Worried About 5 Month Old Son's Flat Head

A friend of mine had her son to the doctor for the same problem and eventually they fitted him with a helmet to wear that corrected the shape of his little head. He had to wear it all the time at first, but it got to be less and less until he didn't need it anymore and he has a perfectly round little head now. He is a little over a year now and no problems.

Hi K.,
i was having this problem with my 4 month old, Kristyn. She always favored the right side. At her 2 month visit the doctor discussed it with me. Whenever she's on the right side of her head I just put her on the left. I have also put all of the interesting things in her life on the left, I also only hold her in my right arm so that the left side of her head is pressed against my arm. I do see an improvement but it is still flatter on the right. At her 4 month visit the doctor said to just keep up with what I've been doing and I'll continue to see improvements. He also said that with her being close to sitting up that that would be a great help. Don't stress too much over it though.
J.

Yes, they make helmets to correct this. However, at 5 months it is not that concerning.
My five month old has one, too...
If he gets to be a year old, then yes, it may need to be corrected. But, I would not worry just yet.

You can certainly wait until your appointment to talk to your doc again--nothing bad will happen between now and then. :) My youngest son had torticollis (where the muscles on one side of the neck are tight and results in the head turning to one side because it's easier). I had to take him to physical therapy for several months and do exercises with him at home, but because he always turned his head to the same side, he had a huge flat spot. Our pediatrician was happy to make the recommendation to a specialist for a helmet if we really wanted to go that route (we discussed this when my son was nine months old), but she said we could wait since most kids who have that problem will fill out by the time they're two. We decided to wait to see if the flat spot filled out as our son improved with his PT and as he got older and spent less time on his back. He just turned two, and his head is fine.

So there's no need to rush back to the doctor, but when you do go to your appointment, you may want to ask about the possibility of torticollis and/or some physical therapy appointments. I do know that you have to be very consistent about the exercises and stretches that you do at home though because that is what will make the most difference in your son's preference of turning his head to one side. And as concerning as a flat spot can be on your little one, remember that he is still only five months old, and you should see improvement once he is much older and really up and moving and not lying or lounging around so much. Let me know if you have any more questions--and good luck!

My cousin's mother died during Tom's birth. He spent many hours as a baby on his back in a crib as his aunt had several children when she took him and his father in. Tom's head was flat in the back and still is as a grown man. The father was a college PhD. Tom is a university president! I always used blankets or towels to prop my kids to one side or the other. If you look at the skull sutures, you will understand better. Ask next time but other than propping with towels, I see nothing to do.

When my son cameron was born (15 years ago), he came out with a cone head and I felt the same way you do. My doctor told me that if I rubbed his head it would help. Baby's skulls are still soft and growing. Just stay away from the soft spot. I was ALWAYS rubbing my son's head and now he has a perfectly round head (and a cowlick thanks to all the hours of rubbing in a circle). Your baby will be fine!

K.,

My pediatrician noticed my son's flat head at his 3 month checkup. His was flat to one side. He referred me to a specialist that uses helmets to help shape babies heads. I went to one and they pointed out some interesting charactersitics to look for. Obviously, the head looking flat in the back or one side is a characteristic, but they also pointed out, when looking down on my son's head (from the top), his ears were not aligned because he was laying on one side more than the other. This can cause facial (specifically jaw)and eye problems if not corrected. Another important factor is that the longer you wait to get it corrected, the longer it will take to correct the problem. My son wore his helmet from 4 months old until 8 months old. His head is perfectly rounded now. If I were you, I wouldn't put it off any longer. Get the advise of another doctor as soon as you can.

K.

From everything I have ever heard your childs head will eventually round out when he starts spending less time on it. But if he always seems to end up in that position it might take a while. If you are really concerned and you don't think your pediatrician is has given you the reassurance you need I would seek the advice of another doctor just so you can rest easy.

K.

One of my boys had a flat head too. There is an old wive's tale that you can gently rub your child's head every day and it will get rounder. I don't know if my son's head got rounder from rubbing it or it he just outgrew the flat head. He is a teenager now and he shaved his head for football. His head is perfectly round now and he is very ugly with that shaved head. But, I am grateful that it was not a flat shaved head! :o)

I can only tell you what a friend went through. Their son had a similar issue, he liked one side the best. And by the time they really noticed it, even his eyes were getting a little off. They ended up with a little helmet device that slowly reshaped his head. I do think the boy was a little older. The boy now has a very normal shaped head. I even think the boy was fine with wearing it. I would definitely talk to your dr. about this option and get a second opinion if you don't like what he says! Your son will be sitting up and rolling more very soon and that will help too.

Hi K.!

