Prone to turning head to the right

One of my kiddos always turns his head to the right so much so that his head is almost flat on the right side. I've tried persuading him to turn it to the left when sleeping and I'll always leave the room with his head to the left after I put him down, but when he wakes up his head is turned to the right. I've also started feeding him so he has to turn his head to the left to get the bottle.

Is it normal for babies to have a preference on which way they turn their heads?

Is there any way to keep him from always turning his head to the right?

Are there any long term effects stemming from this habit? Will his head always be misshapen?

 

He may have torticollis. Torticollis is when babies have a shortened neck muscle due to how they were positioned in the uterus. With twins it is mostly baby a. Often times, this gets corrected on its own by the way the baby moves their head but often times they may need physical therapy. I was familiar with it since my nephew had it so when my son was 6 weeks, we noticed his head was often tilted and then at 8 weeks we realized it was pretty severe. I took him to the ped. who said physical therapy is often suggeted at 4 months if it has not corrected itself on its own but my sons was more severe so he sarted pt at 8 weeks. The pt massages that muscle out and does stretches with them to lengthen that muscle. Also, you are given excersices to do at home.

WIth tort. babies often get a flat spot on their head which can lead to the need for a helmet. This is obviously not a life threatening issue but at the same time needs to be treated sooner then later. Pediatricians sometimes miss this diagnoses and unfortuanately, time goes by where tretment could have been started.


I would call your ped today so they can see what you are referring to. Tell them you dont want time to go by. Maybe they can give you a referral for a pt evaluation. In the meantime, you can switch sides your baby is sleeping on by using a sleep positioner. Also continue to feed him so that he has to turn his head the opposite way. Let me know if you have any questions.

Edited to add...I just noticed you were from chicago. I am from the south suburbs.

 

My ds did the same thing. I was told by my ped to keep turning it straight - so I would turn it at night or when he was laying on the ground playing. If I had to prop something on the side to keep him from turning, I would do that. He outgrew it and has no problems. Just correct it when you see it - he will be fine. Its just that the muscle needs to be adjusted - nothing to worry about.

 

Nicole hit on the major points. Definitely talk to your ped about your concerns and see if some exercises would be helpful. 4 months is generally the time when the decision can be made about head shape issues but generally you can start right away with some exercises to stretch the neck muscles.

I honestly don't think there is anyway to make them face one way or another but there are some things you could try like rotating his position in his crib and also moving anything he might look at to try to get him to look the other way, make sure his position in the car is so that if he likes to look out the window his head is not resting on the flat spot. Also, I know you will probably laugh at me because he most likely isn't too keen on tummy time but if you can try it a little bit it would probably be helpful. Remember, tummy time can even be him laying tummy down on your chest which alot of babies tend to enjoy.

I would say to just keep on top of this and keep working with your ped. If at 4 months you are not getting the desired reaction then you could potentially seek out a specialist to ensure everything is ok but for now, positioning and exercises are probably your best bet!

 

Please talk to your doc now. I waited until 4 months and now it's a real concern.

 

QUOTE(CHJH @ Jul 9 2007, 11:06 AM) [snapback]322889[/snapback]
Please talk to your doc now. I waited until 4 months and now it's a real concern.

For neck muscle exercises or head shape concerns? I have never heard of anyone addressing head shape prior to 4 months, I would be very interested to learn more about it if you are saying there is medical treatment for head shape prior to 4 months.

 

I noticed at 2 months that mine had a strong preference for the right side and would look at a blank wall if it meant they were comfortable. It made me very frustrated when people would say, "Just move them around in their cribs." None of that repositioning stuff works when they have a physical issue. Anyway, I was pretty aggressive with the stretching exercises and even changed how I carried them so gravity and their big noggins would help stretch those necks. At 7 months, they both got helmets and had them off at 14 months. They no longer have any hint of the neck issues and their heads are not noticeably skewed anymore.

I don't think there is any reason to wait on bringing this up with your pediatrician. I started with repositioning at 2 months and then stretching exercises at 4 months.

