Pillow use alone has been shown to increase the chance of SIDS occurring by up to 2.5 times, so it may be helpful to talk to one of our helpline advisers if you were thinking of using one with your baby due to concerns
for plagiocephaly (or «flat head syndrome»).
In 1998, Dynamic Orthotic Cranioplasty ®, known as the DOC Band, became the first cranial helmet cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
for plagiocephaly treatment and, a few years later,
for plagiocephaly treatment associated with post-surgical correction.
Our clinics are family friendly, providing care exclusively
for plagiocephaly patients, and are staffed by highly trained, specialized clinical staff that will work closely with you to achieve the best possible outcome for your baby.
When evaluating
for plagiocephaly, craniometers and lasers are used to take two measurements of your baby's skull, and the severity of plagiocephaly is determined by the difference in these measurements.
Offering home therapy
for plagiocephaly and torticollis, the therapists at Baby Begin are able to provide real assistance to families, in the setting where the baby feels most comfortable.
For Plagiocephaly on one side of the back of the head, use these positioning modifications to encourage baby to rest on the side of the head opposite his flat spot.
Not exact matches
For a young baby to have a flat spot on his head is called positional
plagiocephaly.
Infants can also be at risk
for positional
plagiocephaly if they lay in a car seat, bouncy seat, or swing
for too long.
Laying in one position
for too long can exert a lot of force on a baby's head and cause the head to become misshapen, which is called positional
plagiocephaly.
See our guide to positional
plagiocephaly for more tips and advice on helping your baby grow out of positional
plagiocephaly.
Plagiocephaly stands
for the most common reason
for baby to wear a helmet.
Wait, wait, wait... you might be asking yourself why this lady who's so passionate about reducing rates of
Plagiocephaly (flattening of babies» heads) advocating
for more time on the back?
Current research and the clinical experience of many health care professionals (including me) point to the fact that there are effective strategies
for fighting
Plagiocephaly and other forms of head flattening without using a helmet.
This is also a great position
for preventing and correcting flat spots on baby's skull - called Positional or Deformational
Plagiocephaly.
Oftentimes, I do get referrals
for physical therapy
for babies who are either experiencing
plagiocephaly and or corticolis, which is the shortening of the neck muscles, sternocleidomastoid and all the others that are around it that contributes to asymmetries in development and developmental delays.
Babies with severe
plagiocephaly usually wear either a custom - fitted helmet or a headband (called a cranial orthotic)
for about 23 hours a day to correct the shape of their head.
Positional
plagiocephaly, or
plagiocephaly without synostosis (PWS), can be associated with supine sleeping position (OR: 2.5).113 It is most likely to result if the infant's head position is not varied when placed
for sleep, if the infant spends little or no time in awake, supervised tummy time, and if the infant is not held in the upright position when not sleeping.113, — , 115 Children with developmental delay and / or neurologic injury have increased rates of PWS, although a causal relationship has not been demonstrated.113, 116, — , 119 In healthy normal children, the incidence of PWS decreases spontaneously from 20 % at 8 months to 3 % at 24 months of age.114 Although data to make specific recommendations as to how often and how long tummy time should be undertaken are lacking, supervised tummy time while the infant is awake is recommended on a daily basis.
Tummy time is important
for babies both to reduce positional
plagiocephaly, the flat heads often seen on babies since it's now recommended that they sleep on their backs, and to promote the development of gross motor and fine motor skills.
And unfortunately, some children do need medical treatment, like with a DOC band or helmet,
for their positional
plagiocephaly when more conservative methods don't work.
I'm a big advocate
for using play and proactive positioning to help prevent and treat Positional
Plagiocephaly (head flattening) and Torticollis (one - sided neck tightness).
Not only does Torticollis put babies at risk
for motor delays, asymmetric use of the arms and hands, visual problems, feeding problems, reflux and other developmental concerns, it is a BIG risk factor
for Flat Head Syndrome, or Positional
Plagiocephaly.
Over-use of baby gear such as infant car seat carriers, baby swings, rock»n plays, napping wedges and more is a huge contributing factor to positional
plagiocephaly (the fancy term
for head flattening).
The position that infant car seat carriers support your baby in isn't great
for development, isn't safe
for sleep AND can contribute to conditions such as Positional
Plagiocephaly (head flattening) and Torticollis (one - sided neck tightness).
Referrals to craniofacial centers
for evaluation of deformational
plagiocephaly and brachycephaly are increasing.8 This increase in deformations has been temporally linked to the Back to Sleep program advanced by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 1992 that advises the avoidance of the prone sleeping position as a method of reducing the rates of sudden infant death syndrome.10,, 12,13 There is a delay in early gross motor milestones in children forced to sleep supine but these delays seem transient and have not been linked as yet to any longer term problems.14 Children who are encouraged to sleep on their backs and develop abnormal head shapes as a result are a different population than children who spontaneously restricted their movement in bed
for one reason or another.
