I suspect that my nephew has plagiocephaly but I don't know how to approach my brother on the subject. Looking for ideas/suggestions. My son who is now 2 1/2 had both plagio & torticollis. He wore a helmet for about 5 months so I know quite a bit about the topic but just not sure how to approach him. Do I say something to the fact of I think that he has a flat head and you should have your doctor check it out at his 6 month checkup. I am just afraid that they blow it off and think I'm imagining it or that it will go away on it's own. I know that it could but it might not either and the first year is the best time to fix it. I don't want to offend him and cause any family problems but if I don't say something and the doctor misses it...what if I turn out to be right? Please give me suggestions how to handle this situation.
Thank you everyone for your advice. I called my brother today and told him my concerns. I just mentioned that I thought his son's head was flat in the back just like my son had. I said that I could be wrong but he should mention it at the 6 month checkup. He replied that it is flat. I said that it might not be severe enough for a helmet but you never know and it's best to fix it now vs my nephew having problems later in life. He agreed with me. I just hope that they actually do pursue it. He was really quiet about it and didn't really want to discuss it so I dropped the subject after I voiced my concerns. His checkup should be within the next couple of weeks. Thank you again everyone!!
I would recomend straight talk. I have always found that straight forward and to the point is better than beeting around the bush!! good luck
My son had a flat head as well around 6 months and his pediatrician said it would correct itself once he started to sit up and roll around while sleeping. It did and he has a very normal looking head (he is now 20 months). By about 10-12 months it started to round out. I think that every case is different, and they should consult their pediatrician about it.
Hi J.,
It is hard when you are concerned about someone else's kid, but first realize that you have very little control over this situation....
Either you or another family member should mention it to your brother or SIL. You know your family dynamics best; if you think another person could have the discussion with them and it would go over better, see if you can enlist that person's help. (Grandmas are good for this type of stuff!) If you end up being the one to talk to them, I would keep it casual: "Is Bobby's 6-month check-up coming up? His head shape reminds me of Timmy's before he was treated. It's probably nothing, but it might be worth having the doctor check out his head shape."
In the end, it's entirely up to them if they want to pursue it or not.
I am a day care provider and one of my day care kids has a flat spot. I hadn't been sure what to do, whether to mention it or not, but finally they mentioned to me that after so many people had asked about it, they'd brought it up with the pediatrician. He'd said that it was within the range of normal and not to sweat it at that time. But they didn't seem at all offended that people had been asking; rather it seemed like a sign that the people they knew (friends and family, mind you, not strangers on the street!) cared enough to ask if he was okay.
I think that tactfully mentioning it, especially given that you've been through it yourself and will understand the situation and also what it feels like as a parent, is a very good idea. I'm sure she'll be glad to to whatever she can to keep her son healthy!
I too have a 2/1 year old that had torticollis & plagio. Our doctor referred us for the tortilcollis to a PT but I had to bring up. I think he thought it would self correct. Our PT was very gentle in how she brought it up to me. She just said it is a very common thing with torticollis things and they do a free screening. It costs nothing so just check it out for the best interest of your child. Our PT was so helpful in so many areas in things our doctor was in too much of a hurry to address so don't rely on the doctor to catch it. It turns out that our daughter had such a badly misshapen head that they said her brain would have grown into her school giving her brain no where to grow. This would have led to a lifetime of disability. We wouldn't have known this had we not gone to the free screening. Good luck!
My oldest also had plagio and torticollis (he was helmeted for 11 weeks). His daycare lady is the one who mentioned that his flat spot didn't seem to be going away. I am so glad she did. Since he was my first baby I knew all babies got flat spots but didn't know when they were supposed to "fix" themselves. Maybe just mention that you've noticed the flat spot and ask if the doctor has ever mentioned it. Our pediatrician never said anything about Logan's, we had to make an appointment to have it evaluated and were referred to the team at Children's. Is your nephew's face asymetrical like most plagio babies? Or his ears? You know your family best so just go with your gut.
My daughter also has plagio and torticollis and I had the same dilemma with a very good friend. But, in the end I decided to talk to her and I was glad I did and so was she. She lives out of town so I only saw pictures of her new twins and I called her and said, "I don't want to offend you or worry you but I noticed in the photos that your baby has a strong head tilt and that one side of his head is flatter than the other...you know what I am going through with my daughter and I just want to make sure you are aware so that you just ask your doctor the next time you go in-just to be on the safe side as I wish we would have caught ours earlier."
She took no offense and was glad I said something and she asked the doctor at their next appt- and yes, he did have torticollis but the plagio they think is not bad enough for the helmet like my daughter wore.
I think you can do it delicately and just say you have been through it and you want to make sure they check into it.
Good luck!
Even though it might be difficult and feel slightly uncomfrotable for you, you've got to do what's in the best interest of your newphew. And Flat Head Syndrome can be corrected in the early stages. Many parents have simply not been informed about the prevention/correction of Flat Head Syndrome, and it's important that does who do know or have gone through it before educate and spread awareness amongst other parents. Perhaps you should talk about your own experience with your son to explain that you have been through this and don't want them to have to go through the same thing. The bottom line is, you are acting out of love and only wants what best for your nephew. You may want to encourage them to visit their pediatirican just to be safe. You can visit https://www.facebook.com/DrJaneScott or www.babytortle.com for more information and to join the mission to end plagiocephaly!
I think that you should talk to your brother about this. I am sure that he would appreciate your concern and be thankful that his son's condition could be corrected because of his age. My daughter had Plagiocephaly and Torticollis and wore a doc band for 3 months. She was 4 months old when it was discovered. She will never have a perfectly shaped head, but it is much better!! She was in therapy for several months due to the Torticollis. I am so glad that we were made aware of this before it was too late. You could suggest to your brother that he go on this website, http://www.cranialtech.com/, it may help to actually see pictures of babies with Plagiocephaly. Plagiocephaly has become extremely common with "Back to Sleep". Good luck!!
