TTMA flat spots/helmets

[piccyami]

I feel like this has been discussed here recently, but I didn't find it.

I've just recently noticed that Z's head is lopsided along with having a flat spot. We don't have another appointment scheduled until February. I'm calling on Monday to ask about her yeast issue. Is this summering I should bring up when I call or should I just wait for their next appointment? Their pediatrician didn't say anything last week, so I'm guessing that it isn't really that bad and I'm just noticing it more because I'm her mom.

[richzep]

Doesn't hurt to bring it up. In the meantime, don't put her on her back at all during wake times. Tummy time, carry her, etc. If she has to be on her back, put her head on a Boppin Noggin. Or something similar. Limit car seat time. Do neck exercises to ensure she doesn't have tort (can move her neck both ways). If you don't notice improvements, then call doc.
I began to notice the flatness around 2 months. Told doc at 3 month appointment. Did all of the above plus physical therapy and for some reason there wasn't much of a change. At 4 months a helmet was recommended and he had it from months 5-7. But something tells me if I were patient enough, over time it would have rounded itself out doing everything I was doing. It just depends on how severe it is. You can get a free evaluation. Ours was in the almost severe range.

[bocaburger]

Both babies had torticollis and flat spots. We made a point of turning their heads the other way when they were on their backs, and the pediatrician showed us some neck stretches to do during diaper changes. There is a hat called a tortle you could try but we didn't find it particularly helpful.

As they got older and head/neck control improved it mostly resolved on its own. At our 4 month appointment the pediatrician was very happy with our progress.

[nerdykitten]

Damian went through PT for his torticollis and flat spot and it did not improve his flat spot at all, just his range of motion. They won't even recommend a helmet until 5 to 6 months so exercises until then are key if it is torticollis related. If you are uncomfortable about the exercises make an appointment with the Ped to be shown how to do them or for a referral to PT.

[piccyami]

Sorry for the post and run. Things got interesting shortly after that post. Thanks everyone. Z definitely has a preference on which direction she turns her head and I'll definitely bring it up when I call the pediatrician.

[fightersince83]

I would bring it up. A mommy friend of mine had noticed some
Ridges on her baby's head. She brought it up to the Dr.s and it turned out he had craniostenosis (the plates of the skull fuse prematurely). If they hadn't caught it it could potentially cause developmental delays and cognitive deficits since the brain doesn't have enough room to expand. Luckily, they did the surgery & he wore a helmet for a while after. He's doing great and meeting all milestones now

[schmella]

So sorry I meant to respond but it slipped my mind until I saw this again this morning. First of all, I learned with our first pediatrician to never assume they will ask all the right questions. Of course you notice more because you're his mom, but that doesn't make it an over reaction. I would definitely bring up your concerns on the phone as soon as possible, and if you're going in for something else anyway, make sure they take a look.

Here's why: we switched pediatricians for a myriad of reasons. When we got to our new one (whom I ADORE), she took one look at my kids and said A would probably need a helmet but that W's flat spot would resolve with more tummy time & some exercises. They were 4 months old and we made an appointment to look at it again in a month because insurance would require that we were counseled on PT and it wasn't working before she could send us for a helmet.
It took 2 months to get him a helmet- he was 5m adjusted. The earliest they will put a helmet on a baby is 4m adjusted, and the rate of growth between 4 and 6m is huge, which means less helmet time. So had we gotten it on him at 4m adjusted, it would have cut at least 1m off his total helmet time, possibly more because that month before the helmet it got worse. He ended up with 2 helmets over the course of 7m- in his case, I think we still would have run 7m but would have ended up with better results.

TLDR; Get your concerns on the books asap- the worst that could happen is you don't need it, but small delays on the front end can turn into big delays in the end.

FWIW, A had a mild case of tort but his head shape and tort had a huge in utero component- poor kid spent most of his time pressed against my pelvic bones. PT made very little improvement in his head shape although it definitely fixed his tort. By the time we made it to Cranial Tech he was considered a severe case of plagiocephaly

[schmella]

Oh also- sometimes its the location of the flat spot that makes a helmet the more effective option, and makes medical intervention more.... desirable? A's forehead was starting to bulge on one side, his ears were misaligned, one eye appeared larger than the other, and one cheek was fuller... All of that sounds cosmetic, but things that were brought up to us were his likely need for glasses (MH and I both have terrible vision) and adjustments needed to make them fit, helmet fit and discomfort (Kids already hate helmets, making them uncomfortable isn't going to help me) and just general cruelty of other kids. He's already a short kid with a tall twin sister who is blasting through milestones, we just didn't want to add to the list, ya know?

IDK, You do what you hope is right for your kids. My SIL agonized over a helmet and felt like it was a reflection on her parenting and its not. They don't notice it. It doesn't hurt them. A actually used his to facilitate walking and whatnot, and it definitely protected him from his sister in the early days!