If you see a baby wearing a helmet . . . [Archive]

twainny

01-28-2008, 01:10 PM

before I had kids, I wondered what was wrong with the kid... not in a bad way, just figured the Dad must have dropped them or something....

now that I have kids, and know more, I still wonder what is wrong, but I am more aware as to why they might be wearing a helmet (and I assume you don't mean a bike helmet, cause my DS wears a helmet when we ride bikes). I feel badly for the child and the parent, as I am sure people probably stare at them when they go out. (FWIW, my cousins kid wore a helmet for a long time)

GroceryStoreWine

01-28-2008, 01:10 PM

I don't have children and if I saw a child with a helmet on I would probably think the child had a medical reason for needing said helmut. Like maybe the child had seizures or something and needed to be protected.

If the child was very young like 6 months and not walking or whatever I would be really puzzled about the need. Wouldn't that be very difficult for a baby to support a helmet in addition to their own head?

imagirliegirl

01-28-2008, 01:11 PM

I don't have kids but I'd assume it was a medical condition. I'm sure most parents wouldn't just put a helmet on their baby for no good reason.

pixiecat

01-28-2008, 01:11 PM

I would think that the child is wearing the helmet to correct a flatness on the side/back of their head.

This is what I would think too.

kedzieb

01-28-2008, 01:11 PM

I would think it was corrective helmet to reshape the head. Unless the baby was on the back of a bike or skiing or something.

BethIrish

01-28-2008, 01:11 PM

My girlfriend's son wore a helmet to correct flat head & neck issue.

I thought the flat head/neck issues. (Plagio-something?)

My husband, on the other hand, thought he was wearing it because he was learning to walk and Julie was being overprotective!! (In fact, he said something to that effect - I could have killed him but Julie laughed about it...)

dionysia

01-28-2008, 01:14 PM

Medical reasons, though I have seen them in a catalog for general protection while becoming more mobile. I thought that was overprotective.

Chelsea524

01-28-2008, 01:18 PM

Before having kids I would wonder what medical issue they had that required them to wear one, but never thought anything bad about it at all, just didn't know what required it. Now that I have kids I know most of the time its to correct a flat spot on their head.

Chimichanga

01-28-2008, 01:23 PM

Now that I'm a mom, I'd think it was to help re-shapen the head (i.e. get rid of the flat spots).

Before - probably some medical condition or due to seizures.

laura

01-28-2008, 01:25 PM

Medical reasons, though I have seen them in a catalog for general protection while becoming more mobile. I thought that was overprotective.

What she said.

kk junebug

01-28-2008, 01:31 PM

My neice had to wear one to reshape her head for 4 months or so. But if I had no knowledge of what they are commonly used for, I'd think it was for a medical issue as well.

krbb

01-28-2008, 01:33 PM

I would also think it is to reshape their head.

ManteoChik

01-28-2008, 01:41 PM

A cute fashion statement?? I'd consider it to be one of those things like putting your baby in a string bikini. :D

No seriously...like everyone else, I would think it was because of a medical condition.

Pine Tree

01-28-2008, 01:41 PM

Thank you so much everyone for your honest replies. The background is that my dd was diagnosed with neck problems (torticollis) and mild plagiocephaly (flat head from sleeping facing one way because of the tight neck muscles) around 5 months ago and has been in physio. Her neck problem is almost completely resolved thank goodness. We took her for a scan for a helmet fitting before the holidays, and were sort of uncertain whether to do it. Well, she had a big growth spurt over the holidays and the flat spot has filled out a lot. To the point where if her head looked like this 5 months ago, I don't think we would have taken her to the pediatrician for an assessment. But since we're all flat head obsessed it's hard to get perspective. (If you see a woman staring intently at your head in the grocery store it might be me - I've become obsessed with head shapes. Who knew so many people had lumpy heads?)

Not that it matters what others think, but I was curious to see how others would treat her if she did have a helmet for a few months. I've been really surprised how cautious people have been with her since I've talked about her physio, when really she's fine. It's touching, but I don't want her to be treated differently.

So thank you for humouring me and posting your thoughts! We have to decide this week if we're going to do it or not.

BTW - I saw those helmets in a catalogue and it did make me smile. After all the anxiety this stuff has caused I can't imagine helmeting a child by choice!

NotDesperate

01-28-2008, 02:04 PM

I had no idea some babies wore helmets to correct the shape of their head.

