sleeping on one side... head shape.... should i worry about this?

[amygrrl]

in the last week or so we've finally moved dd to the crib from the swing. however, she only wants to sleep on her right side. period. i've tried changing her direction and she doesn't care if she faces the wall or the room. the girl likes sleeping on her right side. so at 5 months old should i be worried about her getting a flat spot or at 5 months can you stop worrying about this? when does the concern over the flat spot end? the positioners i've looked at only go to 6 months. after that, is the skull shaped? i'm considering getting a sleep position, but i'm hesitant to b/c she's finally sleeping well in the crib.

also, the last time i took her to the dr a month ago i asked about her head shape and he said it was a bit flat in the back but that he was pleased with the overall shape. as she sits up more, will her head round back out?

i know i seem super obsessed with the head shape thing! :o

[BooeyJ2]

I personally would worry about it sooner than later. My nephew (who just turned 2) still has his flat spot. His ped (and my sister and BIL) never really worried about it because they all thought it would go away......but it never did. It's not bad enough to need one of those helmets (yet you can see and feel it when his hair is short), but they pretty much refuse to cut his hair because then the flat spot would really be noticeable. We all think that it they would have done more to try and prevent it sooner, it might not have gotten (or stayed) flat :(

[spps]

I would worry also. DS had torticollis as an infant and it caused him to only want to sleep on his left. His head is now definately flatter on the left and his ears are slightly misaligned but not significantly enough to do anything.

[SeaPoet]

Our DS went thru that for awhile. We put him in a sleep positioner and turned his head to a different side everytime he went to sleep. Often we'd turn his body a little on its side, too, to make the neck position more comfortable for him. It also helped to put a rolled up receiving blanket behind his head to encourage him not to move it back again. It didn't always work, but it worked a lot and DS head is perfectly fine. HTH! Good luck and keep on it, I'm sure he will be just fine if you do. :)

[amychris03]

DS did that too and eventually his neck muscles were starting to get tight because of it. We had to do stretches and stuff and make a definite effort to change the side that he slept on, and also the way he faced when we fed him, bathed him, changed him, etc. He always looked to the right, which the dr said is pretty common if both oarents are righties because its more comfortable for us so we do it without thinking.

[Ole Miss Bride]

I'd get the sleep positioner. It will probably work itself out as she starts sitting up and putting less pressure on that spot, but it can't hurt to "train" her to drop her head to the left while sleeping. Scott totally favored his right side, so he slept in a sleep positioner for a few months, and I think it helped. He still has a little bit of a flat spot on one side of his head (and it's totally bald there! lovely!), but it's much better now. Even his ped noticed the improvement.

Here he is in the sleep positioner:
http://images.snapfish.com/34638765%3B%7Ffp335%3Enu%3D3233%3E457%3E35%3A%3E23 2445744%3B787ot1lsi
I would arrange it so one of the little wedges was shoved under his right shoulder, which forced his head to fall left.

You can definitely still impact the shape of her head for quite some time. I'm guessing the reason the positioners only go up to six months is that most kids are rolling by that time, and they'd roll themselves out...? At any rate, depending on her size and mobility, it could still work. And besides, it's cheap, so it's not like you're out a ton of money or anything.

-Betsy

[maybebaby]

We're having the same problem. Where do you buy a sleep positioner?

[jbenny75]

We're having this problem, too. I noticed as soon as DS was born that he favored his right side. I was working on keeping him off it and was going to get a positioner, then he started to switch his head on his own, but not enough apparently. I noticed the other day when he was on his belly and lifted his head up that he has a HUGE flat spot on his head. I've been putting a rolled up blanket under his shoulder to tilt his head in the opposite direction. I researched online and saw pics of kids in helmets and I'm freaking out. Does anyone know if you keep them off of the flat spot will it round itself out or just not get any worse? I actually calling my ped about it on Tuesday, because the more I look at it, the more it drives me crazy. Here's a good website I found:

Plagiocephaly (http://www.plagiocephaly.org/)

[amygrrl]

thanks everyone! we went out and got a sleep positioner tonight but the kid literally screamed bloody murder until we let her role over on her right side. this is a totally new thing for her and if she does have a spot thats a bit flat, it's the back of her head. i'm wondering if letting her start to sleep on the right side all the time when she's already 5 months old will cause an actual flat spot. i mostly keep hearing of babies who start favoring a side much much younger than dd.