Deformational
plagiocephaly generally becomes more severe in the first weeks of life, as the infant holds his head in a fixed position (regardless of the cause
for the fixed position); then the headshape begins to improve with normal developmental progression involving head control and a full range of neck motion.
«Interestingly, however, while supine [on the back] positioning has been a well - established risk factor
for the development of
plagiocephaly, we were not able to demonstrate a logical correlation to indicate more severe flattening from the supine position.»
They examined risk factors
for the severity of asymmetrical head shape, known as deformational
plagiocephaly (DP), in a study involving 434 infants with the condition.
More commonly, deformational
plagiocephaly occurs postnatally and is associated with congenital torticollis, vertebral anomalies, neurologic impairment, or forced sleeping position.3 — 5 Few reports document any late effects of deformational plagiocephaly other than potential cosmetic concerns and the potential for strabismus, especially involving vertical eye movements.6,, 7 Plagiocephaly may be morphometrically evident in as many as 14 % of adults, but it is rarely
plagiocephaly occurs postnatally and is associated with congenital torticollis, vertebral anomalies, neurologic impairment, or forced sleeping position.3 — 5 Few reports document any late effects of deformational
plagiocephaly other than potential cosmetic concerns and the potential for strabismus, especially involving vertical eye movements.6,, 7 Plagiocephaly may be morphometrically evident in as many as 14 % of adults, but it is rarely
plagiocephaly other than potential cosmetic concerns and the potential
for strabismus, especially involving vertical eye movements.6,, 7
Plagiocephaly may be morphometrically evident in as many as 14 % of adults, but it is rarely
Plagiocephaly may be morphometrically evident in as many as 14 % of adults, but it is rarely recognized.8
In ∼ 10 % of affected infants with
plagiocephaly, there will be a permanent deformity with a mild to severe cosmetic effect.5 Patients with moderate to severe asymmetry are often referred to a craniofacial center
for consideration of treatment.
If you've read CanDo Kiddo
for long, you know I LOVE activity gyms and frequently recommend strategic toy placement from them to help promote head turning in babies (to help prevent Flat Head Syndrome /
Plagiocephaly and Torticollis).
AND science shows that less daily time in baby equipment is better
for development and reduces baby's risks of Flat Head Syndrome / Positional
Plagiocephaly and Torticollis (neck tightness).
A low hanging mobile also encourages baby to change his head position - important
for preventing flat head syndrome (Positional
Plagiocephaly).
Babies with head - turning preferences are at VERY high risk
for head flattening - as high as 80 - 90 % of babies with Torticollis experience flattening on one side of the back of the head called
Plagiocephaly.
The medical term
for this condition is positional
plagiocephaly.
An in - depth look at treatment
for positional
plagiocephaly, brachycepahly, and scaphocephaly When is treatment most effective The effectiveness of treatment methods
for flat head syndromes such as
plagiocephaly, brachycephaly and scaphocephaly vary based on the age of the baby and the severity of the deformity.
For this reason, it's especially important that babies with severe
plagiocephaly begin treatment as early as possible.
Digital Surface Imaging (DSi) is a state - of - the - art imaging system developed by Cranial Technologies specifically
for infants with
plagiocephaly.
To help determine if your child also has
plagiocephaly or brachycephaly, we encourage you to visit a Cranial Technologies Clinic
for a free consultation and digital imaging to assess your child's head shape.
The recommended treatment
for unresolved
plagiocephaly is cranial helmet therapy.
Flat heads, or
plagiocephaly / brachycephaly, are often caused from laying on one side of the head during sleep,
for prolonged periods of time.
Not only is spending most of the day flat on your back bad
for your hips but infants who lie frequently on their backs in a stroller may end up with
plagiocephaly (deformed skulls, flattened on the back or side) and deformed bodies with poor muscle tone (Bonnet, 1998).
The DOC Band is a proven
plagiocephaly treatment
for babies ages 3 to 18 months of age.
This organic cotton pillow is a safe option
for baby and will help babies with
plagiocephaly to start to sleep centered instead of on one side.
Dr. Hazelbaker discusses the causes of the condition, explains the assessment process and presents multiple therapeutic strategies
for resolving
plagiocephaly derived breastfeeding problems in infants.
If infants are placed on the back
for a long time in the same position, it could lead to «positional
plagiocephaly», a case of flattened or misshapen head and «brachycephaly», the flattening of the back of the skull.
BabyMoon Pillow Review —
for Flat Head Syndrome and Neck Support I used this pillow
for my son who was diagnosed with
plagiocephaly and brachycephaly, as part of his repositioning therapy.
Wesley also wore a cranial helmet
for five months to treat his positional
plagiocephaly.