I might think that now that I know about it, but before I would think the baby had seizures or something that caused him to fall and his head needed to be protected.

I never stare at anybody though so I don't think I would stare at a baby in a helmet.

BethIrish

01-28-2008, 02:18 PM

Pine Tree I think you can either buy them or decorate them after the fact. My friend's son had Red Sox stuff on it :)

Hula1974

01-28-2008, 02:41 PM

Before I had kids of my own, I used to think that the child had a SERIOUS medical condition. I always thought "poor thing" and imagined something really horrible. Sorry to say.

Now that I have a baby, I would def. assume it's to reshape their head. I would smile at them knowingly.

And yes, as you can tell from my avatar...DS had one. :D

phoenics

01-28-2008, 02:53 PM

what is your initial reaction? Let's say a child between the ages of 6 months to 2 years.

I'm really curious what people would honestly think (don't worry I won't be offended in the least:). I'm particularly interested in what those without kids would think.

I would think the baby's head was being shaped. I had some neighbors (who were also coworkers) and they had the helmet thing on the baby's head because apparently he had an oddly shaped head and they were trying to make it more 'normal' because his skull was still soft enough to shape.

alienhost

01-28-2008, 03:11 PM

Before DD was born I would have thought it was some sort of medical issue, but not sure what exactly.

But DD wore a helmet back when she was about 5 months old to correct her plagio. She also had torticollis. I really was worried that strangers would make comments and not one person made a "negative" comment. I think it's more common now to see babies in corrective helmets, I've seen a bunch since DD wore hers (not sure if it's b/c I'm more in-tune to it or what).

SiValleySteph

01-28-2008, 03:55 PM

I've seen lots of babies in helmets around recently, too.

I know what they are for, my nephew wore one. I don't think it was that big of a deal for my sister. I could ask her. It's been 1-1/2 years now and I hardly remember him wearing it.

SunnyAB

01-28-2008, 03:57 PM

I don't have kids but I would have thought it was for medical reasons (but to be honest I didn't really know what the particular problem might be.) My nephew had to wear a brace when he was a few months old - basically looked like a big plastic diaper - and that was to correct his hips, and believe me - that didnt slow him down one bit! :D

shoegal

01-28-2008, 04:43 PM

I actually know someone who works at a prostetics company and they were explaining the whole thing to me a few years ago. I actually saw the cutest little boy (probably around 7 months old) with one on in Target last month. He was just too cute with it on, his parents had put their favorite sports team on it.

So my initial thought (after thinking how cute they are) is that it is worth it in the end in terms of correcting the shape of the head. Kind of wish I had worn one when I was a baby because I have a block head!

maryanne

01-28-2008, 04:59 PM

My irreverent husband would probably ask is the kid's father was Darth Vader :p

villanelle75

01-28-2008, 05:11 PM

(Person w/o kids here.)

Without reading other replies yet, assuming you are talking about a kid just hanging out with a helmet on, I'd assume the kid had flat head issues or some other medical issue.

Ellyn

01-28-2008, 07:34 PM

Mom of 2 here...
My DD (now 6 mo. old) had/has torticollis also. She was in therapy for it and it improved SO much! She was flattening out on one side, and I was paranoid about getting a flat head. She ended up improving so much on her own and with stretches during therapy and at home. However, I do completely understand this:
But since we're all flat head obsessed it's hard to get perspective
I was obsessed for sure, and still am - I check her and look it over good every now and then (okay, every day, probably:rolleyes:). But hopefully your situation will be like mine and she'll do the improvements on her own. We just made sure every time we fed her a bottle, talked to her, etc. we were on her "bad side". Good luck!
(And FWIW, a friend of mine had a son who had to wear it and she decorated his helmet with stickers and stuff and actually, he never did mind wearing it - he turns a year in a few weeks and will get rid of it in another week...how old is your DD?)

kindermom

01-28-2008, 07:47 PM

Now that I'm a mom, I'd think it was to help re-shapen the head (i.e. get rid of the flat spots).

Before - probably some medical condition or due to seizures.

That. ^

miaclear

01-28-2008, 08:42 PM

Before I had kids of my own, I used to think that the child had a SERIOUS medical condition. I always thought "poor thing" and imagined something really horrible. Sorry to say.

Now that I have a baby, I would def. assume it's to reshape their head. I would smile at them knowingly.