 

I would definitely call and get him in to see ped asap the sooner you can start working on it the better. it sounds like you are doing the right thing by trying to correct but it may take more than that if he does have torticollis. DS has it too and we see PT every other week since 2 mo and still he favors right side and has slight flattening of his head. There are also head positioners that you can buy to help keep his head straight. also I would start actively doing tummy time when he is awake as long as he can stand it, maybe 5 minutes at a time several times a day and work up the time as he is able to tolerate it. lots of babies hate tummy time but it is so important to prevent the head from flattening and gain upper body strength to control neck and shoulder muscles. here is a link someone provided to me on TS when I posted about my DS torticollis

http://www.amazon.com/The-Boppy-Company-13...6707&sr=1-1

Alyson

 

My little one Sarah did the same thing. She favored her R side very much. I am fortunate enough to work for a Physical Therapy Company & have many friends that are PT's. I had noticed Sarah doing this, but just thought that was the way she was in my belly & it wasn't a big deal. My friend Veerle (PT) came over to my house one evening & was helping with bathtime. SHe had Sarah on a blanket playing with her & noticed that the muscle on the R side was shortening due to her favoring the R. So she showed me some stretches to do. I also would prop up rec blankets & would use neck supports to keep her from turning to the R as mush as possible. Fortunately she is fine now. I just took her back in last week to have one of our PT's check her neck.

I would definetly call your PED now & see about just having a consult with a PT. If it's not severe, she will likely only need one appt. They will evaluate her, stretch her out, & show you stretches to do. If you wait & it becomes severe, it is very uncomfortable for the baby. Sarah wasn't severe, but when I would stretch her, she would get so mad! So I would definetly not let it go.

If you have any questions, please let me know.
Jessica

 

My guys did this as well. We ended up having to put something beside their head (rolled up towel or washcloth) to keep them from turning their head that way. Once they get a little more head control it will be better.

 

Had the same problem, used the Neck Noggin by Boppy in the crib, carriage and car seat and the results are definitely good.

 

I noticed the same thing with my DD (and she was twin B). The ped said we would re-evaluate at 4 months. But there were a couple of things my ped checked for at 2 months. One was to make sure that the skull hadn't fused together prematurely and that the soft spot on top of the head was still there. They say sometimes the flattened head can be a sign that that happened too soon. With my daughter, she was fine, and that was not an issue. She also checked by turning her head for one side to the other for torticollus, and my DD didn't have any issues with that, she just basically preferred her head to one side. Since that appt, me and DH have been been making a point of moving her head to the other side all the time ... and now she actually prefers her head on the other side! and the shape is already becoming more rounded. I would go see your Ped so they can rule out some of the other issues, but at least my ped was hesitant to suggest a helmet. She said that usually the misshapen head just fixes on it's own when the child gets older and spends more time sitting up.

Good luck!
erica

 

We are doing p/t for the torticollis too for both boys. Our Ped was also not concerned about the shape of the heads. She said that as thir brain and head grows it usually straightens out. It is something we are keeping an eye on though.
I noticed after the first p/t visit there was improvement but its been 2 weeks since and we were not instructed to do stretching other than letting their head drop to the opposite side. We are to feed on the opposite side, tummy time, and try laying them on their sides for naps.
Everyone will have different outcomes so just use your judgement.

 

QUOTE
"Just move them around in their cribs."
sorry that I said something that frustates you. Not every flat head is caused by physical issues.................please keep in mind that people most likely recommend these things because they worked for them not because they want to upset you. None of the positioning techniques worked for me but just because they didn't work for us doesn't mean they won't work for someone who might be reading this.

 

QUOTE(Dianne @ Jul 9 2007, 11:16 AM) [snapback]322903[/snapback]
For neck muscle exercises or head shape concerns? I have never heard of anyone addressing head shape prior to 4 months, I would be very interested to learn more about it if you are saying there is medical treatment for head shape prior to 4 months.


Well, I just feel like an idiot because I didn't realize the seriousness of Evan's preference for turning his head to the right. Both of my boys have some flat head but Evan's has resulted in misalignment of the ears. My new pedi (much better than my old doc who told me it was no big deal) thinks he has torticollis and has sent in a referral for physio at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto. I just feel so bad about my boys both having flat head. I swear I don't leave them to lay on their backs all the time, it's just that they have such a strong preference for turning to one side (maybe they got used to that when they were cramped in utero?). I set my alarm to reposition them throughout the night (so much for sleeping through the night!) and I try to push the tummy time (which Evan hates). When I do put them down I try to vary where I put them - bouncy seats, on boppy pillows, etc. Also because Evan was constantly laying with his head turned to one side his ear is a little stuck out on that side (because his ear kept being folded over) so now we are taping it down at night. I know this is all cosmetic, but I just want them to be the best they can be.

 

Are you seeing someone about the flattening and misalignment in addition to the potential tort? The fact you mention the misalignment makes me think you might need some medical assistance to correct that. If the flatness is just in the back it can often times correct with positioning but if there is facial misalignment (ears, eyes, mouth) then it usually takes more than positioning alone. Have you looked at his face in a mirror to check for any other misalignments?