Flat Head of the Newborn: Causes and Remedies
Index
- BABY'S FLAT HEAD: WHAT IT IS
- HOW MANY CHILDREN DEVELOP IT
- CAUSES
- THE 3 TYPES OF FLATHEAD
- POSITIONAL PLAGIOCEPHALY
- POSITIONAL BRACHYCEPHALY
- POSITIONAL DOLICHOCEPHALY
- NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES
- HOW TO PREVENT a newborn baby's flat head
- HOW TO RESOLVE A NEWBORN'S FLAT HEAD
- How to tell if your newborn has a flat head
- Up to what age can a baby's flat head be resolved
- Do the plagiocephaly pillow and the flat head pillow work?
- TESTIMONIES OF Parents who have solved flatheadedness
1. Newborn baby's flat head: what it is
The term Flathead is vulgarly used to refer to all what, in medical jargon, are called Positional cranial deformities.
If at first glance this term seems difficult, in reality is very simple.
The term cranial deformities It simply implies that the shape of the head is altered and worsened compared to its normal condition.
The term positional indicates that this change in shape is due to a incorrect position of the head, maintained for too long in the first months of an infant's life, a period when the head grows rapidly but is very mouldable.
Depending on the type of incorrect posture, three different types of flat head occur: positional plagiocephaly, positional brachycephaly e positional dolichocephaly.
On this page I explain what they are, why they are created, how to prevent them and how to treat them effectively.
If you wish make an appointment, you can contact me here.
If you live far from Monza, I have created two video courses parents:
2. How many children develop a flat head
The flat head is one of the most widespread problems of the newborn child and develops in the first 2-4 months of lifeperiod when the head is most mouldable and grows quickly.
This issue is so widespread that theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics estimate that can affect up to 48 % of infants (i.e. one in two) and that the vast majority of parents are unaware of its existence. Many parents become aware of flat-headedness too late, i.e. when their child has already developed it
This will probably sound new to you, but I can assure you that every parent has the power to effectively prevent flat-headedness in one's child if he or she puts all the correct postural recommendations into practice from the first weeks of life.
3. What are the causes of a newborn baby's flat head
Secondary positional cranial deformities (i.e. deformities that develop after the birth of the child and account for the vast majority of cases) are formed due to prolonged incorrect positioning of the child in the various media in which he or she spends the day during the first months of life.
The causes whereby a child maintains these incorrect postures and, as a result, develops a flat head, are essentially two:
- Incorrect postural attitudes unknowingly put into practice by parentsfor example, prolonged use of the bouncer or other common baby devices.
- AIncorrect postural attitudes practised by the child due to muscle contractures: for example, in the presence of a myogenic torticollis of the newborn.
In the very first months of life, the baby's little head is very mouldable and grows rapidly.
Therefore, if the child assumes incorrect positions and the parent does not noticeinevitably a flat head will develop.
Being uninformed about the risks of incorrect positioning of the newborn, the parent will only come to confront a specialist when the problem is obvious.
4. The 3 types of flathead
As mentioned above, there are 3 types of flathead (defined in medical terms as 'positional cranial deformities') which are created according to which part of the head rests against the different surfaces of baby devices.
The head part of the newborn which remains in contact with the surface flattens out and the skull deforms accordingly.
For this reason, many online searches are carried out with the vulgar terms ''squashed head'', ''crooked head'' or ''flattening of the infant's head''.
In the following paragraphs, we will delve into the three types of flathead one by one:
5. Positional plagiocephaly: what it is and why it develops
The Word plagiocephaly is derived from the union of two terms of Greek origin: 'plagios" (πλάγιος'), meaning 'oblique', and "chefale"(κεφαλή), meaning 'head'.
Thus, the literal meaning of plagiocephaly is "oblique head".
Together with brachycephaly, plagiocephaly represents one of the two causes of a more general condition known as flat head in the newborn o flat-head syndrome.
La plagiocephaly is a very common cranial abnormality in infants, characterised by a unilateral flattening of the occipito-parietal region of the cranial vault.
Plagiocephaly is formed because the child, when supine, always keeps the head turned to the same side.
