8 Week Olds Head Shape

The only thing that I can think of is when you lay him down lay the opposite way then he can his head to the like if you are putting him in his crib put his feet at the end where his head is usually and see if that helps. It might and might not. Thats all I can honestly think of and i am truly sorry about the news the dr said.

Get a motorized swing. Both my kids loved it. Even though they may seem to not like it at first they ususally grow into in a few weeks. My second child took to it from day one. She was born with a slanted head. It was flat on one side at the back and protruded a little on the other side at the front. She is a year old now and her head shape is completely normal.

Mamas,
isn't it too dangerous to have him sleep on his tummy? When my son was born (June 27th 06) the doctor told me to let him sleep only on his back to avoid SIDS: she explained that other positions (especially on tummy) can make circulation and breathing much more difficult, that's why SIDS is more common in babies who sleep in those ways. Isn't the sleep-on-back position safest in this case anyway? The head will take soon its shape, I wouldn't be too worried about it (my son had a cone-head and now he has a perfectly round head). Good luck, your little man will be fine, I am sure!

I had the same issue with my son. He too would never want to sleep on his left side. We would roll up a burp cloth and put it under his right shoulder when he was sleeping to kind of roll him on his side. He gradually got to where he would turn his neck to the left when he slept. We would also do that when he was in his bouncer or swing. His head has gotten less flat although it is not totally round. He just had his 9 month checkup and the doctor says that it is fine. I guess it is more noticeable because he doesn't have much hair. Hope this helps!

This is common in infants and the more time he can spend on any side other than the right will do him good. I would suggest play time of the floor either on his back, or his stomach. Let him get used to the feeling when he is awake and active, it will make it easier for him when he is asleep. Also you might want to get a wedge, usually these are only used in the first few weeks, but you could position it so that he can only sleep on his left side, or on his back. It would keep him in that position. What we did, was we used the wedge right away, and each time she got up to feed, we switched the side we laid her on. Then at about 6 weeks she was able to hold her head up we took the wedge away and she slept on his stomach (this was also the first night she slept through the night). he might be uncomfortable for a bit, but he will get used to it, and then as his right side starts to fill out, you can let him sleep where he wants to. He will probably start rolling over soon, and will more than likely end up on his back or stomach naturally. I am sure he will be fine.

The strong preference for sleeping (or feeding, too!) only in one certain position may indicate a problem with his cranio-sacral alingnment. It may just be plain uncomfortable for him to have the head turned the other way.

I'd suggest you take him for evaluation to a cranio-sacral therapist or a chiropractor who is trained in treating infants. If necessary they could do a very GENTLE adjustment.

Position in utero or manipulation during the labor and birth can put tension on the neck for example, and it may jist be sore and out of alignment. Sometimes when they pull on the head during the birth it can lead to sore muscles, tension, and then avoidong certain positions, and then the joint gets more stiff in soem ways. Happens to us, and can happen to infants as well...

I had the same prob with my daughter,except it was shape like the crook of my arm,I 'share sleep' with all my kids.You definitely want to make adjustments NOW,just like alot of moms have already said,those wedges are GREAT,also if hes in a crib,switch his sleeping position from,say,head at top to head at bottom,so he'll be laying on the opposite side but not staring at the wall,know what I mean?!It really should only take a couple weeks or so for it to 'round-out' and the fussing now will be a heck of a lot better than if he has to wear a helmet at 1yrs old!(and a lot cheaper)The swing thing is a good idea also,but you'll still have to adjust his head,because its the weight of his head against a "flat" surface,that's causing the prob.Lotsa Luck

HI A.
Our son also likes to sleep on just one side. The doctor told us to massage his head to help bring it back to shape. Since it is so soft you can help undo the damage. We massage his head a few times a day and it really helps. Good luck
C.

Hey A.,
My son will be 6 months on October 18 and I went through the same thing you are going through. He always layed with his head to the right so it was flat on that side. He also had a bald patch there as well. He didn't like being on his tummy either. I tried everything and even bought a baby Boppy just his side to help him. Whenever he started rolling over though he started to enjoy laying on his stomach to play and sleep. His head is so much better now and the bald patch is almost gone. I just want to encourage you that it will get better. Soon he'll be flipping on his tummy to sleep. I hope this helps!

i dont know if you have one or have seen them, but they have these wedges that help keep them on one side or the other. you might want to get one of those and try it.

We have five children and this happened to our set of twins. They would only nurse and sleep on certain sides. We bought the baby wedge and positioned them on the opposite side then the next time on their back. I never did the tummy, to scary for me, they did however start sleeping on their stomachs when they were able to roll. You could also use blankets to prop him on his other side or his back to get even time on all sides. He may fuss a little at first but will come to be alright with this new position. Good Luck!

