Lop-sided, Flat Head

Hi there -
Don't be freaked out. My daughter who is now 16months had the same symptoms last year, when she was 4 months. And yes, she was born with a perfectly round head, she just wanted to turn her her to the side while she was sleeping, and she developed a big flat spot on her head's right side. She was diagnosed with Plagiocephaly. She was fitted for a Starband helmet and started wearing it before she was 5 months. She wore it for about 2 months 23 hours a day, then only for sleeping, then only for the nighttime until she was about 11 months. We ABSOLUTELY did the right thing by doing the helmet. She didn't even notice it when it was on, and now she's developmentally on or above her age, and has a nicely shaped head! My biggest advice to you is if you are going to use a helmet DO IT NOW! If you wait, your baby will have to wear it for a much longer period of time, since the skull starts to firm up. It seems like a huge inconvenience, but I hardly remember her having it now!
Good Luck -

I had the same experience with my daughter and we took her to Dupont Children's in De. Her head sloped on the one side from turning her head while asleep. They had us place a rolled towel behind her neck while in her car seat, swing, laying on the floor, in her boppy etc. so no pressure was on her head during the day. At night we purchased a sleep wedge with cushioned sides & air flow from Babies R Us so we could change her position from back - left - to right each night. After about three months of this her head became round again - and she is now a beautiful 5 year old with a perfect head.

The hardest part is getting through the birth-9 month stage after that they are so mobile that this problem will not reoccur. However, the doctor did tell us that if we had not caught it at 3 1/2 months and it persisted past the 6-9 month stage the plates in her head would have started to fuse (a natural occurrence as the soft spot goes away) and a helmet would have had to be fitted for her and worn for 12-18 months. Thank goodness we did not have to go through that.

Don't panic! My older daughter, who is now 4, developed a flat spot on the right side of her head which didn't resolve with repositioning. She was diagnosed with positional plagiocephaly, and ended up wearing a corrective helmet for about four months. I was definitely more upset about it than she was -- it really didn't affect her at all, aside from during the summer months where she got a bit of a sweaty head. Her head corrected beautifully and you would never have any idea that it was so flat.

We were living in NJ when my daughter was diagnosed, and my daughter received her helmet through Cranial Technologies -- you can see their website at http://cranialtech.com/. There is a wealth of information on that site, and you can also see what the helmets look like and even get some decorating tips!

I know that all of this can be overwhelming and upsetting. Try to remember that it's temporary and that your son won't even remember wearing the helmet (if that's indeed what happens). Feel free to email me at ____@____.com if you have any questions or concerns. Good luck to you!

I've been there! My 2 month old was diagnosed with craniosynostosis. It is very scary but we got through it and so will you if that's what it is. Not sure where you live but we are in the Philly, PA area and were able to go to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where they have some of the best surgeons in the world for this. They were amazing there!! My daughter got through it without a problem and she looks as normal as anyone else. Without it though she would have looked VERY different and could have had pressure on her brain which could have caused more problems. If you have any questions or need any more advice, thoughts, etc. just email me!! Good luck and God bless!