Seeking Advice on Cranial Helmet for 9 Month Old

hey J.,
Sounds like the helmet wouldn't be covered and I was told that they run pretty high.
When we went thru that we were approved for Physical Therapy, so my little man went to Physical Therapy several times a week for a few months, gradually working down to once a week, then once every other week, and once a month, and so on.
He "graduated" and doesn't go anymore, but we had a lot of success with it and chose that option since we were too late for a helmet...........sounds similar to where you are.
PT was only a ten dollar copay each visit, so it was way less than a helmet and we did see marked improvement.
Hope that helps!
:)
S.
www.MomsOnAMission.US

I used a cranial helmet on my son, beginning at 6.5 months - 11 months. I definitely noticed an improvement, and was glad I did it. He had ZERO adjustment time to the helmet, so that made it easier. As far as going out into public, occasionally I removed it, but made certain it was on most of the day, and always at night.

He's 14 months now, and I actually wish I had kept in on for another month.

Hi there,

I just wanted to offer you an alternative idea. I just actually spoke with a doctor at this Osteopathic center in San Diego and she mentioned that they do cranial work. She said that they have completely corrected many different misshapen heads for young children. You may want to call and see if they could help. The number in San Diego is ###-###-####.

Hi J.,
Does your insurance cover it? Can you afford it? Can you make changes to afford it? If so, I'd do it. You basically get one chance, and as others have said, why not try to do what's best for your child? There be plenty of times when you can't and wish you could.

We had our daughter in a DOC band for two months, around the 5-7 month age. It worked great. We got it from Cranial Technologies in San Diego. The worst part for us was the 'casting' to get a mold of her head. They used the old plaster and wrap technique. I hear now that they just take a few pictures with a special camera and make the mold from that. SOOO much better than torturing the child with wrapping her head in plaster. That really was the hardest part of the whole thing for us. She was used to the thing on her head by day 2 or 3.

The other part that will take some getting used to is the 'mental' side of things...for you. At least it was for me. It is a bit of a deal to take your once perfect (we all think that about our children) child out into public with a helmet on. You get lots of stares and a few rude questions. But that's life and you move on. You smile a lot and answer the questions politely because you don't want to act rude, embarrassed or frustrated in front of your children if you possibly can...especially when the source in question is the thing on their head.

I wish you luck in your decision and after-effects of it. If you don't do it, stick to your decision and hold no regret. That won't help. If you do move forward with it, best of luck getting your little one used to the thing and keep smiling... it will come off soon!

Dear J.,

My son wore a helmet for 7 weeks. It was a doc band and we were very pleased with it. They are great at Cranial Technologies here in San Diego - the best out there. I highly recommend them. My son was younger (not quite 4 months) when we put him in the band but they will band babies up to 2 years old, I believe (after that changes are not going to happen b/c growth slows so much). It was a difficult decision for us and I was worried about so many things but once we got the band I was so glad that we did it and shouldn't have been worried at all. The band was more stressful for us than it was for him! Depending on how bad your daughter's plagiocephaly is, I disagree that it is purely cosmetic. If one side of her forehead is bulging that also could mean that that whole side of her face is being pushed forward, which could affect vision, jaw alignment, etc. in cases that are moderate to severe. If your daughter is within 2 standard deviations of normal then I wouldn't do it, otherwise at 9 months after trying positional tactics, I would go ahead and do the band. In the end you will be glad that you did. One thing that helped me with my decision was finding a couple of online discussion boards of adults and teenagers who had (and still have) plagiocephaly and what they had to say about it and how it affected them (even the ones with just cosmetic effects were embarrassed by it and some said it affected other areas of their lives b/c they weren't confident). I'm just sharing my decision making process with you and what factors helped me personally decide - but for me I never wanted my son to grow up and have problems and ask me why we didn't do something to fix it when we could have. Older children and adults cannot do anything to fix it. My son was 3 standard deviations due to being engaged in the birth canal for 2 months prior to his birth and pre-mature labor, bed rest, etc., so it wasn't something that was going to correct on it's own since it was in-utero. These are all facts to consider in the decision-making process.

