Preventing flat head

Blake's head is starting to get a little flat in one spot even though he is held a lot and has tummy time several x's a day, which he doesn't like. I saw Boppy Noggin' Nests online and wondered if any of you have tried them and if they really help. I was thinking of getting one to use in the swing and bouncy since he likes to nap there.

 

Thanks for posting this! I ordered it just now as my boy twin has a flat head that's driving me nuts.

 

I used a Noggin Nest with each of my boys for their swings and we did not have any flat head issues. But they also belly slept so they werent on their backs all night long. ardon:

 

We alternated bellies and sides so we didn't get flat heads but I'd order that FOR SURE to prevent flat heads if I had seen it! We didn't get flat heads here! Go for it and report back! What a great idea!! YAY! You should post a link in a new thread for other moms!

 

I ordered it, I'll let you know if it works.

 

Pink,

I saw that you already ordered the Noggin Nest, but I just wanted to let you know that one of my twins had a pretty bad flat spot on the side of her head and the Noggin Nest seemed to help quite a bit. We were pretty religious about having her use it when she was in the crib, playmat, swing, etc, and made sure to give her lots of tummy time, and after about 1.5 months the flat spot has improved quite a bit. It does say not to have your baby sleep on it, but we always did. We always had her swaddled so she couldn't move much, but now that we aren't swaddling anymore at night she pops off right away so we don't use it anymore at night.

Good luck!

 

oh man, I wish I had one of those for Alice.

My pediatrician said to me that she's starting to see a lot of children that have flat heads, not babies, but children. And Alice is one.

 

Both of my girls had flattened heads pretty bad, just escaped having to be put in helmets. We saw a doc pretty regularly for measurements, etc. and the first thing they said was to get rid of the swing and bouncy seats?? For what it's worth, we did and it helped. One of my girls was flat in the back and the other was on the side. Once they fell asleep in the swing and bouncy it was really difficult to get them in other positions. He told us to roll up a towel and pin it under the sheet of their crib (So it wouldn't move) and have them sleep on their sides (the side that isn't flattened). Luckily for us they both started rolling to their bellies to sleep at about 4 months so that helped tremendiously. After they did that we stopped positioning them and they still at 9 months perfer to be on their bellies to sleep. Just thought I'd share my experience. Good luck!!

Oh he also said limited time in the car seats. When you go in places to hold them or use one of those front carriers (obviously impossible with two )

 

I wish I knew about this before....my guys had flat spots on their heads but now that I'm waking up in the middle of the night to readjust their heads and now that they are sitting up more often and sitting in their entertainers, their heads are rounding out quite nicely. I was afraid that they were going to be flat for life, but not the case here.

However, I would have bought that right off the bat to prevent it.

 

One of my girls has torticollis (tilted neck) and positional plagiocephaly (flattened head on one side) as a result. We have been seeing a physiotherapist, and also have an appointment to see an orthotist at the local children's hospital. I think the research is mixed about whether the flat head will sort itself out with time and head growth, but there is also the option of getting a helmet. I have heard that the effectiveness of a helmet is dependent upon getting it early - between 4-6 months. Apparently a higher percentage of twins have this problem due to being squished or positioned oddly in utero (as mine were).

FYI, the physiotherapist also suggested keeping her out of the bouncy chair, exercauser, jolly jumper and car seat (so her head is not resting against anything)! Doesn't leave many options besides tummy time or holding her - yikes! We also bought a large yoga ball and do tummy time on that - rolling it back and forward slightly to help develop her neck muscles. She prefers it to tummy time on the floor, so that's good. I would recommend this option to people whose babies detest tummy time.

 

Update: We are only a week into using the noggin nest and I already see a difference! We've also been trying to put him into the baby bjorn whenever we can to keep the pressure off his head. Yipee!

 

Bumbos. I don't know if you can get them where you are, but if you can, get one. No place to rest the head, so they have to work on head/neck control.

Alice's head is still flat and I can tell the front of her face is affected by it, she will definitely need braces for her teeth. I can't put her hair in pigtails because you can definitely tell her head is flat on one side in the back.

 

My one twin was flatter at birth, his didn't round as much as I would have liked. At three months I finally put them on their bellies to sleep, and used the Pottery Barn Kids head support. I think the over all result was much better than it would have been if I wasn't proactive. http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/boppy-head-support/?pkey=bbaby-essentials

If you do consider belly sleeping, then add a fan in the room. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/childrens-health/articles/2008/10/06/bedroom-fan-cuts-sids-risk-by-72.html

 

Shoot for $15 bucks I'd try that, and I'm glad it's working for you!!

All my kids side slept and i alternated what side they slept on each time they woke to feed, so we managed to avoid the whole flat head scenario, but I'm glad you found something that's helping

 

We just started using it on Fridays I haven't noticed any improvement yet, but I have hope. His flat spot really isn't too bad. He sleeps with me and although I try to turn his head the opposite direction he always seems to turn it back the other way, little turd! I've been giving him lots of tummy time even though he hates it too. He has really good head/neck control, has pretty much since he was born, and he loves to be in sitting position so I would love to get him a bumbo. I'm looking for one at our local consignment shop.

 

We are working with a doula who swears by the noggin nest and she gave us two as gifts. She says she has all her babies use them. My two pretty much exclusively sleep in their swings at this point because of bad reflux but we always use the noggin nest in there. Their heads seem to be keeping their round shape so something must be working (or maybe it's too soon to tell). Probably with a little more time you'll notice a difference! I think for the $$, they are worth it.

 

I just got the noggin nest because Sam's head is getting very flat in the back. Since he doesn't sleep swaddled anymore, can he not sleep with this? He loves the floor mat and the bouncy seat, so at least I can use it with those. But, is it safe for him to sleep with this?

 

You aren't supposed to use it to sleep with, but I am doing it (bad mommy!).

 

I know! I noticed the sign to NOT sleep with it but I totally do! It doesn't make sense since they spend so many hours laying down sleeping and i think that is contributing to their flat head. Oh well, so far so good!

 

Ava had exactly the same thing and started going to physio at about 2.5 months old for it. The physiotherapists taught us some exercises to do at home to strengthen her neck and improve the flat spot. We continued to use bouncy seats, swings, car seats, etc. (don't see how an exersaucer could be a problem considering they should have good head/neck control by the time they start using that) and I am happy to say that last week was her last appointment. I have also heard different opinions as to whether the helmets actually work (i.e. not everyone will be a good candidate for the helmet) and our physiotherapists advised against getting one early in case things cleared up with regular exercises (and thankfully for us it did). They are also quite expensive and need to be refit often.

If you are finding tummy time difficult, try putting your baby down on your tummy and lower down as far as they are comfortable. This may be more comfortable for them than the floor. Also, try and persist with tummy time in short bursts - that's better than nothing. Good luck!

 

Thanks Jessica. This is good information. Also, if anyone is finding tummy time difficult, you can put your baby on her tummy on a boppy pillow. That helps them strengthen their neck muscles. My boys seem to like that a little better than being on the floor.