A.,
My son has the exact same problem, though our pediatrician didn't really seemed concerned until he was 6 months old. Now he has to wear a helmet. It's really not so bad, but it's very expensive, so I understand on several levels why you don't want to have to go that direction. My best advice is to put him on his tummy to play OFTEN - even if he cries! My son hated being on his stomach. He actually learned to turn himself over when he was 1 week old! He used to sleep in his swing when we couldn't get him back to sleep at night - the helmet people said that's a no-no. Anyways, we had to go the helmet route and I'm glad we did. His head looks much, much better. Get that baby on his tummy and hopefully that will help. If not, Cranial Technologies has been wonderful. Let me know if you need to discuss anything else!

Dear A.,

My second son, who is now 5.5, had trouble with his head shape and the pediatrician actually referred us to a neurologist to discuss a helmet. Insurance wouldn't cover it but we would advised about other things that we could do. In the end his head returned to normal so he is fine.

Do you carry him on the right or left hip? Whichever one it is, use the opposite side. This will force him to look forward using and strengthening the muscles on the other side of his neck. Do the same thing when nursing or craddling him in your arms.

When changing his diapers and he is laying down, place your hands on each side of his head and turn it toward the side that needs to be strengthened. Hold it there for a few seconds. He may be slightly uncomfortable but will get used to it. If you do this every time you change his diapers, he'll some good exercise and stretching.

As for going to bed on his other side. Have you tried using one of those infant bed pillows? (Not sure of what proper name is.) This is a small pad with triangular styrofoam-type support pillows on each side. The baby lays between the two pillows which support him back and front so that he cannot roll over.

Hope this helps and you don't have to go the using a helmet.

M. C

You might also want to try a wedge that is made of the foamy (memory foam type stuff) on the bottom so that instead of all the pressure being on his head and taking the shape of the crib, the foam will take the pressure and shape of his head. This will also help you position him the way he needs to be and keep him there. I am also a strong beleiver in lots of tummy time for play. Not only did it keep my little girl's head nice and round, but it also helped her developmentally. She had very strong back and neck muscles that helped her roll and I think even crawl sooner.

My daughter was about 4 months when we really started noticing her flat head, particularly on one side. We did end up having to wear the helmet because it did not correct itself by about 6 months. We went to Cranial Technologies in Charlotte and the whole experience was WONDERFUL!! Of course, at first I was totally freaked out about having to wear the helmet but it was really the best thing we ever did. She did not mind it at all, and it was even kind of cute especially after we decorated it. And now her head looks great! Check out www.cranialtech.com for some great info on how to reposition to help the head shape. And good luck!

I wonder if we have the same pediatrician...he got me very flustered about my daughter at the same age by telling me the same thing.

We started letting her sit in her bouncy seat quite a bit so that so much pressure wasn't constantly on her head. She took a lot of naps in there with the vibration going. This kept her lying flat only at night.

When she hated lying on her tummy, I started propping her over the Boppy, arms head and shoulders over the Boppy. This also helped her get her neck strength down...of course we never left her side while we did this.

With my youngest daughter we didn't have the problem because she was colicky and I had her constantly in a sling with me, so she was never lying flat except at night. I recommend a sling because it gives you free hands and they tend to sleep quite a bit from the motion of your movements.

Does the doc think your baby might have tight muscles on one side of his neck that is keeping him turning to one particular side? That is what ours thought, so we did some gentle neck exercises with my oldest daughter at night. Slowly rotating her head back and forth and massaging that neck muscle. If you look up Torticollis exercises on the internet, you will probably find some examples of how to do this.

Hi, my grandmother always use to tell me that you have to shape your babies head, so all u have to do is rub his head from left to right and from back to front. Try putting a little pillow on his right side to keep him on his left side. He is only 4 months so try rubbing his back when he is laying on his tummy.

I would suggest that you use a carrier as much during the day as possible so your son isn't laying down so much. This will help him develop head/neck control as well as prevent flat heads. There are lots of different brands out there that you can buy (I would not buy a store bought variety as they tend to be uncomfortable). If you need suggestions for types/brands, let me know.

G.

Do you always have his head on the same side of the crib? My daughter likes to look out of the crib, so I switched her head from the left end of the crib to the right and she would sleep with the opposite side of her head against the mattress.
Also, if you're bottle feeding, be sure to switch hands sometimes so that his neck can learn to turn the other way.