[Sebski]

deleted

[amygrrl]

so we called our pediatric caridiologist friend who said that the head shape CAN be altered up to about 1yr, BUT if the favoring of one side starts at the 5-6 month point (basically when they are rolling around) then it really shouldn't be a huge deal since she's likely to move around a ton when sleeping. and using the positioners isn't good when the baby is old enough to roll. so he said to put her down on her back or however we want her to sleep and let her roll to whatever position then wait until she's totally asleep and roll her back over.

[jbenny75]

I would work to fix this now, sooner rather than later. My nephew had to see a physical therapist due to stiffened neck muscles (not quite torticolis, but along those lines) starting at 3 months. Anyway, he developed a flat spot on the right side of his head from it and now, at 9 months you can def see some issues w/ his features from the flat spot. SIL never got the helmet thinking things would correct themselves... but, the left side of his face sort of sags now. His left cheek is lower than his right and the same goes for the left side of his lip. It's *very* noticeable yet nobody speaks of it. I do, however, tell DH that something isn't right and they need to fix it. But, he doesn't want to bring it up to her.

That is what I'm afraid of! The ears can look out of whack, too.

[kat]

so we called our pediatric caridiologist friend who said that the head shape CAN be altered up to about 1yr, BUT if the favoring of one side starts at the 5-6 month point (basically when they are rolling around) then it really shouldn't be a huge deal since she's likely to move around a ton when sleeping. and using the positioners isn't good when the baby is old enough to roll. so he said to put her down on her back or however we want her to sleep and let her roll to whatever position then wait until she's totally asleep and roll her back over. between doing that and having her in tummy time and sitting up during the day, we should be ok and she shouldn't develop any issues. also, her sleeping on her side may help a bit for the slight flat spot on the back of her head, which we aren't even certain is from sleeping b/c dh and i looked at our heads and they aren't super round in back either and we were both put to sleep on our tummys. so maybe it's genetics? so that's the scoop. he said it's much different when a really young infant starts demonstrating the favoritism v. a 5-6 month old.

That's pretty much in line with what our ped told us, too (DC are 6.5 months old). At their 6 month WBV, I asked about this b/c they each seemed to favor one side for a while there (they have since changed their habits and now sleep with their heads in either direction). Anyway, our ped told us to keep up with the tummy time and sitting-up time and they should be fine, since we can't really force them to face any particular direction at this age.

DD favored one side when she was a newborn, and her head flattened a bit. We started putting her down facing the other way 50% of the time and it got better (though it's still a tiny bit flat). However, that was before she started moving around while sleeping; now it would be a joke to try to use a sleep positioner on her!
Anyway, she now favors the *opposite* side! Sometimes I think they just go through phases.

Hope your DD starts sleeping in both directions so you can stop worrying, and that her head stays nice and round! :)

[alienhost]

DD had torticollis and wore a helmet for 6 weeks to correct a flat spot (hers was "moderate"). She slept on her right side of her head for 3 months (I had no idea this was an issue at the time :( )

I was told by our specialist that the flat spot doesn't really "correct itself" but as the baby's head gets larger the flat spot is smaller in relation to the rest of the head so it appears smaller. Other posters are correct that if it is severe, it can cause misaligned ears, and facial features.

Repositioning can help avoid worsening the flat spot. Also as others posted lots of tummy time, limiting time in bouncy chairs/swing/car seats (b/c they might press the flat side of their head there as well) can help. Sitting propped in a Boppy or in a Bumbo helps relieve the "presure".

www.plagiocephaly.org (posted previously) is a good site with lots of info. There also is a yahoo group you can find there.

The best thing is to talk to your ped and see if you need a referal to a specialist. The earlier the better b/c if anyone decides to get the molding helmet it is best to do it early b/c the babies grow so rapidly early on, as the growth rate slows, it takes longer to "fix". DD wore the helmet from about 4.5 months (it took a while to get the specialist appointment and to get the helmet made) until just under 6 months. It was amazing how quickly she was growing and how fast her flat spot was eliminated.

Sorry for all the info, since we went through this I just want to give info to others. If anyone has questions feel free to PM me or ask here.