Good luck with your decision. You will make the right choice for you and your daughter. If you do decide to do the band - it's not that bad at all. I even had people asking me where they could get one b/c they wanted it for their learning walkers in case they fell - they had no idea what it actually was!

We decided on cranial sacral/chiropratic option instead of the helmet when my son was 4 months old. We went to Dr. John Graham at Cedars and he gave me the option to choose. My son's flat spot wasn't very noticeable. I don't know if he just grew into to it or if the cranial sacral method worked but he has a beautiful shaped head now. The acupuncturist i used is located in Burbank and if you are interested, i will look for her number. Good luck!

Hi. My name is M. and I am a pediatric physical therapist. I work with children with plagiocephaly and torticollis (shortening of the neck muscles causing tilting or rotation to one side) at The Child Development Center in Simi Valley, CA. Many insurance co's actually cover doc bands (a type of helmet). The best co. we have found for constructing them is called cranial technologies and is based in San Diego and Pasadena. They have a website at cranialtech.com. I believe you need a referral from your pediatrician and they can bill ins. for you. Typically, the best results are seen when the helmet is fitted earlier, but good results can occur later as well!
Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions,
M. Mark
____@____.com

Hi! Like Piper responded... we too went to Cranial technologies for our son's flatening of the head in back which caused widening at the top of the head at 5 months old. His one ear was slightly lower as a result. He was in the helmet for a little over 8 weeks and WOW... what a difference. I can send before and after pics to anyone who is interested) We figured that if we had it in our power to make a difference, even slightly to improve his appearance, then it was the least we could do for him since he would have to live w/ his head for the rest of his life!

Your other option is repositioning which can help but I am not sure to what extent, due to your child's age,it will make a difference. Your child's skull is still grwoing so the helmet is configured such that it would apply pressure and stunt additional growth where the head is is already protruding and allow for growth in the other areas needed to even out the appearance.

If you worry about the child's comfort and if it would be bothersome I say it bothers us more that it does them.... they adapt to the helmet after a few days of contiual wear.

If you worry about what other people will say - we countered comments by painting the helmet like the LTs Chargers helmet so instead of him looking like something was 'wrong' he looked really cool and people commented positively.

I know that you will make the choice that is right for your baby. Please feel free to contact me if you need more information!

My son started his DOC Band at 10 months old and it made such a difference. Our dr said to reposition him, but he'd always find a way to roll back and lay on the right side of his head. I felt bad for not starting it earlier, but luckily he grew a lot during this time and you can't really tell it's still a little flat. Part of our decision was that, as a blond boy, if his hair is short, you can tell that it's crooked and if he looses his hair when he's older, he'll have to live like that the rest of his life.

He went through 2 bands in 6 months, starting in the summer. He didn't really mind it. I'm glad that we did it. Our insurance, Aetna, fully covered the 1st band and partially covered the 2nd which was a great help. Good luck!

Looks like you've gotten some sound advice already but I'd also like to say that my daughter wore a helmet for about 7 weeks (between 4-6 mo)...it was no big deal, and we made her helmet our little art project! It can really be a fun accessory! People are going to look at it, anyway, so it might as well be amusing. We are so glad we did it. She did not have a severe case of plagiocephaly, but the threat of causing visual disturbances and/or jaw misalignment, however small, was enough to get that helmet on her head. Seven weeks of appointments and sweaty heads vs. a lifetime of inconveniences, pain and insecurity? Do it, girl.

Why don't you try a natural approach, like with a Bowen therapist or a cranial sacral therapist first. Then you could use the cranial helmet or do both.

Hi,

A friend of mine- her daughter had to wear a cranial helmet. It worked wonders for her and I know that she was so glad that she did it. So, from what I have heard- they work great- I guess you would want to do it now- so that there are no issues later.

Good Luck!

Hi,
You didn't mention what specialist you went to but if it wasn't Cranial Technologies, I recommend paying them a visit - no matter how far you have to travel to do so. I took my son to them and they took measurements and gave me a recommendation. The measurements were just within the range they consider acceptable and we decided not to treat because we live very far away from any Cranial Tech locations. If we had lived closer, I might have treated him. The measurement from the right front to left back of his head was 4mm shorter than the measurement from the left front to the right back of his head. It was nice to have things quantified rather than just going by how things looked. He's now 2 and the assymetry is still there but I'm the only one who notices it. I don't expect anyone else, except perhaps his wife who may stare at him almost as much as I do lol, will notice it.

