet does it faster. She also said that there are a lot of neurosurgeons that think the helmets are a waste of money because most of the time the head will shape up the way it is suppose to.
He is 6 months today, and I am happy to report that in the last month and a half his head has almost completely rounded out on its own. We started seeing a chiropractor that did some cranial adjusting on him, and we repositioned him as much as possible. Against the recommendation of out pedi., we put a very thin layer of memory foam underneath his mattress pad to make his bed softer. We also put a piece at the changing table and in his carseat. It has worked great for us, but a Dr. will not recommend it because of chance of suffocation. We have a monitor that detects if he stops breathing and we have a camera in his room, and we felt comfortable to do it. It did not make it super squishy, just a little softer. During the day, I put him on his tummy, and keep him off his back unless he is in his carseat or stroller.
I have a friend that did the helmet and she was very pleased with the results. So, whatever you decide... it will all be okay! Just FYI, if you do go and see a orthotist, they will recommend a helmet... so be prepared. They also tell you that there is a very small chance that it will correct itself, and we are proof of otherwise! We are thankful that we did not rush into a decision to put him in it, and waste $3000- and have him be in a helmet all summer (yuck!)
There is a Yahoo group that you have to join to get into, but it has lots of good info. You can look at pics and hear people's stories and thoughts. It is at: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Plagiocephaly
Hope this helps! Many blessings!