[kimthebride]

She will start to sit up more, move around more and I think you'll have less to worry about soon. But as someone who had to do some physical therapy with DS to build flexibility in his necka nd stop the side preference to round out his head, I'll toss out a few suggestions:

1. Have your Ped physically check her to ensure its just a preference and not because her muscles have been tightening because of a preference making it difficult or uncomfortable for her in other positions. If she has a stiffness, there are simple exercises you can do with her daily to help.

2. Maybe turn the crib? Does she like looking at the wall? If so, moving it to another wall or laying her in there with her head on the other end of the crib might help. Or put a mirror in there so she can look at herself while lying on her left side - smiling at the baby in her crib may be incentive.

3. When she's in her stroller, use a positioner and slide a rolled up recieving blanket to prop up the side she normally leans into to straighten out her neck.
We used one of these in the stroller:
http://a293.g.akamai.net/7/293/5910/0010/image2.styleinamerica.com/pkecimgs/images/products/200634/0009/img15s.jpg
And tucked a rolled up, slightly flattened thin flannel recieving blanket vertically along his side and under this positioner to keep his head from settling back to the preferred side.

[Sebski]

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[jbenny75]

I want to thank everyone for sharing all of this info. DS and I are seeing his ped. tommorrow to get his spot checked out. The more I'm watching him, I think he could have torticollis.

[hmbay]

Just wanted to add that both of my boys had helmets for flat spots--DS1 had severe tort and severe plagio. Even with 5 months in a helmet he still has misaligned ears, an obvious flat spot (like a PP said I will never let him cut his hair super-short because of it) and facial assymetry. DS2 I tried everything possible to avoid having a helmet but no luck. He ended up with brachy which is flat across the back of the head. They believe now that some children just have softer skulls than others. He spent about 4.5 months in a corrective helmet. If anyone wants any info on plagio, brachy or tort PM me. I'm more than willing to share my experiences and I do highly recommend the yahoo group. I was completely clueless with my first son and still feel badly he didn't get full correction because I was ignorant. (turns out he could have had a 2nd helmet but my specialist refused to give him one). I was very informed with DS2.

[jbenny75]

We saw DS's ped today. He does have torticollis and needs to go to PT. We were also sent to get a skull x-ray to be sure the flattening wasn't from the plates of his skull not fusing correctly. She feels that with the PT, repositioning and doing all of the preventative stuff (limiting time in the swing, etc.), that he should be fine. She did say it could have progressed to the point of facial asymmetry, etc. And my family made fun of me for worrying about his flat spot.:rolleyes: But then, I'm still getting that attitude-everyone I told so far about the diagnosis gave me like an "Oh, god:rolleyes: PT for a three-month old?" reaction. No one is taking it seriously. :mad:

[hmbay]

jbenny75--my first needed PT so you have my sympathy. We had to take him 1-2x a week for a couple months plus do exercises at home. I think why no one takes this seriously is it's a relatively new problem (didn't happen when babies slept on their stomachs). Insurance used to deny helmets saying it was a "cosmetic" problem but many have changed that policy as more data comes in proving it can cause facial assymetry which can cause hearing, vision and jaw problems as well as headaches in children on top of the self-esteem issue.

[kimthebride]

Great job following your gut and looking further into this. We found DS was fine with doing the exercises with us (you can make it kind of fun and interactive), and it took a little time but in the end his head looks great.
Good luck with the PT, and ignore anyone who poo-poohs the issue! :)

[spps]

jbenny - we also had the same reaction from people when we mentioned we were taking DS for PT at 3 months. We went once a week for the first month and a half, then 2x a week as DS regressed during a growth spurt, then back to once a week. We also had excersizes to do at home. As far as helmets go we ended up not going with one even though one of DS's ears is slightly farther back then the other. We actually went and had some measurements taken byt he helmet place and based on that decided it was not worth worrying about. No one notices the difference in his ears except for me.

[alienhost]

jbenny I'm so glad you went to your ped about this. Mom's instinct is always right! :) Don't let people "belittle" your DS's treatment you are doing what is best for your DS and that is what is important. I think a lot of people, even peds, dismiss torticollis as not potentially being a serious issue so I'm glad your ped (and you) are taking action.

Your ped can also refer you to a specialist for the flat spot if you are worried about that as well. If you are concerned of the amount of "flatness" ask if you can see a specialist.