Agreed. DS is in therapy for torticollis as well. We went to get evaluated for a helmet but was told we didn't need one.

julietchicago

01-28-2008, 10:31 PM

I would think it was due to a medical condition as many other posters have said.

MrsD108

01-29-2008, 04:40 AM

I had never seen a baby with a helmet until about 8 years ago when my nephew had one. He was born without a soft spot so they had to open his skull to allow room and he wore his for over a year.
If I saw a child now I would think it was for a medical condition but to be honest I think I would be more protective to the child that was wearing one.

Belm

01-29-2008, 07:37 AM

I would think that the child is wearing the helmet to correct a flatness on the side/back of their head.

Ditto.

Pine Tree

01-29-2008, 08:21 AM

Thank you so much everyone for all of your replies. I've always loved the picture of your ds in your avatar Hula1974's. I think you've done a lot to normalize it for me.

I do find it interesting that people are seeing more of these, I live in a small town and have never seen another child with one except for online. We're deciding on Thursday if we're going to do it. Thank you to everyone for posting as you've helped me to think about this a bit differently. I don't know if anyone cares, but I'll come back on Thursday and post our decision.

alienhost

01-29-2008, 08:45 AM

Pine Tree good luck with your decision. Honestly, I'm so glad we got DD the helmet. She only had to wear it for 6 weeks and the first few weeks was hard (getting used to taking it on/off etc.) but I think it was harder on ME than her. She got used to sleeping in it no problem. I was the one upset about the process at first, she adapted to it no problem.

Like I mentioned I was worried people would make comments that I wouldn't know how to address. For example, I thought people might ask "what's wrong with her" in a condecending tone. If you KWIM? Just b/c I figured people weren't familiar with it I thought they might have negative things to say, like "why the heck is she wearing that?" But honestly people tended to mind their own business.

PM me if you want more info and please let us know what you decide.

ETA: I found the thread in parenting if you want to take a look:
here (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25511&highlight=helmet)

kari

01-29-2008, 08:57 AM

No kids here and yep, I would think medical reason. But now I know why :)

tenofcups

01-29-2008, 08:59 AM

I don't think I've ever seen one and I'm not a mom. Before I got to the post where I read what's it for, my first thought was that it must be for a medical issue, but honestly I thought it would have been for something very very wrong with the baby.

My second thought was crazy overprotective parents. :o

Those are literally the one two things that I could think of. I imagine if I saw a child with a helmet, I would wonder about him or her and why they were wearing it, but I can't imagine saying anything about it.

BusyBee21

01-29-2008, 09:43 AM

I actually had to wear a helmet as a toddler when I started walking because I had absolutely NO balance and would fall and hit my head so often the doctors worried it would cause brain damage. Mine was black, and my mom and I put stickers all over it (I don't remember this, being too young, but I do have pictures of me during that time). I still am a bit of a klutz, but thanks to YEARS of dance and gymnastics, I have a much better sense of balance now. I think decorating the helmet is a smart idea.

kedzieb

01-29-2008, 09:48 AM

I'm glad most people have posted nice supportive things about how they'd feel seeing a baby in a helmet. I hope you guys decide to do what's best for your child & don't worry too much about any looks from strangers (not that you would!!!) who don't know better. It sounds like it's a helpful & temporary medical treatment. My cousin had to wear an eyepatch growing up and despite any looks he got, he's thankful for his vastly better vision now.

hub1176

01-29-2008, 11:24 AM

I have seen several infants/young toddlers in helmets in my very rural area. And I think there is more knowledge about the whole flat spot problem. My oldest DD has a HUGE head and couldn't lift it (tummy time was a joke as she'd lay there on her face screaming....) and the back of her head is still fairly flat. Our doctors didn't think it necessitated a helmet.

chandy

01-29-2008, 11:29 AM

jajacobsen

01-29-2008, 11:58 AM

Not a arent here. I would immediately assume it was for a medical reason, which may or may not be serious. I would not interpret it any differently than any other brace or cast on any other part of the body.

mamax2

01-29-2008, 12:04 PM

I would think it was to correct a medical condition, like flatness on the back or one-side. It wouldn't occur to me that a baby would be in a helmet for anything other than medical necessity.

hmbay

01-29-2008, 12:27 PM

They are a lot more common. Both my sons had one--my first had torticollis and had SEVERE plagio. so bad the helmet didn't even fully correct it and the dr I was seeing at the time told me "I don't do second helmets" I should have argued that but I didn't know any better. My 2nd was developing plagio so I tried repositioning and he ended up with brachy. He also had a helmet. DD is developing a flat spot but it is MUCH less than either of her brothers so I think I'm going to let it go this time.