I noticed my daughter at a week old was not turning her head to the right. Doctors "kept a check" on it. It was getting bad and FINALLY at 6 months old, she was referred to Cranial Technology. The people there were great and it was VERY baby friendly. It's a free consultation and they will explain EVERYTHING that is going on and how to treat it! She ended up wearing 3 different helmets for 2 days shy a year because I didn't push soon enough for something to be done. Not every situation is the same but that is my own personal experience. Do something NOW!

sounds like he may need one of thoes helmets. is he mobile at all?? crawling or anything if not i would suggest a lot of tummy time to help keep that spot from getting worse. talk to the doctor in 3 weeks from what i hear the helmets are not a a big deal and help a lot!

Sometimes mothers just know best. Go with your feelings. Stay on the doctor and she will do something. If your son's head is really flat then he might need a helmet. Don't let it go much longer untreated because the bones strengthen after the first year at a fast rate. And of course, this is just my advice. I have 5 children myself and I have been there. Just letting you know what I have been told myself. Thank you and god bless!!

Hi K.,
I have a friend whose son had a flat spot on his head when he was around a year old I think and he had to wear a special helmet they make to correct the flat spot. Also, I was seeing an Orthodontist who had a new baby boy and he said his son also had to wear a helmet for a while. The special helmets have something to do with correcting the flat spots that babies get on their heads for sleeping in a certain position consistently. You might want to ask your doctor about that. If I were you, I might go ahead and give them a call and check on it before his appointment in 3 weeks. I'm surprised this wasn't suggested to you by your doctor as I have heard alot about these special helmets. I hope this is helpful to you! Good luck!
T.

This seems to be a much more common problem now adays as babies sleep on their backs. In some cases of "flat head" doctors fit out the baby in a helmet to be worn throughout the day (and maybe night, depending on the severity) to help give the head time to reform. The helmet looks very similar to a bike helmet. These helmets are becoming more common and I've seen quite a few babies with them. You might want to get a second opinion from a doctor about getting a helmet or ask your doctor again. The head will start to reshape as your 5-month old spends less time on his back, but the if the flatness is already too advanced, you should get the helmet soon too.

Hope this helps!

HI K.,
My daughter had this too also on the left side. She was the same way, no matter how you laid her she would go back to the way she was comfortable. Her doctor told me the same thing. She was 10 months old before she started to roll on her tummy and started to crawl soon after that. She didn't have problems she was just content to sit and play. She is seven years old now and has a nice round head with no helmets or anything like that. It really does round out soon after they get mobile. I think it will be fine to wait to talk to her doctor. Have her explain how it rounds out. That really helped me to understand instead of just trusting that it would. I felt so guilty like it was my fault, but I really did try everything and time was the cure. I hope this offers comfort.

Hi K.,

My son had the same problem, only my pediatrician sent me directly to Cranial Technologies for an evaluation at five months. My son was diagnosed with a form of Plagiocelphaly <sp>. Forgive my spelling on that one. It is nothing to be alarmed about because it can be corrected by the cranial tech helmet. If he meets the parameters that Cranial Technologies requires then your pediatrician will send a letter acknowledging the need and then you'll start the process with your insurance to see if it is a covered service. My son was in his helmet for a little over 8 weeks and his head is beautifully shaped now at 21.5 months. When I look back at photos of him at 5 months, I am horrified that I did not notice the discrepancy myself. Thank goodness, I had a wonderful pediatrician that did notice!

The reason for his misshapen or flat head was due to Torticullis (a shortening of muscles on one side of the neck & shoulder area). This can be corrected as well thru the stretching exercises that they will teach you. You will need to adhere to the rigorous schedule of stretching for 12-18 months depending on the diagnosis to ensure that he does not continue to revert to the old comfort positions that caused the condition in the first place.

Again, it is nothing to be alarmed about but the earlier that you seek help, the shorter the time he will need to wear the helmet versus waiting until nine months and having to wear it for 6 months or more.

I would suggest it to your pediatrician and see what happens, if they see no need for further action then find one who will refer you to Cranial Technologies.

My son was diagnosed in January 2007 and at that time there was no fee for the initial evaluation. Cranial Tech has several locations around the country and world. We happen to be very fortunate that we have one of the few locations in uptown Charlotte.

Best of Luck!
J.

I had this exact experience with my second son and the doc didn't seem concerned. He is now 17 months old and still has somewhat of a flat head, compared to my first born. Some times you have to be persistant with doctors. If you are very concerned you should feel comfortable voicing your concerns to your son's doctor. I don't know if 3 weeks will make a difference, but do what you feel comfortable with. Take care and good luck.

