When to Start Worrying About the Shape of Your Baby's Head

Tips Mar 21, 2018

Babies' head shape: What to know and when to worry

---

As a new parent, it'southward natural to feel that your baby is the almost perfect infant ever born. But even with the intensity of our "love goggles," parents will sometimes notice their baby's caput shape is uneven or has flat spots. In fact, one in three babies will have some kind of uneven shaping of the caput. Don't panic — virtually cases of an irregularly shaped skull volition resolve on their own in the first six months of life.

Why are babies' heads soft?

Babies' skulls are soft, with bones that move and two soft spots, called fontanels, where the skull basic haven't still grown together. At that place are skillful reasons babies' heads are malleable — it allows the head to movement through the nativity canal and makes room for a baby's growing encephalon during the first few months of life.

one

A misshapen head can be a result of a prolonged nascency, cramped quarters in the female parent's womb for twins or triplets, or birth complications.

Apartment spots or unevenness can also event from newborn babies resting their heads in the same position — called positional plagiocephaly. The status is not dangerous, but the earlier it's caught, the more easily it can be treated. A much less mutual but more serious crusade of uneven caput shape is craniosynostosis, in which the plates of a baby'due south skull fuse likewise presently. Craniosynostosis is treatable, but requires surgery.

Causes of positional plagiocephaly

Prematurity. Long periods of lying on their backs, combined with the fact that preemies' bones are softer than those of older babies, can crusade a infant's caput to become misshapen — frequently with a symmetrically flat dorsum of the caput combined with a wideness from side to side.

Preferred caput position. Some babies prefer sleeping with their heads turned in the aforementioned direction almost of the time. Consistent pressure on that part of the caput can mold the skull unevenly.

Tortocollis. Babies with this condition of tight or imbalanced cervix muscles ofttimes also accept a skull deformity.

Positional plagiocephaly usually becomes apparent between 2 and iv months of age. If defenseless early, information technology can oft exist reversed by some simple interventions at home. That's one reason it's and so important for babies to be seen regularly for wellness exams in the first year of life.

Preventing apartment spots

To prevent flat areas on the head or to help babies who show some signs of positional plagiocephaly, I recommend that parents:

• Avoid prolonged periods of fourth dimension in the car seat, infant swing or bouncy seat. Sometimes very "content" babies spend more time in places where their heads rest on a surface. Be enlightened of this and exist sure to vary their positions.
• Have regular "tummy time." Have your baby lie on their stomachs for a few minutes at a time and work up to an hour a day in shorter chunks. Babies don't normally similar tummy time at first, but stick with it!
• Alternate your infant's head position when holding, feeding and putting to slumber. You tin alternate putting baby to slumber on opposite ends of the crib in case they prefer looking in one direction, or put interesting things to look at outside both sides of the crib to encourage babies to turn their heads.
• E'er put your babe to sleep on a firm, flat surface.

Your pediatrician volition wait at your babe'southward head shape at every wellness checkup. If interventions don't resolve the issue, your medico may refer your babe for an evaluation and/or physical therapy. In a few cases, babies may do good from helmet therapy that gently corrects a infant'southward head shape over fourth dimension. The therapy is not painful or uncomfortable for your babe, though you will need to have baby refitted and the helmet adjusted frequently while their head grows.

Remember how quickly your baby changes and grows, encounter your doctor for regular wellness checkups and help babies vary their positions. If you lot have questions near your baby'due south head shape, talk to your pediatrician.

Children'south Wisconsin has more than 20 main care offices conveniently located throughout the Milwaukee area and southeast Wisconsin. Find a pediatrician virtually y'all.

morillovareat1954.blogspot.com

Source: https://childrenswi.org/newshub/stories/babies-head-shape-what-to-know-and-when-to-worry