Needing Advice on Helmets for Plagiocephaly (Flat Head)

My son had the same problem

Flat head in the back and too wide in the front...

We had a CT scan done, that showed their was nothing wrong inside his head, just cosmetic shape.

We had him fitted for a helmet...he sweats a lot and it was very uncomfortable for him (got too hot.)

He wore it on and off for about a month, maybe six weeks

we stopped after that, it was supposed to be 6 months but it was not easy for him..

Did it help, I have to say yes...his head is a little flat
in the back, but looks normal with hair and you wouldn't know....I think it did help even for the short time..

Good luck
K.

I do not have any experience with the hlmet, but I have a friend who's daughter should have had one. My friend didn't want her daughter to wear one, strictly for cosmetic purposes. Whe was afraid that people would look at her and laugh. I can say one thing. Her daughter is now 4 and the back of her hed is so flat that when she is wearing a ponytail, it looks like it is sticking off a wall and she has to have neuro exams to make sure that the shape of the head is not effecting the growth of the brain. I know it is a tough decision, but if it is what is best for the baby I would just go ahead and do it. I know that the timing of wearing the helmet is crucial, becaue the head is only "reshapable" for a certain period of time. I think one thing you could also do is get a secone opnion. I know there are some cases that it will correct itself, but I am not sure if that is a chance one wants to take. Maybe talk to another doctor and see what they think. When it comes to your kids you will do what is best for them. It may look or feel akward to wear the helmet, but it might also be best for her. Good Luck!!

Well, my son had the same problem. My pediatrician told me that it would just get better and not to worry about it. Now, he's 15 months old and between his hair and spending little time sleeping or awake on his back, his head looks totally fine. I was really concerned for a while and looked into doing some cranial-sacral treatments, which are also supposed to be a great alternative to the helmet. But some people have told me to make sure that the cranial sacral therapists are trained for working on kids.

I've had some friends who have used helmets and have been very happy with the results as well. Just wanted to share my experience in case it helps.

Hi Susan-
Babies R Us sells something called a "Noggin Nest" It's a "U" shaped pillow that your baby uses to keep his head from becoming flat. I used it with my son and it really helps. I used it when he was sitting in his bouncy seat or when I was playing with him on the floor. I didn't let him sleep with it.

Hi Susan,
I have twin boys who I both had wear the Doc band. I am glad I did it. We didn't notice the problem until 4 months of age. We did stretching exercises and didn't see much improvement. They did not have torticolis. Of course we didn't want to put such a huge piece of plastic on our beautiful boys for everyone to stare at. We were worried that they would be uncomfortable. We wondered if the problem would get better on its own. I will warn you that there is a bit of a waiting period, so if you are going to do it, get moving. Once you have the mold done (your worst 5 minutes of your life...in my case 10 minutes) Your son will not be in pain, the staff where I went worked quickly and gave suggestions on how to calm the baby. You then wait about 3 weeks for it to be made. One of my boys had his biggest growth spurt while we were waiting....that was a bummer. You also have to go back to the office (for me an 90 minute drive one way in no traffic) every 2 weeks to get it adjusted. That is painless, just a long drive for some. I know others that drove 3 hours to the place nearest their home. My boys slept with the band on, no problems. It made their head a little heavier on our arms :-) I had them wear it all day, every day (minus the 1 hour they tell you to take it off) You need to clean it with alcohol. It is a great 'helmet' for those learning to walk days. Mine were not bothered by it at all and they wore it for most of the last 2 months of summer into the fall for a total of almost 4 months. At first I felt awkward going out in public, but I soon got used to it. I knew it was for their best. To go through this now when they don't even know what is happening. I found an artist to paint a decoration on the entire band. That made a huge difference in the way it looked. After 3 months, it started to come off in pieces (probably from the edges getting alcohol on it when cleaning) so I got some cute stickers and made my own design. The before and after picks are amazing. We are very happy with the results. Their ears are lined up, no more flat spot. I am happy to answer any other questions you may have.

We had a helmet for our first son. Our pediatrician did not see a problem and figured it would work itself out as he got older. We weren't going to wait. So, we went out on our own to do all this. He had plagiocephaly and we finally went to a plastic surgeon at 8 months who sent us to infinite technologies in williston park. They did a free consultation, showed us his head measurements and gave us a comparison of what is "normal". They suggested a helmet for him. We did the casting of his head right there and a week or two later we had a helmet for him. He wore it from about 8.5 months old to 13 months old. His head was greatly changed after the helmet. He doesn't have a perfect head but you can barely tell with his hair.
the helmet he had was a clear plastic so it wasn't as noticeable as the big white ones I've seen online. He was so young and barely noticed it on his head. I think it bothered us more!
please let me know if you have more questions or want Infinite technologies information. they were great.

One thing you will need to find out is the reason your son HAS the plagiocephaly. My daughter had torticollis (basically, her neck was stiff and her head titled to one side). Because of the torticollis and because I had her all day in her car seat, her head got flat on one side because she wasn't moving her head from side to side like most kids do.
To combat this, she did physical therapy from 4 months old until 11 months old. We took her to a pediatric neurologist about correcting the flat head. But he said it didn't look too bad and, since, she was a girl, her hair would cover it. So we didn't have to do a helmet to correct it.
I would definitely recommend checking for torticollis (and if he has torticollis, check for hip dysplasia too because those often go hand in hand).

Good luck.

Hi Susan,

My daughter was diagnosed with plagiocephaly when she was six months and wore a a DOC band (helmet) until she was almost one. She now (3 years old) has a perfectly shaped head and we are happy we did it. She tolerated the helmet a lot better than we expected and had no problem sleeping with it on (you have to wear it 24 hours a day). The worst part was when they made the mold for the helmet- they had to cover her head and face with plaster - which was probably worse for me than it was for her! When we first found out about the helmet we were definitely hesitant - we had never heard of it before, it looked so strange and we didn't want people to think something was wrong with her. But all things considered, there are a lot worse things for kids to go through (surgery, treatments, etc) and this doesn't hurt a bit and it actually works!!

Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions!

A former neighbor of mine needed a helmet for her son. I do not think she was using it as frequently as she should have because now that he is almost 4 his head is really irregular. So if he needs it, use it!

Other things you can do are change your routine a bit with him. For instance, put him in his crib with his head where his feet usually are. This way, for whatever visually stimulates him, he can turn his head the other way. Also try and give him more floor time. Keep him out of the bouncy seats, carseat(unless travelling), swing, etc. Instead use excersaucers, tummy time, bumbo, or anything else that allows him to strengthen his neck without his head laying flat.

At this age typical babies can begin sitting independently if they haven't already done so. This will help so the problem doesn't get worse.

My son had torticollis and he was flat headed on one side when he was a baby. We tried everything included physical therapy, which did help quite a bit, but he still had to have a helmet because they were worried his skull would not fuse together the way it should. He had it on from 9 months to 1 year and it was a HUGE difference. He wore it all the time except to take a bath. I thought the sleeping would be heard for him but after a night or two, he got used to it and there was no problems. To get the helmet fitted was the worst part, he hated it and you hate it because it because they hate it. He is a 5 1/2 year old now that doesnt remember a thing of it and looks at the pictures and thinks it was cool that he had a helmet on. The only problem he still has is his ears are slightly off but just looking at him, you could never tell. If your son does have to have a helmet, follow the doctors orders to a tee. They told me to start like 1-2 hours a day to work him into wearing it all day except for baths, he was great with it and by a couple of days, he was wearing it all day. They said that may have speed up the process, but that of course depends on the child and if they are comfortable. Good luck if your son does need it.