FWIW I do NOT regret putting either boy in a helmet even though I got a lot of stares with my first. Rude gaping stares. I felt like the sh*ttiest mother on the planet that everyone must think there was something wrong with my baby. By the time my 2nd had one I just didn't care. By then it had become less strange and I overheard a father talking to his son at a playground say "look that little boy has a helmet just like you brother did" and when we were having DS1's hair cut at a kids hair place a dad came over and said hi and said his daughter had had a helmet as well.

I encountered a lot more friendly people with DS2's helmet--people who knew what it was for and went out of their way to make me feel comfortable that my DS was in a helmet (which I was after DS1 but it was a refreshing change for me).

I honestly say if you think at all you might regret NOT doing it--do it. It's only a few months and it will seem like a small blip on the radar in the end.

ETA: I can't seem to find any pictures of DS1 in his helmet (I have them--they just aren't uploaded anywhere) but I did find this picture of DS2 in his:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v237/hmbay/A3-24-06-03.jpg?t=1201637092

Pine Tree

01-31-2008, 10:41 AM

Update:

I just wanted to thank everyone for their posts. We just went to the pediatrician and were strongly encouraged to get the helmt. We talked about it and we're going to do it. I feel pretty shallow for worrying about this when I know there are parents dealing with much bigger issues, so I've decided to suck it up and just be grateful that we have a medical system and insurance that will pay for my dd to have a nice round head.

Thank you to everyone who posted, you made this decision much easier to accept.

hmbay - that is an absolutely adorable picture!!! Thank you for sharing it.

hmbay

01-31-2008, 11:47 AM

Pine Tree--good luck. If you have any questions feel free to PM me. I'm by no means an expert but having two kids in them probably gives me a little more perspective than some other people might have. I will say if they give you the option of a plain helmet to decorate yourself or a "predecorated one" (like DS2 in the picture) go with the pre-decorated. I never found time to decorate DS1's and he got stuck wearing a stark white helmet the whole time instead of a cute one like DS2.

alienhost

01-31-2008, 03:27 PM

Pine Tree I'm glad you were able to come to a decision, it is hard to make decisions like that. Also that is great that insurance will cover it for you, ours did to, but a lot of parents have to pay for it out of pocket.

Also like hmbay offered, feel free to PM me as well if you have ANY questions, no matter how small. I'm happy to try and help. As I mentioned before, DH and I are SOOOOO glad we got her the helmet.

I also agree that getting the predecorated one is a great option. I tried putting stickers on the predecorated one (for extra "fun") and I found they would peel at the edges, then I worried that they would fall off and she might choke on it. Mind you they were basic stickers I bought at AC Moore but for some reason they wouldn't stay on. Just my 2 cents.

Best of luck and I'm sure the time will fly by!

Hula1974

01-31-2008, 06:53 PM

I usually chat with the parents when I see a baby with a helmet, since my son wore one too. It's a good converstion starter!

And I think the babies look pretty darn cute in their helmets (I know my son did!)

DITTO!

I honestly say if you think at all you might regret NOT doing it--do it. It's only a few months and it will seem like a small blip on the radar in the end.

I absolutely agree. DS is only 16 months now and I already feel like it was just a blip on the radar! I will never regret it.

Pine Tree also like hmbay offered, feel free to PM me as well if you have ANY questions, no matter how small. I'm happy to try and help.

That's actually why I keep that older picture of DS in my avatar, if anyone ever wants to talk! I have lots of pics of the casting session too if you want to see that.

I also definately agree about decorating them. I used clear backed stickers and changed them weekly. It really makes your child more approachable to strangers, they will call them lovingly by name and it's no longer sterile and medical.

Since I think kids in helmets are SO cute, can I indulge in a few more pics of DS? :rolleyes: Can you resist this face??

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2376/2234013380_e1aa20a9a9.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2366/2234014280_45e6b57230.jpg?v=0

jh124

02-01-2008, 07:40 AM

I would think that the child is wearing the helmet to correct a flatness on the side/back of their head.