Good luck with the PT.

[Sebski]

deleted

[jbenny75]

Thanks everyone. I haven't been feeling like the best mother (see my thread about my friend).

[mia's mama]

hmm...I'm worried about this too. I'm going to see the ped on Monday. DS is almost 8 weeks old and prefers his left side. I just noticed a small flat spot on the upper left side, but it's very high...I'm not even sure much pressure is being put on that area? Could it be that the plates are not fusing correctly? I guess I'll see what she says.

[ShelbyMay]

You know, I asked DD's ped. about this today, and he basically brushed it off. I don't think DD's flat spot is anything severe, but I do think one side (around toward the back) is flatter than the other. Maybe I will try to position her differently when I put her down to sleep...

[TOMama]

But then, I'm still getting that attitude-everyone I told so far about the diagnosis gave me like an "Oh, god:rolleyes: PT for a three-month old?" reaction. :mad:

I hear ya. . . we get the same type of comments about our DS going to PT. . . but when you start to see a mis-shapened head and the facial features distorting, not to mention the pain from having stiff neck muscles-- it is VERY alarming. Luckily we brought it up to our pediatrician right away. My DS was diagnosed with torticollis at 4 weeks and has been going to PT ever since. We noticed that the right side of his head was flat, his forehead was crooked, ears misaligned & one eye was bigger than the other :eek: . He is now 16 weeks and almost all signs of the torticollis and plagiocephaly (flat head) are gone.

What works for him is 1) doing the neck stretches with each diaper change (even when he screams bloody murder). I've gotten good at sneaking it in when he isn't aware-- like when he's napping & eating. Poor guy!; 2) lots of tummy time to strengthen the neck muscles; 3) repositioning him so that his neck turns left when feeding him, carrying him, putting interesting toys to his left, etc. ; 3) having him sleep with a rolled-up receiving blanket under his right shoulder- this works great for the flat head and makes his head to roll to the center and eventually to the left ; 4) keeping his head straight when he is the swing, stroller or carseat using head positioners & receiving blankets. The "angel wings" for the carseat straps work well too.

Basically it's a lot of work, but worth the effort & tears (his & mine!) ;)

[ThreeYell]

DS was in PT weekly, then bi-weekly for torticollis for over a year. I was warned from the beginning that he might develop a flat spot but he never did. He did have some facial asymmetry but I think I'm the only one who can still see anything now that he's 19 months old. We were lucky.

One thing that we were told is that it's very important to see a pediatric PT if you have one in your area. In addition to knowing more about working with babies I've found that they are, as a group, some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. I also liked getting such constant feedback on DS's physical development. His PT told me what he was likely to do late (getting to sit, walking) so I didn't have to stress about it.

[KHF]

That's awesome that you followed through with it. My daughter was diagnosed with tort at 2 months, ended up in a helmet 6-9 months and in PT for 3 months.

Our ped just gave us a list of exercises to do with her initially, but without any actual training on how to do them, I don't think we did them properly or enough and she ended up needing the helmet anyway. In retrospect, I wish I had insisted on a PT referral right off the bat.

My family also snerked at me when I worried about her flat spot and that she might have to wear a helmet. When she DID end up with a helmet, they shut up pretty quick. Just remember that you know your baby best, and fight for what you believe they need.

Kirsten

[jbenny75]

Question: Once you started worrying about the flat spot, did you keep you DC off of it completely for awhile or did you alternate positions from the start? The ped. told me to alternate and not to keep him off it completely, but everything in me wants to just totally keep him off of that side. I guess if I do that, though, I'll end up with two flat spots.

[kimthebride]

My reaction was similar, "OMG we can NEVER let him on that side again!" but my Ped said just to alternate sides, do the exercises, use the props I mentioned earlier to get him to use the other side, etc. You know, basically avoid extremes so he starts using both sides equally rather than favoring one.

[alienhost]

jbenny75 We alternated mostly b/c it was impossible to keep her totally off the favored side. If I turned it for her she would "spring" it back. I think kimthebride has the correct suggestion

Another thought depending how you are feeding him (bottle vs nursing) can you switch positions while feeding? If he does take a bottle try holding him in the opposite arm so he has to turn his head to the non favored side to eat. That should help stretch the neck muscles a little and encourage him to look the non-favored way. If you are nursing it is not as easy to do since obvioulsy you want to nurse on both sides but if he even gets an occasional bottle it might help.

