Are there a LOT of babies with flat heads?

[DawnCt1]

I am not asking this question to be mean spirited and I fully understand the "back to sleep" thing which came into being long after my DSs no longer needed a crib. But....I have seen a few babies lately. Most recently a grandson of a friend of mine. This baby is now 4 months old and when he was born he had a lovely, perfectly round head. The back of his head is so flat that it has changed the shape of his forehead. I have noticed this on many toddlers as well and have seen a few babies in helmets, something I had never seen when my kids were little. Of course the benefit is fewer SIDS which is well worth it, but am I the only one noticing this?

 

[Texan Mouseketeer]

My DS had a bad problem with it and we were told we'd have to get a helmet if we couldn't improve it on our own, but our DD wasn't that bad at all.

Just a side note - my kids' pediatrician told us that he felt like they could sleep on their tummies when they could roll over on their own around 6 months. He's very old and old school in his thinking. Very contrary to popular opinion! We still put them on their backs, but just didn't freak out when they rolled over in the night.

 

[BelleBoo&AmisMum]

I think the cases of it are on the rise. It's not just the back to sleep thing, babies are spending more and more time in car seat carriers and that's not helping.

It's called positional plagiocephaly We took extra steps with the girls to prevent it and not just tummy time (which they both hated).

 

[grinningghost]

This is an interesting question. When my nephew was born, he had a perfectly round head, but after a few months, it started to get flat on one side. Of course, my MIL, being the all-knowing being that she is, constantly ranted about my SIL not turning her baby over in his crib once in a while.

Turned out, that had nothing to do with it. He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and the flattened head was attributed to that.

It's not always poor crib positioning I guess.

 

[ZachnElli]

Yes, there are alot more babies with flat heads these days because of the back to sleep program. But the back to sleep program has cut SIDS in half, so a flat head is better than no baby. My ped also said it was ok for him to sleep on his tummy once he rolled over and he does sleep on his tummy now. I don't put him to sleep that way, he just rolls as soon as I put him down.

 

[Texan Mouseketeer]

I have heard some people say it is lack of tummy time during the day...in our particular case, DS had plenty of tummy time - it is what he preferred, but when he fell asleep on his back, his face always rolled the same way. We would try to roll it the other way, but it would always go back. We even tried rolling up a blanket to hold his head to the other side, but it would make him so angry!!! Since he was our first, the whole thing worried us. It went away so quickly though. Can I blame his awful cowlick in the back of his head on that, too???

 

[liamandcaili]

My DS, now almost seven, had a very flat head for a while. However, he grew out of it, and since he looks just like his dad, it doesn't seem like there were any lasting effects. DD4 refused to sleep on her back, so we put her to sleep on her side. We also had special flat-head preventing pillows for her carseat, stroller and bed...all of which were completely unnecessary. It may be a bit disconcerting for new parents, but at least from our experience, the flat-head doesn't last.

 

[Randi]

My boys were babies long before the sleeping on the back was stressed. However, I never understood what happens to a baby on his back if he vomits. Both of mine were vomiters and surely would have choked to death if on their backs. They slept on their sides or stomach and didn't even wake sometimes when I cleaned them up. They also were nearly 10lbs at birth and strong enough to have some stability in their necks.

 

[tiggersmom2]

With my last son I was very diligent with changing him from his back, to his side, to his other side every 2 hours. Before this he had started to develop a "flat head" and it cleared right up after about 2 weeks of me doing this.

As soon as he could flip over.....he ended up on his tummy.

 

[Lil_Tink]

I dont know..The kids I babysit have nice round heads.

 

[BelleBoo&AmisMum]

My boys were babies long before the sleeping on the back was stressed. However, I never understood what happens to a baby on his back if he vomits. Both of mine were vomiters and surely would have choked to death if on their backs. They slept on their sides or stomach and didn't even wake sometimes when I cleaned them up. They also were nearly 10lbs at birth and strong enough to have some stability in their necks.