There are also 2 other places to get support: iVillage has a Cranio-facial abnormality message board & Yahoo has a Plagiocephaly group.

Act fast because your window of opportunity is closing fast but at 9 months it is still open for some improvement.

Good luck!!

My daughter (now 20 months old) had the same exact problem. She wore the helmet for three months and now her head is just about perfect. She started wearing the helmet at 6 months but you should be fine starting at 9 months - she just may need to wear it a little longer.

My daughter had absolutely no problem with the helmet - she could do everything in it and seemed completely comfortable. We had it painted as well and thought she looked really cute in it.

If you haven't already - check out Cranial Technologies in Pasadena. Their website is cranialtech.com.

Good luck and get her fitted right away!

Hi J.,

Our son's head a very odd shaped, it happened during a very difficult birth. I was afraid that his head would be like that forever so I asked our doctor if he thougt a helmet could to reshape it, our doctor was an old fashion said if anything it's just going to bother him to wear it a his head would make it's way back to shape, it did and I'm glad we didn't do it.

What a pain it would have been, there are so many things that can happen during a childs lifetime - like when our son was 4 he needed both his eyes opporated on, thank goodness we didn't impose a helmet when it was optional.

Marina

Our daughter wore a helmet from 8 months to 10 months. We were lucky to catch a growth spurt. We were told to do it before 14 months - after that, they don't see much improvement. As for the cosmetic issue - think about being 14 years old. Or 16. Or 32. And looking in the mirror and seeing all the flaws, real or imagined, and how awful that is. Now think if you knew your parents could have corrected one of them but didn't. Ours was a little more than cosmetic, but we are so glad that we used the helmet. Our daughter's head is now perfectly round! The only drawback - it didn't smell good while it was on. But the results are well worth it.

My son started a helmet at 9 months and will wear it for another month until he's a year. It has worked wonders on the shape of his head. It's not too late to fix the problem, they are still growing a lot at 9 months. Ours was purely cosmetic also and it was our decision whether to pursue the helmet. we are SO glad we did. I have had so many people come up to us and say they wish their parents had fixed their odd shaped heads. It's something we felt we had to do for him to make him as normal as possible (kids are so mean to each other and tease each other for the smallest differences) I don't think we will ever regret our decision. And the best part is his head looks amazing already. We go to Cranial Technologies in Pasadena.

That said, it's harder on you than on them. My son hasn't slept well since he got the helmet and it's hot and uncomfortable. However, it's short term and my husband and I were willing to deal with the short term difficulties in order to have our son have the long term results of a normal shaped head.

Good luck with your decision. Try to remember you won't regret the decision to put the helmet on but you may regret not putting it on. Email me directly if you have any more questions.

J.,
My son got his first helmet when he was 7 months old. The maker of that helmet did not do a good job and it hurt him. When we went back to his Dr. for a check he had the insurance company pay for a new helmet that was manufactured at the place he worked. That helmet has worked perfectly for my son. He did not get it until he was almost nine months. He just turned a year and we are seeing dramatic improvements on it. He is now fine medically but they are working on the cosmetics. I would definately recommend doing it. It has helped him so much. You may even want to get a second opinion. Good luck!!

Dear J.:

No one is going to admit it's noticable...they're usually being polite. ("Do I look fat in this?" "No, you look lovely!"...you know the routine.) Try not to worry about them, just focus on your baby and her needs. I think that if you can notice it, your child certainly will when she's older.

Just think, it'll be a bit of a hassle at first, then you'll get used to it, then it'll be over. It's just like when we get our kids palatal expanders, braces, contacts, electric shavers...none of these things are mandatory but they're wonderful for improving areas of need. We could ignore them or we could give our kids the best. I think you'll be pleased if you do it.

