Why Do Some Babies Wear Helmets on Their Heads
Parents naturally start to worry if a flat spot began forming on the back of your baby's caput. It can exist scary not knowing if it will go away. Since 47% of infants accept some sort of flat spot, and 1 in 10 needing handling, yous're not alone. Your pediatrician may recommend a helmet for your baby to wear to aid gently mold their skull back into a circular shape.
What causes a flat spot on my baby'south head?
Many parents who find out their infant needs a helmet showtime to blame themselves. Yous might even wonder if pesky flat spots — which are technically referred to as plagiocephaly — could have been avoided. The truth is, most babies don't have perfectly shaped heads. In fact, nearly adults don't have perfectly shaped heads either. Small apartment spots and lumps are normal. When your infant has a large apartment spot on their skull, it's most often a result of birth — your babe's skull may take become unevenly shaped while passing through the birth canal — or because they regularly lay flat on their back.
Your infant'southward skull is malleable, which means the skull bones move more than easily than they exercise in adulthood. This allows your infant's head to move through the birth culvert, and for their brain to grow during infancy. But it as well means constant force per unit area to the back or side of the head can cause permanent malformation if information technology'southward not corrected.
When does my babe need a helmet?
The shape of your baby's caput usually won't cause brain damage or other developmental issues. In fact, near insurances and doctors consider a flat spot to be a cosmetic problem. So how practice you know if y'all need to get a helmet for your infant?
Your doctor will check your baby's head size and shape at each well-child visit. These visits happen well-nigh every 2 months during infancy. If your baby has a large flat spot that isn't getting improve past almost iv months of age, your medico may prescribe a helmet. For a helmet to be effective, treatment should brainstorm between 4 and 6 months of age. This will permit for the helmet to gently shape your babe's skull every bit they grow. Treatment is mostly considered ineffective subsequently historic period 1 considering the skull has started to fuse together.
What does wearing a helmet involve?
Correcting positional plagiocephaly with a helmet isn't for the faint of middle. You need to go along the helmet on your babe for 23 hours a day during handling. Most of the time, helmets are worn for several months. Your kid's helmet will accept to exist adjusted regularly, sometime weekly, to keep upward with their growth and irresolute head shape. Considering insurance doesn't always encompass a helmet, it can be expensive to purchase and adapt a helmet regularly.
Other treatment options for positional plagiocephaly
Some research has shown that simple repositioning techniques may be but as effective as wearing a molded helmet. Your doctor may also propose concrete or occupational therapy to correct whatever additional problems like infant torticollis, which involves a twisted cervix. These techniques can help you reposition your baby and give their skull the opportunity to correct flat spots on their ain:
- Make tummy time a priority. Under supervision, place your infant on his tummy every 24-hour interval. This gives the back of your child's head a pause and helps your child strengthen his neck muscles.
- Cuddle. Belongings your baby isn't just great bonding time. Information technology also relieves pressure on the dorsum of your child's head that happens naturally as your baby sits in a machine seat, swing, or carrier.
- Modify things up. Endeavour placing your infant in positions that will force him to turn away from the flat spot on his head. Breastfeed from both sides. Put him down in his crib in different positions so he'll take to plough to see you. You tin likewise try moving his crib occasionally so no one spot on his head gets overused or flattened.
In virtually cases, your baby's caput shape will resolve on its own. Given time and a piffling endeavour, your infant's head volition abound and return to normal equally they begin moving and doing more. Wearing a helmet is also a good manner to correct big malformation or apartment spots on your infant'south caput. Ask your medico if your baby needs a helmet and what you can do to correct his apartment spot.
Source: https://intermountainhealthcare.org/blogs/topics/pediatrics/2018/04/what-is-positional-plagiocephaly/
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