I was mainly nursing and found she actually prefered one breast b/c it was more comfortable for her. When she did get a bottle it was the same, we generally held her in the arm where she would be turning her head toward the favored side (it was even hard for us to switch).

HTH...

[jbenny75]

Thanks...as hard as it is, I'm making myself alternate sides. I've been trying to alternate when feeding him (he's FF), it's so hard being a righty using the other side, but I do it. I've also been switching directions he's facing in the tub and on the changing table. It's been a week and a half- two weeks since I started working on it and DH and I think we see improvement already. Wednesday is PT..should be interesting.

[kimthebride]

That's great, jbenny. I really do believe its all the little things that add up, so the whole tub and feeding and changing moves are great. Ugh - I had such a hard time feeding lefty, lol! Good luck at PT!

[Hula1974]

We just saw the ped today and I asked about the bump on the back of DS's head. He told me that it's because of the flat spot on the other side. He told me that it was only a cosmetic issue and not affecting the structure of his facial features etc.
He told me to encourage DS to lay ON the bump and OFF the flat part. But, I told him that he actually DOES lay on the bump quite a bit. So now, I'm stumped.

I like the positioners. For some reason I thought they were frowned upon by the SIDS people though? Maybe a good thing for the carseat though. DS is swaddled at night so I'm not sure a positioner will work there.

Any more pics of babies laying in the positioners?

[hmbay]

Hula--I don't have pictures of my DS2 in his sleep positioner and it is odd if your DS is laying on the bump. I could never get either of my kids to do that. And I'm sorry but "it's just cosmetic" doesn't fly with me. There are many studies that claim otherwise. I would ask for a referal to someone who deals with plagio and brachy just for your own peace of mind. If someone who specializes in it says "no big deal" then I'd let it go but after having two kids in corrective helmets and my first still has facial assymetry (you can see this using a mirror--it's hard to detect IRL) thanks to my ped saying "oh it's no big deal" which caused me to wait to pursue treatment I'm very vocal about getting an opinion from someone who specializes in this particular problem instead of just going with your pediatrician's opinion.

[Hula1974]

Thanks for the advice Heather.
Curious, how come you can see the assymetry with a mirror only?

Wanted to add that my ped has tons of pics all over his office of babies in helmets. I think he may be slightly a specialist for that problem. All the more reason I was surprised that he blew it off. I agree with you though, second opinion here I come. Sorry to hear about your little ones.

[hmbay]

mirror--something about the eyes can adjust to the assymetry in 3D and don't notice it but the mirror is 2D and makes it obvious. My oldest has very obvious assymetry in a mirror.

That's good your ped seems to be very knowledgable. I would still go with a 2nd opinion though. It's very likely the 2nd opinion will agree with your ped if your ped is trained in this issue but it never hurts to ask.

[MichelleRenee]

Tristan refuses to sleep on his side so the back of his is very flat. Everyone keeps telling me it will round out, but is that possible if he sleeps on his back every night?

He screams when we try to use a positioner. We and our babysitter have tried to promote side/belly sleeping for his daily naps but that seems to compromise his naptime when the new position wakes him up.

Is there anything else I can do to ensure it doesn't stay flat? He is only 5 months old now.

[hmbay]

MichelleRenee--if he continues to sleep on the back of his head it will not round out. It's possible as he begins to roll more and sleep on his stomach it will fill in somewhat but most likely it will not round out completely. It may also cause his forehead to push forward. This chart shows different levels of severity of brachycephaly (flat back of head) and how it affects different parts of the head/face. My 2nd ended up with brachy when we repositioned to avoid plagio that was developing. His face looks fine now but he does still have a prominate "drop" at the back of his head--instead of rounding down nicely from the top he has almost a ridge similar to the 2nd row of pictures--the 2nd picture from the left. http://www.cranialtech.com/medicalinfo/assessment/brachycephaly.pdf

Five months is the prime time to start a helmet if one is necessary. Both of my boys started at 5 months. In a way it was a relief to put DS2 in his helmet because then I could stop worrying about how he was laying (he was always a horrible sleeper so I didn't want to mess with how he preferred to sleep) and just let him sleep however he preferred.

there is some good additional information here: http://www.cranialtech.com/MedicalInfo/plagiocephaly.html

[MichelleRenee]

hmbay: Thanks for the advice. On that chart he is definitely closest to the second picture. It's not horrible, but there is definitely a little bit of flatness. I'm not sure that we are quite ready for a helmet just yet, but I'm no doctor!