Hey K., every other night lay him down at the opposite end of the crib. For some odd reason, babies always turn thier head toward the door/away from the wall. Your doctor is right, there isn't much you can do right now. My son's head was crooked by atleast an inch when he was a baby, even though he is still weird, his head isn't! If all the tricks don't work, they can put him in a special helmet when he gets a little older. but right now try the bed thing. and more tummy time!

A friend of mine's little girl had a real bad case of positional plagiocephaly (flattening of the head). But she had a hole in her heart which required open-heart surgery at 4 months of age (she's a perfectly healthy very smart 5 yo now) and she could not lay on her stomach for the first few months of life. Her parents had to take her to a specialist for a helmet to keep her off the flat spot on her head. Unfortunately the flat spot did not grow out and she now still has the flat spot and its very pronounced. I would not let this go; tell your pediatrician you are very concerned and if she still blows you off, find another one!! Nothing is more precious than the health and well-being of your child, and you need to do what you need to in order for your fears to be quieted. I would take him to a specialist soon to get him fitted for a helmet to keep him from sleeping on his flat spot so it will grow out. He will also need to wear it during the day while he plays on his back, in the bouncy chair, his car seat, anywhere he's on his back.
I am a BIG opponent to back-to-sleep; mostly because my first son almost choked to death on his own spit up when he was 4 days old sleeping on his back (he had GERD) and both of my boys slept on their stomachs; they are now 5 and 3. I didn't put ANYTHING in their cribs, just a tight fitting crib sheet; they didn't even have a crib bumper until they started rolling over.

I hope your son does outgrow this. Even if he doesn't, the flat spot doesn't affect his mental abilities or his intelligence; it just makes him look different.

At the baby store there is little pillow that you can get that is velcroed to a larger piece. You can also get the side pieces. I used this so that her head would not be on the flat mattress to straighten hers out. Also, I noticed that it was flat on the side w/her looking out of her crib towards the door, so I changed her each night to other end so she would have to look towards the door. My doctor also gave me some neck exercises and I started putting her on her tummy during the day. It took about 4 months but it did round out completely once I started doing all this.

I am not sure if you should be concerned or not, but I will say that my 5 month old son also has a flat spot on the back of his head and I am not concerned (and I am usually a bit of a worrier). I figure that there is not a lot that can be done about it at this point and he will either grow out of it or if worse comes to worst, he will have to wear one of those helmets. I wouldn't think that you would need to see your doctor sooner than your next scheduled appointment but that is just my opinion.

I am a 59 year old Nana. When my son was very small, he had the same problem with his head. He would lay on the same side and his head began to become flater on one side. I would change his positions in his crib every other night or so and I bought a very colorful object for him to look at and he had to turn his head to find it. It sure worked for me and his head shaped up fairly well. I hope this information will help in some way.

my childrens(5) heads didn't round out till close to a year old don't worry he'll be fine.

Hi Kristen,
I worked in a daycare for 16 years, and have seen many of these cases. What your doctor is telling you to do is what I have heard many doctors advise. It is not going to happen overnight. The best thing you can do is keep your baby off his back as much as possible. Lots of tummy time, and if he has strong neck muscles, I would try putting him in one of those bouncys he can stand up in. I have also known cases where children have had to wear a helmet to help reshape their head. I guess that depends on the severity. It sounds like he is still young enough for you to continue what you are doing.. I think it will work, it just takes time.. sometimes months! Don't get discouraged, and don't worry if he falls back into his comfort zone sleep, as long as he isn't on his back all day and all night, it should still be helping.
Goos Luck!!!
S.

Hi K.,

My daughter, now 13 months old, had the same thing. Repositioning had no effect. Our Docter referred us to Cranial Technologies for a cranial orthotic (helmet) to help remold her head. She wore it for four months, seven months to 12 months, we were very pleased with the results.
She adjusted to it much better than I had expected and the time went by very fast.
Her head rounded out nicely still not perfect but much better. I was not only concerend about the way her head looked but the fact that this sort of thing can cause jaw misalignment, sinus problems and vision problems later on.
I would definately get a second opinion and check out the website www.cranialtech.com.

Best of luck with everything I hope this response was helpful.

M. B.

Her

My husbands head is very flat on the back and we attribute it to him lying in his crib for long periods of time....he was in an orphanage. I rotated my kids when they were really little, from side to side and front to back. Now they way don't put them on their tummies. That was common when my kids were little, they are grown now. My sister in law actually massaged her little girls head in one spot, because it pouched out, and it went away pretty quick. I don't think there is any danger of the flat head, again my husband has a really flat head...hope he never goes bald!!!

K. A.