When is it too late to correct flat head syndrome
How to Treat Babies with Flat Heads
my name is David Hong I'm a pediatric
neurosurgeon with Stanford Children's
Health so let's talk about flat heads
the babies are not sleeping one was
exclusively on their back to try to
reduce the incidence of sudden infant
death syndrome but unfortunately due to
the baby soft skulls we are seeing a
rise also in flattened heads so what do
you need to know will my baby still make
the honor roll well despite being flat
everything inside is normal their
development and learning potential are
all the same and not affected this makes
us primarily concerned about appearances
will they look like this forever most
babies will outgrow the flat spot as
they enter into their second year of
life they spend less and less time at
the back to their heads the growing
brain will be able to push out the flat
spot and this is also because of the
babies having this obstacle what can I
do as a parent the main goals are to try
to increase the time spent off their
flat spot and allow the brain to do the
work so you want to try to rearrange the
room change the diapers from a different
side slightly elevated one side of the
match's so their heads are turning away
from the flat spot to try to be creative
at home the neurosurgical professional
society is also recommending physical
therapy this allows baby to advance or
next drink a little bit faster and allow
them to get up a flat spot on their own
one other thing you can do is try to
pull the baby more in your arms this is
nice because this helps to create some
more bonding time within you and your
baby doesn't my baby need a helmet in
certain situations a helmet may be
necessary most of the time we like to
try to have you perform the recommended
actions before we get into considering a
helmet as that is usually the best
option when should I be concerned
persistent changes in the baby's
behavior progression of a head shake
despite making the recommended changes a
from injuries in the face or any other
concerns you have about your baby's
health and development I recommend you
contact your doctors so they can arrange
a visit with neurosurgery if they feel
that it is appropriate
