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Why Does My Baby Need a Baby Head Support? How Will it Help Prevent Flat Head Syndrome? |
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 Babies, until they are around a year old, have fairly soft skulls. This is a period when particular attention needs to be paid to the shape of the baby’s head, as prolonged sleeping on the back or continual pressure from firm surfaces (cot mattresses, prams, car seats, play mats etc) can lead to Flat Head Syndrome.
While treating Flat Head Syndrome may not be very difficult if the condition is diagnosed early on, there are things that parents can do to help minimise the possibility of its occurrence. Of course, sometimes babies are born with slightly misshaped heads, but in most circumstances this is a self-correcting condition.
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Does a Head Support Really Help in Preventing Flat Head Syndrome? |
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 Whilst there is no randomised clinical trial that supports the fact that a flat head pillow can help prevent the occurrence of Flat Head Syndrome in a baby, there are an increasing number of people from the medical fraternity as well as parents and carers who vouch for the effectiveness of some of these pillows designed especially for babies less than 6 months old.
Flat Head Syndrome is now a common condition (up to 20% of babies) that can be fixed quite easily if it is addressed early enough (less than 4 months of age). Treatment could include simple re-positioning techniques coupled with the use of specially designed flat head pillows. Not only are these pillows known to help with treating the condition, but they are also looked upon as preventive aids, especially when used with babies less than 4 months old. If your baby is older than 6 months it is unlikely that these aids or techniques will be of benefit.
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How Can I Keep My Baby’s Head in the Perfect Shape In Order To Prevent Flat Head Syndrome Occurring to My Child? |
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 The first thing that you should know is that a baby can be born with a slightly deformed head due to the pressure being exerted on the undeveloped skull during birth. In most cases, these deformities disappear automatically within 4-6 weeks.
Post birth, there are an increasing number of cases where the external pressure that a baby’s skull receives from continual contact with firm surfaces like cot mattresses, prams, play mats, car seats etc, results in mis-shaped heads. Flat head syndrome most often occurs if a baby is prone to sleeping on his/her back with their head facing the same way or positioned in one particular direction most of the time.
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What Do I Need To Know To Find Out Whether My Baby Is Already Suffering From Flat Head Syndrome? |
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When a baby is born a fair amount of pressure is exerted on the skull, and since the skull isn’t completely developed yet, sometimes the head appears elongated, wide, or generally out of shape. This condition usually corrects itself with time (a few weeks or less).
On the other hand, if you continue to notice a flat spot in your baby’s head, it could be a sign of Flat Head Syndrome. This condition is caused when the baby continues to sleep in any one position for prolonged periods, or because of external pressure from firm surfaces of cots, prams, car seats, play mats, etc. The skull of a baby is rather soft for the first year or so and is prone to being easily moulded.
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What is Baby Flat-Head Syndrome? |
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 Flat Head Syndrome is a condition where a baby’s head develops a flat spot or becomes mis-shapen.
So why does this happen? A baby’s skull basically consists of independent bones which float freely, with sutures, which function as expandable joints, allowing the skull to mould and expand as required.
When repeated pressure is applied to a section of the back or side of the baby’s skull (the occiput), it can result in the irregular development of the skull’s structure. This pressure occurs due to long periods of contact with everyday firm surfaces such as cot mattresses, car seats or prams. When this external pressure leads to the formation of a mis-shaped head, the condition is diagnosed as Flat Head Syndrome. A child with Flat Head Syndrome can display the following attributes:
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