He fell asleep a little but ago and was laying on his back with his head facing up. I was going to go and try to put him on his side but I thought I would just try turning his head a little. I will go back in a little bit to see if it is still turned. I am assuming that turning his head is better than nothing since he won't sleep on his side.

[Hula1974]

I guess I never came back and updated....
DS ended up getting a helmet from Cranial Tech. Today we went for our 3rd week adjustment and I saw the pics they took the first day, along with the "headsicle". WOW! Seeing that made me feel really good about deciding to go ahead with the helmet. And he's already getting better!
I would recommend to anyone who's at all concerned.

[hmbay]

Michelle--yes if you can just turn his head and get him to sleep that way that will help.

Hula--I'm glad you've seen great improvement already.

It was a hard decision to put both of my boys in helmets and I have never regreted doing it. I agree if you have concerns you need to see a specialist and if they recommend a helmet I don't think you'll regret doing one once the hassle of it is past.

[chandy]

Michelle my son is a helmet grad too, and I'm SO glad we put him in the helmet. He did not respond at all to repositioning, and we didn't want to waste valuable time. Like hmbay said, 5 months is really an optimal time to start.

hula isn't it amazing to see the progress when you look at the headsicle? It happens so quickly! I'm glad you are having good results!

[HoneyBear]

DD had to wear a helmet because of this. She wore it for 3 months.

Just got if off last week!

We're also in physical therapy for neck stretches once a week.

[Hula1974]

Hello ladies. I thought I'd come here and post a follow up to our experience with Cranial Tech. Nothing bad to report at all. DS adjusted so well to the helmet, he hardly even noticed wearing it. Plus I think he was super-cute :p
I would recommend this to anyone who has concerns. DS wore the band for 10 weeks. At that time he outgrew the helmet and they thought his progress was good enough to be done rather than getting a new helmet (and another $2500 from me).

Here are his before and after pics if you are interested. Also, a pic of him in his band.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/196/509764142_2e6b392d57_m.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/189/509764132_abc1af0539_m.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/214/509764130_e56fd37dba_m.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/225/509764126_fa7f584887_m.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/229/509764116_25a460f4b0_m.jpg

[chandy]

hula Wow!! His results are just amazing! You must be thrilled! I'm sure the 10 weeks went by very quickly, and now you don't have to worry about wearing the helmet during the hot summer. Congrats! :)

You should enter that picture in the calendar contest...too cute!

[Hula1974]

Thanks Chandy! Yes, it flew by. In years to come, I'm sure we'll hardly remember.

[hmbay]

I think the pictures look great and he was adorable in his helmet. Like I said in the grand scheme of things even though it felt long at the time it's a small blip. I barely remember my boys being in theirs.

[PookiePrincess]

Bump.

Any more experiences or advice? My DD has an appointment in a few weeks at Texas Children's to have her flat spot evaluated. She favors her right side a lot (sucks that thumb when she sleeps or to help put herself to sleep). Her head is definitely worse than Hula's little boy's was. I was worried about the helmet, but reading this thread has made me feel better. If she needs one, it's probably for the best. Though, she's already almost 7 months old, is that too late? Her spot wasn't as bad at her 4 month WBV, but by 6 months it concerned me.

[Hula1974]

Definately not too late! It's my understanding that the younger they are when they start, the shorter time they have to wear it because the rate of growth is so fast when they are young.
Best of luck, be sure to update us.

PS - there is also another thread or two on this topic, I'll try to bump them.

[PookiePrincess]

Thanks Hula. I saw the other one about the helmets and read through it. I was so worried before about her just having a helmet, but now I'm just glad that if she needs one, it will help her head shape. I've been paranoid about her flat spot for about 2 months and am glad to finally be doing something about it!

[hmbay]

PookiePrincess--good luck. Two of my children had helmets. Colin had one for severe Plagio (it was never fully resolved) and Alex for moderate brachy. It's kind of a pain to deal with but it is SO worth it in the end. Ideal banding time is 5-12 months so you would be starting later but it only takes a few good growth spurts while in the helmet to do a lot of rounding out.