Both of my girls had severe reflux and would projectile vomit all the time. The GI doc said to have them sleep on their stomachs when possible. I think the back to sleep thing has always been unless there are other health concerns.

 

[cabmom]

I was just told by my midwife and Dr. to start putting the baby on his tummy for tummy time as to not get a flat head. I'd never heard of it with my previous 3 kids. Wow, so much has changed in 5 years! I'm so preoccupied with him not getting a flat head now.

You learn so much as you get older!

Marilynn

 

[kristen821]

Both my kids slept on thier stomach. My ds would be up all night if we put him on his back and my dd almost choked in the hospital because she spit up so as soon as I got her home she slept on her stomach. I always wondered how true it is that a baby on thier back prevents sids. When I was little doctors said to put the baby on thier stomach to prevent choking. It is true that the cases of sids has decreased, but the cases of death because of abuse or shaken baby have increased. I always wondered if the death of a baby are just diagnosed more accurately now.

 

[nwdisgal]

Well unfortunately, I had a nephew who died of SIDS so I always let my kids sleep on their backs and didn't worry about their heads. They must have been on their tummies a lot because they didn't have flat heads. I did however have a friend whose little boy had that problem.

 

[Judy from Boise]

OOhhhh a question that can start me on a rant! I think many babies have flat heads because they are never held! My heart breaks when i see babies practically living in their little plastic cages! My DH and i both get sad watching parents sit through an hour long dinner with their baby pacified with little foot nudges to the carrier to keep them from protesting. And i am talking big parties where there are many adults who could take turns holding the child.
I could go on and on (after all this is a rant). Needless to say i think babies can sleep on their backs if during waking hours they are in close contact with something other than a plastic body pacifier.

 

[CherCrazy]

My boys were babies long before the sleeping on the back was stressed. However, I never understood what happens to a baby on his back if he vomits. Both of mine were vomiters and surely would have choked to death if on their backs. They slept on their sides or stomach and didn't even wake sometimes when I cleaned them up. They also were nearly 10lbs at birth and strong enough to have some stability in their necks.

Before this "sleep on the back" movement, my friend was in the hospital after the birth of her last child. She put him in the crib, on his back, for a minute while she did something. The nurse swooped in, yelling at her to not leave the baby on his back. Turns out they had just had a baby die the day before who had choked to death on her vomit while laying on her back.

Call me old school, but since babies vomit all the time, isn't choking MORE of a risk than SIDS?

 

[kristen821]

Before this "sleep on the back" movement, my friend was in the hospital after the birth of her last child. She put him in the crib, on his back, for a minute while she did something. The nurse swooped in, yelling at her to not leave the baby on his back. Turns out they had just had a baby die the day before who had choked to death on her vomit while laying on her back.

Call me old school, but since babies vomit all the time, isn't choking MORE of a risk than SIDS?

That's what I think. My daughter choked at the hospital, because the nurses insisted she was on her back. I requested that they put her on her stomach because I was afraid she'd choke again and they refused. When i brought her home I did not put her on her back.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

I guess you can call me a bad mother then, Judy. If I needed a little bit of alone time so I could clean the kitchen, or fold laundry or whatever when DS was still smallish, I'd plop him in his swing and away he went. Now, I use "his" keyboard and mouse (old ones we no longer use because they were broken, yet we had this compulsive need to keep anyway). It occupies him for the few moments I need to do whatever is I need to do.

TOV

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

OOhhhh a question that can start me on a rant! I think many babies have flat heads because they are never held!

You said kind of what I was thinking. Neither of my girls have flat heads and I held them a lot as well as did the swing and such.



TOV--in a swing...that is not the same as flat on the back IMHO. You do what you need to get done.

 

[Judy from Boise]

The back to sleep program isn't only about sleeping on the back, a firm mattress, and no blankets etc are also a big part.Even if you side/tummy sleep you can use a firm mattress and avoid covers,bolsters etc.