Ditto. Wouldn't question it or stare. But I"m a mom, so perhaps my opinion doesn't count.

Rosebud

02-01-2008, 01:12 PM

I would think that the child is wearing the helmet to correct a flatness on the side/back of their head.

Yep. A friend's child wore a helmet for this reason, so I'm familiar with them. She had hers painted and it was actually really adorable.

However, even before knowing them I would have assumed there was a medical reason for a baby to be wearing a helmet if I'd seen one out and about. Not a reason to stare or anything.

Pine Tree

02-01-2008, 02:19 PM

Hula - gorgeous pictures! The helmet really brings out the adorable cheeks.

jh124 - everyone's opinion counts - thank you for taking the time to post (same goes for everyone, I felt like this was sort of a silly question to bother people with so I appreciate everyone taking the time to answer).

I read something interesting today that said when we see someone that doesn't quite fit our expectations (eg with a disability) we stare at them because it's unexpected and we're trying to process what is going on. And then we feel bad because we're staring and we look away. To the person with the disability what comes across is the sense of 'I made someone feel bad or there's something bad about me'. If however you do something to change the negativity of staring - for example decorating a helmet with fun stickers or in the case of this article a stroke victim putting a wild purple streak in her hair - then you give permission to stare and people don't need to look away and feel bad. Instead people can stare as they process what's unexpected, and then smile because there's something fun to react to.

I don't know if I really explained this well, but I thought this made a lot of sense. So my dd is going to have the cutest helmet around!!!

Hula1974

09-09-2008, 08:25 PM

bump

bethnjim

09-10-2008, 04:31 AM

I would think that the baby might have hemophilia...because I know a couple and their son has hemophilia and he needs to wear a helmet just in case he falls and hits his head.

So, basically, when I see it, it makes me sad for the child and parents. :(

MSH

09-10-2008, 06:00 AM

I would think that the child is wearing the helmet to correct a flatness on the side/back of their head.
I second this

Brandles

09-10-2008, 07:14 AM

Not sure if anyone mentioned this, but one of the guys on "Miami Ink" decorated a child's helmet and it looked really good!

Originally Posted by suzfuzsunflower
I would think that the child is wearing the helmet to correct a flatness on the side/back of their head.

Exactly what I'd think, too!

cr8zyforaf

09-10-2008, 07:34 AM

I would think that the child is wearing the helmet to correct a flatness on the side/back of their head.

This...I've had a few friends that have had children in helmets to correct flatness.

ivansbabe

09-10-2008, 11:57 AM

I'm not a mom and I'm aware of flat head syndrome and that is what I would assume too.

kari

09-10-2008, 12:44 PM

Just saw one last night at the grocery store. The helmet decor was camoflage and I thought the little boy wearing looked cool. :)

Reenie

09-10-2008, 03:09 PM

I would think that perhaps the child were missing a flap. The reason why that would be my most immediate thought is because my mother had a student like that.

My secondary thought would be that the child had some other medical issue, seizures or otherwise. I would definitely relate it to some neurological/neurosurgical issue.

Pine Tree

09-10-2008, 03:43 PM

Funny to see my old thread bumped up. DD is out of her helmet now, wore it for 3 months and I have to say it was no big deal AT ALL. It was a cute predecorated helmet with sunflowers on it and I think only one person in all that time gave us weird looks. Her head is nice and round so it was totally worth it.

dragonfly_71

09-14-2008, 09:55 AM

Originally Posted by suzfuzsunflower
I would think that the child is wearing the helmet to correct a flatness on the side/back of their head.

Yes, now that I am a mom I would think this, too. But before we became parents (or were even planning to ever become parents) my DH and I thought differently. I remember years ago DH and I were eating dinner at a nice restaurant and the hostess was directing a family with a toddler with a helmet to the table next to ours and I remember DH and I looking at each other like "oh great, of course helmet boy is gonna have to sit right here by us, happy happy joy joy so much for a nice dinner!" Neither of us was suspecting any medical problems we just figured this must be an exceptionally rambunctious kid who's parents felt the need to keep a helmet on him at all times, either that or this was the kind of kid who demanded to wear a helmet out to dinner at a nice restaurant. Either way we were less than thrilled to see him seated next to us. Needless to say, neither DH nor I were particularly fond of children at that time, helmet or no helmet.