An infant or a toddler is at the risk
of positional Plagiocephaly when he sleeps on the back or sits in a car seat for extended periods of time.
More rarely, babies develop
positional plagiocephaly when movement in the uterus is constricted for some reason — because their mother is carrying more than one baby, for example.
Although many infants
develop positional plagiocephaly because they simply prefer to lie in one position all of the time, others have this problem because they have limited neck motion and can't help laying in the same position.
The majority of
positional plagiocephaly cases are «generally benign, reversible anomalies» that are fixed with repositioning, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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).
The most common type of plagiocephaly is
positional plagiocephaly which occurs when a baby's head develops a flat spot in an area which receives constant pressure.
If your doctor believes your child may have
positional plagiocephaly then there are some steps you can do to correct mild forms of this condition.
The first one comes highly recommended.The Babymoon Pod is one of the most prescribed baby flat head pillow as therapy in
addressing positional plagiocephaly or flat head syndrome — not just by professionals but by Moms, too!
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.
Tummy time is also known to help
prevent positional plagiocephaly (flat head) which often results from too much time on the back, with the head against hard surfaces like the floor or car seats.
Although there are no data to make specific recommendations as to how often and how long it should be undertaken, supervised, awake tummy time is recommended on a daily basis, beginning as early as possible, to promote motor development, facilitate development of the upper body muscles, and minimize the risk of positional plagiocephaly.88
Complete information about preventing and treating flat head syndrome
including positional plagiocephaly, brachycephaly, and torticollis can be found in our ebook, «The Complete Guide to Flat Head Syndrome in Infants».
But if a baby develops a lasting flat spot, either on one side or the back of the head, it could be flat head syndrome, also
called positional plagiocephaly (pu - ZI - shu - nul play - jee - oh - SEF - uh - lee).
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.
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).
The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that daily tummy time can help avoid the development
of positional plagiocephaly or a flat head and also «enhance motor development.»
Unfortunately, babies who spend too much time on their backs, especially if they are usually in the same position, can
develop positional plagiocephaly, or a flat head.
Some parents might worry about «flat head syndrome» (
positional plagiocephaly).
For a young baby to have a flat spot on his head is called
positional plagiocephaly.
This has led to a significant increase in developmental and cognitive delays,
positional plagiocephaly and positional brachycephaly.
Flat Head Syndrome (
positional plagiocephaly) is usually easy to notice as the back of the head known as the occiput will be flattened on one side.
Positional plagiocephaly can cause the back of the child's head or one side to flatten and only a small amount of hair to grow in the affected area.
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.
This condition is called flat head syndrome (or
positional plagiocephaly).
See our guide to
positional plagiocephaly for more tips and advice on helping your baby grow out of positional plagiocephaly.
If
the positional plagiocephaly is diagnosed earlier and it is started with the helmet therapy, you will need shorter time to get the results.
Even with all my knowledge of how developmentally unhelpful car seat positioning is, how sleeping in a car seat can be a SIDS risk and how the overuse of car seats can contribute to Flat Head Syndrome (
Positional Plagiocephaly) and neck tightness (Torticollis), I knew that as an exhausted new parent it would be far too easy for me to let perceived convenience rule the day.
It's proven that it has contributed to more cases of
positional plagiocephaly.
Positional Plagiocephaly (PP), which includes flat head syndrome, is a condition in babies whereby their heads develop an abnormal shape usually due to external pressure, often related to the position that they sleep in.
If a doctor determines that your baby has
positional plagiocephaly, his recommendations will depend on your baby's age and the severity of the condition.
The most common form is
positional plagiocephaly.
But if your baby's head hasn't rounded out by age 6 weeks — or if you first notice that your baby has a flat spot on her skull after 6 weeks of age — it's probably a case of
positional plagiocephaly.
Positional plagiocephaly.
This is called
positional plagiocephaly.
Although often temporary, this condition, called
positional plagiocephaly can often be prevented and treated by helping your child spend less time in the same position on her back and more time on her tummy when she is awake.