Best wishes,

M.
PS: I have a friend who ignored this same issue in her child and while we all notice, why would we tell her something now that it's too late? I love the child and it bums me out that it wasn't taken care of...that's why I answered your post.

Hi, J..

My daughter (now 6) was 10 months old when I brought her home from China. She had a flat spot on her head. The doctor said it was really too late to use the helmet, and that it was only a cosmetic issue, covered nicely by the right haircut. :O> Her flat area is not very noticeable at all. Good luck. - J.

I'm sure all cases are individual...but my son (now 5) was recomended a helmet as well (I think when he was about 6 months old)...we went to a specialist also, the results were just slightly off the normal scales...he said to come back in two months to see if anything had changed..and it had...his head was rounding out naturally, we had one more visit and his head was almost perfectly normal...no helmet was needed for us...

We went to Cranial Technoligies..i know i spelled that wrong but I'm TIRED!!...
My husband and I debated it for 6 months and it was a GREAT decision. Do you want your baby to wear a helmet now or be goofed on by the other teenagers in middle school! We just moved here from Memphis and I posed the same question on the site to the Moms there. I got 97 responses...ALL of them positive! That did it for me. Our son has had his 'hat' for 2 months and the difference is unbelievable! He is never bothered by it and since he is walking now when he bonks his little head it doesn't hurt! We may keep it until he's 20! Good luck!

I would just for the fact the she is your little girl. Boys can be so mean when the get older. I have a little girl 8 months and she has a lazy left lid. We took her to the Dr and he said that is was not causing any damage to her eye and she could see, so that if we wanted to do surgery that is would be cosmetic also. They only thing with that is we can't do it until she is about to start school. I saw do it. Life is hard enough. Don't give people something to make fun of her for.

Hope this helps

My daughter, who is now 13 months, wore a cranial helmet (DOC Band from Cranial Technologies). Her case was also minor, and we did it because we worried we would regret it if we didn't do it. Like your child, she had flatness on the back right side and a small bulge on the forehead on the same side. The right eye also looked slightly bigger. Like you, I don't think anyone else noticed these things much. She was 8 months or so when she got the helmet and wore it for a few months before she outgrew it. Did it help? I honestly don't know. We had been monitoring the situation carefully for months and it had improved quite a bit on its own. She does still have a very slight eye size discrepancy that I don't think anyone else notices -- just us because we're so incredibly attuned to it. The forehead seems pretty level at this point, the back of the head rounded out quite a bit, not perfect, but once she has hair no one will be the wiser.

I have talked to other parents out and about town who raved about the results they saw, but I think that their kids had more severe cases. Unfortunately, it's now or never on these things, and I understand your conundrum. Even though I question its effectiveness, I guess if I had it to do over again, I would, because if we hadn't I would always wonder, "What if?" I kept imagining my teenage daughter yelling at me because we didn't do anything about it when we could...parental guilt is a powerful thing!

Hope this helps, please let me know if you have other questions I can help with.
E.

Hi J.,

I agree with Laura C. I chose not to do the helmet. This is a big decision. When my son was 7 months old we had to face the same decision. He was diagnosed with plagiocephaly. However, the thing that was causing it was his torticollis. He was flat on one side and we went to Cranial Technologies for an evaluation. They pointed out every flaw...one side of the front of his head was bulging, his ears weren't aligned, etc. Well after much thought and getting a second opinion we decided against it. Instead, we worked on fixing the real problem which was his torticollis in his neck...we went to a physical therapist once a week for 3 months. It worked...plus, like I said he was 7 months old which meant he was just starting to sit up and do things and wasn't laying on his head as much. He was even starting to turn over on his tummy in the crib relieving the pressure. We just couldn't see putting him into a helmet 23 hours a day for 3 months. And even after that they said he may have to wear it another 3 months which means he would be fitted with another helmet. BTW, each helmet was over $3,000 and my insurance did NOT cover it (most insurances don't). Well, I am sooooo happy with our decision. He is now 13 months old and beautiful. You would have never known he had this problem. Now that he crawls, he has totally relieved all that pressure on that side of the head. He now sleeps on his tummy and his hair is growing in making the slight slant unnoticeable. I spoke to two different specialists and both said that there are no proven STATS out there that says it PREVENTS problems with his jaw, vision, etc. I hope this helps. Just remember, no one's face or head is PERFECT...if it is only noticeable to you right now and no one else notices it...then perhaps that is how it will always be.

