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Help!...my 3 month old is getting a flat head
Added: 953 days ago.
Added by: luv4lukas
Section: General.
Status: This question is Closed. (Questions will be closed after 10 days.)


So they say to avoid SIDS, have your baby sleep on its backside... Well although it is FAAAARRRR better than putting the risk of SIDS on my son, I noticed he`s developing a flat-ish head. A few weeks ago he`s been sleeping on his side rather than back..but I`m just affraid that it will not correct itself overtime. Does anyone have any advice or tips? I just want to make sure I`m doing the right thing and don`t wait til its too late to fix.

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2LoveAndBLoved - 951 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) My DD had a developed a flat spot. I tried everything to try to correct her sleep position. If you think you can't try anything else and you are worried about it - please ask your pediatrician about helmets! At 9 months, we got DD fitted for a helmet. (This is a little late...optimal time is between 4 and 6 months - when the head is growing the fastest.) The process for fitting was super easy. She LOVED her helmet. ALL of the moms I've talked to about helemts said thier child liked the helmet, too. DD had to wear it 23 hours a day for about 3 months. But, if you have a special day or something, they don't need to wear the helmet. Her head started to improve right away and turned out pretty good. It would have been better if we started earlier. My insurance covered it but I don't know if all insurance would. The normal helmet time is 3-4 months. If anyone wants any more info on helmets, let me know!

*Jessica* - 952 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) this happend to one of my close friends son, he had to wear a helmet like 23 hours a day for like 6 months to fix it, it did fix it.

abbyquiet - 952 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) i remember when my son was real little, i kept thinking his head looked flat, it eventually corrected it's self, he's 18 months old and still sleeps on his back. i think he also enjoyed tummy time. idk. <3 your user pic of your little boy is adorable.

jensoon2bmomof3 - 952 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) With my children, I have always had them sleep on their sides. Alternating sides each night. My youngest son was stubborn and preferred to sleep on a particular side once he was able to turn over, so his head started to become flat on that side. We layed him on the other side as much as possible, but were unable to correct the problem all the way before it was too late. It isn't very noticeable, and as a matter of fact, I think that just me, my husband, and our doctor notice it. We talked about our options of a helmet, or just letting it be, and the dr. said that he wasn't at any risk of it affecting his health, so I didn't bother putting my son through all the required scans and such to get one of those helmets. I think the most important thing to help correct this before it is too late is to encourage them to lay on their sides. If you don't feel comfortable leaving him to sleep on his side at night (I did) then you could always lay him on his side during the day when you are around to keep an eye on him.

jaydsmom - 952 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) Sleeping on his back is the best position. Just don't lay him down too much during the day. Make sure he doesn't spend hours on end in carseats, stollers, swings, bouncy chairs, etc. All the stuff that causes their weight to be on their heads. And yes, tummy time is important, even if for brief periods per day. Remember all babies develop at their own rate, and he may not roll over soon. Not all babies choose to sleep on their tummies either. I carried my son in an ergo baby carrier a lot, put him down when necessary and gave him tummy time.

nutnut - 952 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) i just put my daughter in those sleepers it kept her pretty much in one place so i could put her on her sides and alternate

xolblondieox - 952 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) I always side slept my babies in sleep positioners. I would rotate from left to right at each nap or bedtime. By 2 months they were belly sleepers anyways because they had such great head control. I would side sleep him. But as soon as he's able to roll over (which should be anyday now), he will most likely sleep on his belly - most do. Keep an eye on it because you only have so much time to correct it. Once the skull fuses around 9 months - 1 year, that's it, it's over. There are special helmets that can be worn, but they are terrible and must be kept on 23 hours per day. Remember, he's a boy, and will likely always have short hair, thus making the spot more noticable then it would be on a girl. I would definitely consult my ped and start some different sleeping positions. The daytime tummy time is crap. I don't even know why they say that. Who can seriously get their kid on his tummy for playtime for HOURS per day?! And that's what it would take, HOURS, in order to counteract all of the hours of backside sleeping time. Act sooner rather than later, for his sake :-/

Bangel - 952 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) my LO was getting flat in the back at 2-3 months (enough that the doc noticed and didn't like it). Doc said more tummy time during the day, but that was near impossible since he hated tummy time then. But he started rolling onto his side to sleep at 3 months and then his belly not too long after, and his head corrected itself rather quickly. I couldn't keep him on his back to sleep unless I wanted to keep us up all night flipping him back over!