[PookiePrincess]

Just wanted to pop back in and update. DD had her head evaluated and they recommended the helmet. The plagio is bad enough that it's affected the symmetry of her ears and possibly her eyes. We went this week to have her head scanned for the Star band to be made. She'll get it a week from Monday. I'm not looking forward to all the appointments, but it's got to be done. I can't wait for a nice round head!

I was very nervous about all this initially, but I would rather do this now and be glad we did it than wish down the road that we had.

[hmbay]

Kristi--two of my 3 had helmets. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. It's worth it and in the long run it's just a blip on the radar when you look back.

[Hula1974]

I totally agree! Just a blip :)

[Pine Tree]

My DD got hers at 9 months and wore it until 13 months. I was a wreck beforehand, but after a day or two it was no big deal. And now, I barely remember it at all. She adjusted really quickly. And fortunately it's colder now so you won't have to deal with quite as much sweating. She always hated the scans, but it was only 3 seconds so manageable.

A tip: Every once in awhile we would put the helmet out in the sun on her hour break and I think it really helped to keep it clean and white inside. Like for cloth diapers the sun will bleach the stains. The tech was amazed at how bright white her helmet was inside.

Good luck! PM me if you have any questions!

[hmbay]

My DD got hers at 9 months and wore it until 13 months. I was a wreck beforehand, but after a day or two it was no big deal. And now, I barely remember it at all.

When my first got his there weren't many kids around our area with them. Everyone stared. When my 2nd had his two years later I had people on different occassions come up to me and mention their son/nephew/granddaughter had had a helmet. It felt good to know that more people knew about what the helmet was for even if it's sad we need them at all. It bothers the parents more than the child really.

[marchfamily]

My oldest was screened for Brachy (cranial-specialist). She did not have the helmet. But, her head is visibly flattened on the back.

[PookiePrincess]

Thanks so much for the reassurance and tips. That's one thing I'm really glad about...that she'll have it when it's cold instead of during 100 degree Texas weather.

If I have anymore questions, I'll post 'em!

[PookiePrincess]

Okay, how much redness is normal?

Tomorrow will be 3 weeks with her star band. The first week went fine, but there were a few days she didn't wear it all that much because she was sick and running a fever. There were three places where it left spots, but nothing too major. I took her back last week because one of the spots was a dark red/burgandy color and it looked painful, so he adjusted it. Now the whole side of her head where the flat spot is (over her ear and back a little) and the base of her neck look bad. The rest of her head is fine. Obviously I'll call the ortho tomorrow and try to get her in, but should I keep it on her in the meantime? She was really uncomfortable today so I gave her an extra break midmorning.

This has been much harder than I thought it would be (and in some ways, not that bad). I'm just hoping all the red spots mean her head is growing and she won't need it for as long as they said she would.

[Pine Tree]

I thought if any red spots didn't fade within 15 minutes then you need to get it adjusted ASAP and stop wearing it in the meantime. I think you can break the skin from the rubbing. I would call right away to double check what your prosthetist says.

[hmbay]

yep ditto what pinetree said.

[PookiePrincess]

I just wanted to come back in here and post my experience with the band.

DD had a small flat spot by 4 months, which was no big deal. By 6 months it was worse and her head shape was not normal. I asked her ped about it and she sent us for an x-ray of her skull. The x-ray came back normal so she sent us to a specialist at Texas Children's Hospital to evaluate her head shape. She recommended a helmet, but said essentially it was up to us.

We had her scanned and got her helmet when she was 8 1/2 months old. Her plagio measurement was 12 mm, which falls in the moderate range. About 3 weeks into it we had issues with it irritating her head, but after a week and a half out of it, we eased her back in and haven't had problems since. We had a couple of appointments with no real change, but several with lots of improvement.

We're now coming up on 5 months in the Star band and she's supposed to get it off in 12 days! Her head looks a million times better and I'm already so glad we did it. This entire experience was very emotional for me initially, but now that we're almost done with it, it really wasn't that bad. Her time in the band has really flown by. I'm so glad I have tons of pictures of her in it because I know when she gets it off and gets bigger, we'll forget that we even did this!