Go with your gut!!!

K.

Pls check into Cranial Sacral work first. You may never need any helmet. www.upledgerinstitute.com will give you great info and you can get a list of certified practitioners in your area. You may be very surprised at what all CS treatment can do! Best wishes! J.

hi J.,

i'm wondering if you've heard about craniosacral therapy? it is a very gentle, non-invasive hands on therapy, and can do amazing things for structural misalignments in the cranium. it's great for babies who experienced any kind of difficulty during the birth process. i'm thinking it may not be necessary to have to use a helmet. i am a massage therapist and i've recently completed a course in craniosacral work and i was very impressed. i'd recommend finding an experienced practioner in your area and talking with them getting their feedback. if you're not sure how to find one, you could google the upledger institute as they'll have a list of practioners.

good luck!

R.

Did you go see Nobbe in SB? They were very helpful to us. We decided not to use the helmet but went for several assessements with Nobbe. Our daughter head was flat in the back but she was able to start sleeping on her stomach and that enabled the back of her head to round out.

Cranial sacral work and possibly pediatric chiropractic. I can work wonders and fast!

My little nephew had the same deal happening. I think he had his helmet at 6 months - great results. If you and your hubby can see it now, and if it bothers you, you may as well take care of it now if you can. My nephew is now 4, and his head is as round as ever! Looks great! Good luck!
LL

Hi J.
I too have twins-they are 7 now and have a 1 yr old little girl. My twins had to wear helmets starting at about 5/6mos till a little over a year; one had to wear it a little longer than the other. They proved to be quite effective, but it does take getting use to- the baby & the parent. There is a Great Cranialfacial clinic in Loma Linda. We live in Corona & were referred there & had a positive experience. 9 mos. is a little older than what they typically start the babies, but I think if you act aggressively on this now, and they want to use a helmet for correction- you should still see a difference in a few mos.??? Act now & Call today though(sorry to sound like a commercial there).

Hi J.,

My daughter had a rough delivery and ended up needed a cranial cap. She had a severe case of Plagiocephaly. We were able to get her into her first cap around 4 months. She ended up needing a second cap when she grew out of the first. They can be pricy if not covered by insurance, which is almost irrelivent. We were fortunate enough to find a great place, www.cranialtech.com . They will give you an honest evaluation. They might say that the bones are set and there will be limited or no change in the head shape. This is why we didn't go on to get a third cap. My daughter is still disproportionate and when the baby fat goes it could be more noticable. I would say get a second opinion, and remember You and your husband are the final say in the care of you and your family. Good luck. There are really no cons to the cap other than it gets a little sweaty and she may not want to wear hats after having to wear a helmet.

My suggestion is that if you are concerned & self conscious about it that you should do it & do it quickly. I have had 2 friends with kids use the helmets (right about this age) and the head shapes are much better now. It is a hassle and something that will be a constant issue in your life for a short period..... but in the end if you think your child will be better off in the long run with it corrected-- now is your chance. Good luck

Hi J.: My 3rd daughter had a very crooked head when she was a newborn and I discussed the issue with my pediatrician when she was maybe around 5-6 months. He mentioned the many trips to Children's Hospital that a helmet would require. I really felt then that it was not worth it. I made sure to alternate how I put her down in her crib to "even out" the crookedness. I did the same thing with my 4th baby who had a flat head from being a back sleeper. My third and fourth children are now 7 and 5 and have normal-looking heads. If you felt my 7 year old's head, though, it still feels rather crooked. No one can notice and she's a very bright, healthy girl. I also have a very "truthful" medical family who would tell me if she looked "crooked" but she doesn't. God bless your decision.

The same thing happened to on of my twin boys, I think its caused from being smashed against the pelvis because he was head down in position to come out for 2 months while the other one just layed over the top of him head up, and he has the roundest head lol anyways my son never wore a helmit and his head is fine. they grow into them.