Flat head syndrome in babies, also known as positional plagiocephaly, is a syndrome that mainly occurs in newborns, and it does occur when a baby’s head develops a flat spot in the initial months of their life. During the initial phase after the baby’s birth, their skull is soft and the neck muscles are still weak hence this leads to their head resting on surfaces.
One main reason why flat head syndrome occurs in babies is when they frequently sleep or lie down in the same position. This ultimately leads to the development of a flat spot and hence flat head syndrome occurs. Babies are delicate when they are born and hence one main body part which needs utmost care is their skull. You need to take care to ensure that your baby doesn’t sleep in the same position for a long time to avoid flat head syndrome.
In This Article
- What is Plagiocephaly or Flat Head Syndrome in Babies?
- Causes of Flat Head Syndrome in Babies
- Symptoms of Plagiocephaly in Babies
- Treatment Options For a Flat-head Baby
- Can You Prevent Plagiocephaly?
- When Does Flat Head Syndrome in Babies go Away?
- When to Call The Doctor?
- FAQ’s
What is Plagiocephaly or Flat Head Syndrome in Babies?
The flat head syndrome, also known as plagiocephaly, is a syndrome that appears as a flattened surface on the back side of your baby’s head. Plagiocephaly disappears when your baby turns around 4 months old, and once your baby tends to sit and stand and even crawl.
Plagiocephaly can also occur in a month-old newborn. But it is a sign of relief for parents that plagiocephaly does not cause any kind of complication in your baby’s growth and development. This condition results in an asymmetrical look of your baby’s head. Some parents even say that their baby’s head looks like a parallelogram when observed from above.
Causes of Flat Head Syndrome in Babies
There are ample reasons why your newborn might develop flat head syndrome. The reasons can be bad sleeping positions, multiple births, premature births, etc. Sometimes, the flat head syndrome can also occur due to genetics, and if this is the case, this syndrome does not stay for longer and vanishes after a certain point of time.
Here are some of the common causes of flat head syndrome in babies.
1. Torticollis
Torticollis is a condition in which one of the neck muscles of the baby is either short or tight which compels the baby to keep its head in just one position. Keeping the head in one position would make it stiff and as the baby’s body parts are soft and tender initially, it takes the shape of whatever position your baby would be carrying themselves. As per some experts, about 85% of babies diagnosed with plagiocephaly are caused due to torticollis.
2. Convenience Devices
Convenience devices such as bouncy pillows, car seats, swings, etc. might sound like a comfortable thing for your baby but in reality, they can cause your baby difficulties such as plagiocephaly. These things lead your baby to a risk of developing flat head syndrome and if using this stuff becomes permanent, this can possess a high risk to your baby’s growth and development.
3. Bad Sleeping Position
When you are putting your baby to sleep in the same position each day, this can ultimately put consistent pressure on the same part of the skull, and this can result in positional plagiocephaly in your baby. It is essential to keep changing your baby’s sleeping position every time you put them to sleep. You as a parent must only ensure that your baby is sleeping in a comfortable position as they are unable to change their sleeping position on their own.
4. Premature Births
Although infants do have soft skulls which are quite normal but premature infants do have even more soft skills. Why? Because they are more underdeveloped than an average infant and that is why the condition of plagiocephaly is more common in premature newborns.
Another main reason why flat head syndrome is common in premature infants is that they spend more time in incubation rooms in the same position.
Symptoms of Plagiocephaly in Babies
Signs and symptoms of flat head syndrome vary according to the level of severity. Although the signs of a flat head in your baby will start appearing after several months you can see a glimpse of it when you are washing your baby’s head as the flat shape of the head is mostly visible.
Here are the other flat head syndrome symptoms in babies.
- The flattened surface on the front, back, and side of the baby’s head
- Visibility of bald spot in the affected area
- Misshapen shape of baby’s head
- Ears seem uneven; one side appears to be up and one appears to be down
- Head not growing properly
Treatment Options For a Flat-head Baby
Well, there are several treatment options available to treat flat head syndrome in babies. But the doctors will first examine your baby and check the severity of the case and then decide which treatment best suits the age of your baby.
1. Repositional Therapy
Repositional therapy is recommended by doctors for infants who are young and have mild symptoms. Cranial orthotic therapy might be needed for other infants in which they are required to wear headbands or a helmet as per the prescription.
2. Exercises
Exercising is the best way to curb the flat head syndrome in your baby. Doctors would recommend stretching exercises first before prescribing any other treatment. Because exercising would increase the range of motion of their neck. But do not try stretching exercises with your baby without a doctor’s approval.
3. Surgery
Surgery is not needed in the cases of positional plagiocephaly, but it is mostly recommended in congenital plagiocephaly when the sutures have been closed and the skull pressure needs to be released.
Can You Prevent Plagiocephaly?
No, you won’t be able to prevent all the cases of plagiocephaly. However, you can do a few things so that the risks of positioning plagiocephaly can be reduced. Read more to know about it
- Keep changing the sleeping position of your baby, otherwise, it can put a consistent load on one side of your baby’s neck.
- Hold your baby in your arms, if you can, rather than making them sit in a car seat, pram, or even laying them down.
- Do not feed your baby in only one position. Keep changing feeding positions frequently.
- Keep your baby engaged in different activities such as crawling, and games which keep their head stable.
When Does Flat Head Syndrome in Babies go Away?
Flat head syndrome or plagiocephaly occurs mostly between the age of 6 weeks to 2 months old babies and in most cases get cured by the time the baby crosses 2 months of age. It is very important to take good care of your infant during this phase and ensure that your baby is changing head position frequently. The flat head syndrome does not cause any risk to your baby. It gets cured by taking prescribed medications without harming your baby.
When to Call The Doctor?
As soon as you recognize the signs and symptoms of plagiocephaly, you should take your baby to the doctor to seek help. The earlier you take professional help, the sooner your baby will start feeling fine and the risks would be reduced. Upon reaching the doctor, give them complete details about what you observed, what are the signs and symptoms occurring in your baby’s head, and the necessary treatment will be given to your baby to cure them.
Flat head syndrome in babies is not serious. It goes off as the baby grows. Once the baby is able to sit and crawl, they spend more time sitting, which will bring the head’s shape back to normal. In most cases, babies become normal by 2 months of age.
FAQ’s
1. Is Flat Head Syndrome Serious?
Flat head syndrome is not serious and will go off on its own in most cases by the time your baby is 2 months old. It does not affect the baby’s growth and development. You need not worry as long as your baby is meeting the expected milestones. Also, once your baby is able to sit, this syndrome will go off on its own.
2. When Should I Worry About my Baby’s Flat Head?
You may have to worry if the flat head doesn’t seem to go off even after 2 months of age. Your doctor may examine to make sure everything is fine, so ensure that you check with your doctor if this situation arises.
3. What Happens if a Baby Has Flat Head?
Flat head can lead to the face looking misshapen. The ears and eyes may look out of position too. But this will settle on its own once the baby sits for longer hours and starts crawling.
