My 5 month old has a flat spot on his head

Sarah - posted on 08/28/2009

hey, we had a terrible flat head problem and almost got referred, we just slept him on his side, put something between him and the cot to stop him rolling over, like a long teddy or pillow, he was about 18weeks when the health visitor mentioned it, now at almost 9 months he is looking fine, so dont worry, it will pop out, just keep him on his side xxx

Teresa - posted on 08/28/2009

I have the same problem with my son he is now 18 weeks. He had a flat spot on his left side, favourite side for him to sleep. I used a sleeping wedge and laid him on the oppisite for a while and over time the flat spot has become less noticeable and appears to be returning to the norm

Amanda - posted on 08/28/2009

The term Heather is looking for is Torticollis, my son has it, we caught it before he developed any flat spots. The condition itself is caused when one of the muscles on the side of the neck is to tight and or short so it is more comfortable for the baby to lean his head to one side all the time, to the point that he will probably cry if you try to tilt his head to the other side, it would feel to you like his muscle is tensing up . Another sign is when you pick him up, facing you, does he always look in the same direction ONLY. Because of the muscle being tight it is uncomfortable also for them to look in a certain direction depending on which muscle is affected. He will sometimes look to the other direction but you will notice that his range of motion is differant, for example my sons left muscle is affected and when he looks to the right his range of motion is great but when he looks to the left he is not able to rotate his head as far around.

Torticollis is easily treated with physical therapy. However it is important that if you think that torticollis could be a possibility that you get it diagnosed and begin treatments immediatly. Left untreated past one year of age, physical therapy will no longer be affective since the muscles are pretty much "set" and surgery is the only way to fix it.

Most likely it is not torticollis but if you have noticed any of the signs you should take him to the dr. and have him checked.

Stacy - posted on 08/28/2009

All babies get them in different spots from where they lay on it.... I t will go away my kids are almost teenagers and I had same thing with all three,...

Heather - posted on 08/28/2009

It sounds like you are paying close attention and staying on top of this. I have not experienced this issue with any of my children, but have seen two different cases like this. One was a friends child, the other was a child I was providing daycare for.



My friend's child ended up being diagnosed with something(sorry, I can't remember the exact term) where some of the muscles in his neck was tightening and causing him to lay in the same position. This ended up giving him a 'flat' area on his head and started to cause slight distortion of facial feature. This was solved by wearing a special helmet for a certain period of time which relieved the neck muscles and the flat spot. He now is a rambunctious four year old and looks great!



The other situation I witnessed went unattended for too long, even after a gentle suggestion. This child eventually had a severe flat area and noticeable distortion of facial features(eyes were not aligned in same horizontal plane, forehead bulging). I do not think this will be at all the case with your child because you are aware of the situation and doing your best to deal with it.



My first thought is, that with your supervision, and constant change of position to keep him off the flat spot, he will be just fine in time. If too much time passes and it does not go away, or if it gets worse, just check back with the pediatrician to see if maybe your son might need the special helmet to correct this issue.

Leanne - posted on 08/28/2009

Yes, this is a fairly common problem. If the spot is small and mild, it will look less conspicuous as the child grows hair. If the spot is large and very pronounced, I have seen physicians use large foam "helmets" for want of a better word. This seems to correct the problem for most children before they are old enough to suffer any kind of social stigma.

Sandra - posted on 08/28/2009

Quoting Jackie:

My 5 month old has a flat spot on his head

My 21 week old son has a flat spot on the back right side of his head. His doctor says it's very mild, and should go away. He said to try and not lay him down unless he is sleeping or in his car seat. I have bought him several things that keep him sitting up, and it still doesn't seem to be getting any better. Has anyone had a similar problem?? If so, the outcome?

I had the same problem with my son when he was little. We would hold him and rub his head a little everyday. Eventually it rounded back out. It only took a couple of weeks. I would try it and see if it works for your son.

Hazel - posted on 08/28/2009

I would give the flat spot some more time.It takes some time as the head grows for the head to get in the right shape.

I'm not an expert or anything like that, I have had five children some of their heads had places that time healed.

If yours stay much longer. I would consider talking to another Doctor.I would lay mine on the other side, but of course the DR. should know. I hope you get the help you need.

September - posted on 08/28/2009

Our son had a simular problem but his was on his left side of his head. He preferred sleeping on his left side rather then his right. At his well baby check up early on we mentioned it to our doctor and she recommended turning his head to the opposite side once he had fallen asleep. We did and now at 10 months old his little head is perfect! I think that it's important to be sure that your baby is not always laying his head in the same position every time he lays. Good luck!

Shannon - posted on 08/28/2009

I've always been told that the skull is soft when the baby is first born and it's our job to help shape it. Try laying him on your lap on his back with his head cuffed in your hands. When he is sleeping don't lay him in the same position, try alternating from each side and on his back. I know a girl who always laid her son on his back because that's what the doctors say is best, and his whole back of his head is flat. Good luck.

Alison - posted on 08/28/2009

You can also take your baby to a specialist (physiotherapist, osteopath, chiropractor). They may have a different opinion from your doctor.

Marjorie - posted on 08/28/2009

I have heard about this and seen it in a few babies that I know. It is usually something that will go away in time - I'll bet he has a bald spot too - and this usually makes it more noticeable. There are some thing which you can put under baby's head when he is awake and laying around - but sometimes the best thing to do is let him rest on his belly. You can roll up a towel into a tube shape, prop his arms up on it it so that they are facing forward (in a superman like pose) with the towel at his armpits - this will help the bald spot and also help him develop (or further develop) his neck muscles. If he looks tired or is resting his head alot then take him off this and lie him on his tummy with his head to one side. http://tinyurl.com/pillowforbabywhenawak...

But remember the pillow is never to be used in his cot (crib) as it is a risk for suffocating, and lying him on his tummy is only ok if supervised and never in his cot.

I wouldn't worry too much - it is pretty common because of the recommendation to sleep on back to avoid cot death. So as your boy gets more active and moving around it should correct itself.

Erica - posted on 08/28/2009

yeah... the spot will just go away in time. the more babies sit up during the day and the less they nap, the more round their heads get... it's REALLY normal.

Jackie - posted on 08/28/2009

OMG yes! I got one a couple of months ago. They are amazing!

Jeanine - posted on 08/28/2009

I remember when our 1st daughter was in the NICU they told us that since they are born so early they have softer skulls and therefore should be turned each time they are put down in the crib not always the same side. I know for a while there she was left on one side mostly in the NICU so my husband and I took the initiative and rotated her position from left, back and then right sides to give a more even look. Not sure if it's the same situation but try that for a while before you notice a difference. Good luck! I am sure it's going to be fine.

Krista - posted on 08/28/2009

Babies have soft skulls until they are about a year old. If you find that he tends to lie in the smae position with pressure to that spot, you need to find a way to prevent that. A good remedy.....hold him as much as possible ;-)

Erica - posted on 08/28/2009

i had the same problem with my boys... i know it's not very encouraging, but it will go away.... have you gotten a bumbo seat?