So for anyone who's reading and in the same position I was, my advice is to do the band if it's recommended. Also, don't listen to those people who say the head will round out. Everyone told me that when I said I was concerned about her head and it makes me feel better that I went with my gut instinct and knew it wasn't normal for her head to be that misshapen.

[hmbay]

We're now coming up on 5 months in the Star band and she's supposed to get it off in 12 days! Her head looks a million times better and I'm already so glad we did it. This entire experience was very emotional for me initially, but now that we're almost done with it, it really wasn't that bad. Her time in the band has really flown by. I'm so glad I have tons of pictures of her in it because I know when she gets it off and gets bigger, we'll forget that we even did this!

So for anyone who's reading and in the same position I was, my advice is to do the band if it's recommended. Also, don't listen to those people who say the head will round out. Everyone told me that when I said I was concerned about her head and it makes me feel better that I went with my gut instinct and knew it wasn't normal for her head to be that misshapen.

This is so very true--it is emotional but looking back it was so worth it. And I often forget two of my kids had them until I stumble across the helmet stashed in their closets. I'm glad you followed through with the helmet and feel it was worth it. I do not regret for one second getting them for my two boys--I only wish I had forced the issue to get a 2nd helmet for my oldest when I wasn't satisfied with the correction achieved before he outgrew his.

[kemorr]

For those of you who had kids in a helmet, what was their asymmetry measurement? I took my DD for an evaluation today at Cranial Tech and they said she has mild plagiocephaly with an asymmetry of 6 mm. They said that insurance usually likes to see at least 8 mm and that most kids are in the 12 mm range. Thus they did not recommend the band but recommended we keep up with PT for torticollis (has been in PT for a few months now) and also to "keep an eye on it". I was feeling good about the advice until I got home and looked at the photos and to me, in the photos, she looks pretty uneven. Did any of you seek treatment for asymmetry as low as 6mm?

[Pine Tree]

DD had 12 mm asymmetry when she started, and I think around 3mm when she finished wearing the helmet. She looks great now, 3 mm is not noticeable. The tech told us that if a child is in PT for tort as well, then they are more likely to cover a helmet because the tort can make it so much worse. Can you ask the tech to file with insurance just to see if they would cover it?

How old is your DC - that might make a difference.

[PookiePrincess]

My DD started with 12 mm plagio.

My question, too, would be how old is your DD? If she's young, 6mm plagio will take no time at all to correct. I would check first with your insurance company if you are still interested in banding (or at least for future reference). From, what I've heard, United healthcare won't cover them at all. My insurance sent my claim to a review board before they covered it.

[kemorr]

DD is 5.5 months.

As far as insurance goes, it doesn't really matter to me whether my insurance pays or not. Obviously we would prefer it did, but if not it wouldn't be a reason for us not to go ahead with the band. I think the Cranial Tech lady was just using the "insurance won't cover it until 8 mm" line to indicate to me that 6 mm isn't considered (at least by the insurance companies) as needing treatment. I guess I just felt like 2mm more of asymmetry and she would be recommending treatment but with 6 mm she's not, but as my DH said, they have to draw the line somewhere.

Don't get me wrong, I don't WANT to put DD in a band if I don't have to, but I also don't want to regret not doing it. I have 3 people (DDs ped, her PT and now the cranial tech person) telling me she doesn't need a band but I still have that niggly worried feeling in my stomach, because she definitely has plagio, be it mild, and the mother in me wants to fix it!

[PookiePrincess]

I completely understand. It's definitely something you want to do now. I say if you want to go for it and don't care what insurance says, do it. I was so worried about having it done and I'm so glad I did. Even the specialist we saw said the decision was up to us. It was one of those things that I wanted to be glad that we did than wish down the line that we had done it.

The good thing is you've already looked into it and hopefully the process won't take you that long. It took us almost 3 months to go from having my daughter evaluated to getting the band, so she was a little older. Which also means it takes longer. Since your DD would be about 6 months old, it shouldn't take very long at all to correct 6 mm since she's still growing at a faster rate.

FWIW, I still have people that don't understand why we went with the helmet and her plagio was moderate. She's actually sitting at 6 mm now and we're waiting for one more good growth spurt to graduate her. And I can still see the plagio at 6 mm, so I know exactly what you're talking about. I hope we get even better correction.

Good luck!