Twins Heads Are Going Flat

try propping their heads with pillows to the opposite side and hopefully if they do not keep moving the pillow it will get normal my oldest son was that way cause their bones are so pliable when they are little and he laid on one side only so that side was going flat.good luck and my son does have a round basketball head.hey with hair you can't tell LOL

The more time they spent on their tummy and sitting up developing those core muscles, the sooner they will begin to flip over and once baby starts flipping they usually prefer to sleep on their tummy so you won't have to worry about the head flattening as much.
While they are awake you can help them working on sitting and tummy time. I found that I used and many moms I know have used two great products to keep them off of their heads--one is a bumbo...and if you get the one with the tray you can also use it as a booster feeding chair (which I personally prefer over high chairs take take up so much space).
http://www.amazon.com/Bumbo-Baby-Sitter-Combo-Orange/dp/B...

You can use the seat part(without the tray) to have them sit up in--they are great and work on getting those tummy muscles stronger. Look for used ones on Craig's list and ebay since they are a bit pricey and may eventually want 2.

Also you you have a Bobby pillow(oh these names) they are good for using for tummy time. I had one that was smaller than the usual one with toys attached that I got as a gift that was specfically made for tummy time, but a regular one works too...
http://www.amazon.com/Boppy-Naked-Miracle-Middle-Pillow/d...

I would also ask your pediatrician about letting them sleep on their tummies...

Flattened heads in babies is usually caused by continual sleeping or resting on their backs, and also from sitting and leaning back on a seat. Their little skulls are still very soft and malleable, and will very easily and quickly flatten out from the pressure/weight of their heads.

I would have them sleep on their tummies -- they will naturally turn to the side, and they will naturally alternate from side to side. When they are up, I would just lay in the floor with them and put them on their tummies. You can put a clean sheet or baby blanket down to protect them from the carpeting. This will help them with their motor skills, too, as they get older: you can put toys just barely out of arms' reach and they will reach and squirm until they get it. It is a fun way to give them exercise and also to keep them amused.

Hey R.,

I hope this will help you and please do more research on if don't feel comfortable with my answer. I don't know if this could be your problem or not, but before I had my first baby I read a book called "DR. Denmark said it". She is close to 100 yrs. old now and had been a pediatrician for over 75 yrs. She did not agree with a lot of what modern doctors say today. This book was written by a mom of 10 children who did everything that Dr. Denmark recommended. Dr. Denmark was adamant about putting babies on their tummies to sleep and not on their backs as so many doctors recommend today because of SIDS. Dr. Denmark says that putting babies on their backs will make their heads go flat, they don't feel secure, and they can spit up and choke in the night and die. The nurses were so adamant about me putting my baby on his back or side in the hospital, and so I did, basically because I didn't want to cause a scene and I knew that once I got him home I would put him on his tummy. My baby did spit up and almost chocked during the middle of the night because of this. Years ago, all moms put their babies on their tummies and you never heard of SIDS. This is just my personal opinion. Dr. Denmark also says that God has given mothers a natural instinct to know what is best for their children, so just go with your heart and what you have peace about concerning how they sleep. Your doctor will not recommend this, so that is why I say go with your heart and use wisdom on what you actually share with your doctor. Doctors are great and I use them, but I also believe that sometimes moms just know what is best.

hope this helps!
T.

That happened to my daughter and the dodctor said she needed a lot of tummy time. Her head was flattening on her left side because that was the side I held her on when I feed her a bottle.
She was about 10-12 weeks at that time. Babies'R Us has these small little Boppy with like a blanket attached for them to lay on. After about 2 weeks she was fine.
Good luck.

Hello R.....My son is 6 months and his head has a flat spot on the right side...it was worse when he was younger..I just laid him on is side at night and it looks so much better now!! Good Luck!

hello, I was in canada last week and our friends twins had the same but the back of there heads so there doctor has them wear a special helmet hat made for them to wear for a while to form there head back to being round. If you want the name of this special type of hat let me know and I will call them and get the name for you, so you can ask your doctor about it, if its available in canada Iam sure its here too. You should do it soon so you will have them back quicker.
good luck
M.
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I would definitely suggest giving them more tummy time. Also just try to hold them more, instead of laying them down. I would talk to your pediatrician about letting them sleep on their stomachs (assuming their heads are strong enough to turn either direction) and resting the head on the alternate side.

Don't know if anyone else has suggested tummy time. They should be able to lay flat on their tummies on a blanket on the floor to play. You can stick stuff on the floor for them to look at. It won't hurt them; should they fall asleep, you can turn them over.

We had a similar problem with our daughter when she was 10 weeks old. She was diagnosed with a mild case of Torticollis. Because of the Torticollis she favored one side of her head. Our pediatrician suggested using a wedge. We purchased a sleep positioner and put her on the opposite side that was flat. I was nervous because of SIDS so we would only do it during naps and early evening while we were up. It has worked great. Now she is 4 months and changes positions throughout the evening on her own, turning herself from her back to her side.

Get Bumbo Baby-sitter. They are fantastic. As long as baby can hold his head up fairly well, he is big enough to sit on one. The seat will keep them sitting upright without you having to hold them in them in that position. My boys used one beginning around 12 weeks. You can order them online, and I think they even sell them at Babies-R-Us. I also see used ones on Craig's list all the time pretty reasonably priced. http://www.bumbobabyseat.com/ (funny, I just looked at the web site and noticed they changed the name to Bumbo Baby Seat. I guess they didn't want people to think they could actually use it as a babysitter and leave their baby unattended - Ha!)

Another thing to try is lots of tummy time. They make a lot of special toys now that make it fun for babies to be on their tummies.

Tummy time is essential! Not only to prevent the flattened heads, but to promote healthy brain development. I work in early intervention and there is tons of research coming out saying how important it is for infants to lie on their tummies. If you don't want to let them sleep on their tummies, you need to make a conscience effort to put them on their tummies when they are awake. You can do it for short periods of time at first if they are fussy and gradually they will get used to it. Not every baby who did not lie on their tummy has brain damage, but the research shows a significant long-term difference in neurological development and acquisition of developmental milestones. Gooduck with both the twins and heading back to work, you must be a very busy woman!
~B.

My grandsonhas a flat head. A muscle in his neck would't stretch so he always laid on one side. Physical therapy, special pillows and 3000.00 helmit to get him to strtetch muscle aaand get him to use othe side of his head to sleep on.
Ask the doc what exactly what he wants you to do!!

When holding them spend a lot of time gently rubbing their heads in a circular motion all over, rounding out the shape. Not rubbing in a back and forth motion ...

Bouncy seats!

A side effect of my son having reflux is that he had to stay upright almost constantly when he was really tiny...and never had any flat spot. :)

I would put both of them in bouncy seats when they would normally just be laying down (not sleep time, but other general times) and place the bouncy seats so that each child is to the left of the other (they will end up feet to head position) so that they are forced to turn their heads on the non-flat side to look at one another.

Good luck! It isn't as simple as just waiting til their older sometimes...so don't just sit back and wait. I've known several moms who ended up with kids who had to wear helmets to get their heads back into the right shape.