Squeezed through the birth canal, many babies are born with pointy, cone-shaped heads. Others, delivered by caesarian section, start off life with round heads. No baby begins with a flat head. But as parents put babies on their backs to sleep in accordance with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome prevention guidelines, babies are developing flat heads.
Called positional plagiocephaly, a young infant’s head flattens when prolonged pressure is placed on one spot. Tricks to prevent positional plagiocephaly all encourage equal pressure over the entire head. Because babies’ heads are malleable, parents can easily prevent and treat the flatness. In fact, the flat shape begins to correct itself after six months of age, when babies spend less time lying down and more time sitting and crawling. Additionally, increased hair growth hides some of the flatness.
To prevent positional plagiocephaly, place your baby prone (belly down) frequently WHILE AWAKE, starting in the newborn period. This tummy time decreases pressure on the back of the head. Some babies are not fond of tummy time and will cry until they are back on their backs. For those kids, in our next post, guest blogger physical therapist Deborah Stack will address ways to make the time tolerable.
Some babies wear helmets to correct their abnormal head flattening. Neurosurgeons, who are head and brain specialists, prescribe these helmets for babies who have extreme flattening. Fortunately, the majority of babies with positional plagiocephaly do not need to wear helmets.
You also may have heard of babies who need corrective surgery for an abnormal head shape. This condition, called craniosynostosis, is rare. Pediatricians monitor the size and shape of the head and check the soft spot on the top of the head at every check-up. A baby’s skull develops in pieces as a fetus, and these pieces eventually come together at predictable places called sutures. If the pieces come together too early or the soft spot closes too soon, corrective surgery must be performed.
Julie Kardos, MD and Naline Lai, MD
©2012 Two Peds in a Pod®