As a result, in the long run, it is as if you spend twice as much time there: your head will inexorably tend to flatten right where it leans postero-laterally.
Plagiocephaly is more easily visible when observing the head from above: one notices that the rear profile of the head is not uniform but oblique, as the side of the head that is most in contact is flattened.
If the plagiocephaly worsens, the head deforms globally, assuming a shape that visually resembles the outline of a sort of parallelepiped (which is why the term plagiocephaly literally means 'oblique head').
Thus, the plagiocephalic form will also be visible on the sides of the head, on the face and forehead.
In fact, if the child develops a moderate or severe positional plagiocephaly, the head deforms globally and, looking at it from above, one can see that:
the rear profile of the head (occipital region) is not round but is flattened on the side of the plagiocephaly
the sides of the head are no longer symmetrical but follow the oblique lines of the parallelepiped
one ear (the one on the side of the plagiocephaly) will be more advanced than the other
one eye may be smaller and more closed than the other
the forehead, in a superior view, will be more advanced on one side (that of plagiocephaly) than the other
the cranial vault tilts on the side of the plagiocephaly and one can see, in a frontal view, how one side of the forehead (that of the plagiocephaly) is higher than the other.
6. Positional brachycephaly: what it is and why it develops
Brachycephaly is one of the types of positional cranial deformities most widespread but is often under-diagnosed.
The word brachycephaly is derived from the combination of two terms of Greek origin: brachyswhich means 'short, and chefalewhich means head.
Thus, the literal meaning of brachycephaly is, short headWe will soon understand why.
Brachycephaly is a positional head deformity characterised mainly by a rear flattening of the head, but not only.
In a side view, it presents itself with:
- absence of the classic rear curve of the head;
- head shorter than normal;
- head that often tends to have the back part higher than the forehead.
In a bird's-eye view, one observes:
- a shorter than normal head;
- a wider than normal head, especially at the rear.
Positional brachycephaly is created because the parentsunknowingly, commit certain postural errors including those of positioning the child for too much time in supine position (in the cot, pram, bouncer, pillows, etc.).
Unfortunately, in this position the child struggles to move the little head to the right or left, causing the back of the skull to gradually flatten.
7. Positional dolichocephaly: what it is and why it develops
The term 'dolichocephaly' is derived from the Greek words dolichoswhich means 'stretched', e kephaléwhich means 'head'.
The term dolichocephaly therefore refers to a conformation of the skull characterised by a longer head than normal, as well as tighter.
This positional cranial deformity is the least common, the least obvious and, consequently, the least known of the three existing types.
It occurs because the child, in supine position, turns its head 90° by leaning it sideways, or sleeps mainly on its side, causing the lateral flattening of the head.
8. The negative consequences of a newborn baby's flat head
The flat head of the newborn child and the consequent cranial deformities can have various negative consequenceswhich touch various aspects, psychological and health, of both parents and child
- Consequences for parental well-being: Incurring cranial deformities for a parent means, above all, coping with difficulties and possible feelings of guilt for allowing their child's head to be flattened and deformed, as well as the fear of not being able to completely resolve the flat head;
Consequences for the health of the newborn: an altered shape of the skull, face and the vital structures it contains (eyes, mouth, jaw, etc.) has raised many concerns about the visual development, mandibular asymmetries, scoliosis, postural changes and otitis media.
Furthermore, developing a flat head entails a aesthetic factor objectively negative for the infant.
9. How to prevent a flat head
The flat head of a newborn baby is caused by incorrect positioning unknowingly enacted by parents or the child itself in the first months of life; therefore, this issue would be completely preventable if parents were offered all the correct postural information and recommendations from birth.
In the course of my experience as a paediatric osteopath, I have found that following newborns from the earliest days and providing parents with simple postural recommendations from the very beginning was the best weapon for not developing any positional cranial deformities.
This is the origin of the online video course Bye Bye Flat Head, a 2-hour counselling divided into 35 chapters in which I accompany parents on their discovery of flat heads and reveal to them the most useful recommendations for preventing their appearance.
Mine mission is to give parents the opportunity to guide their child in a optimal growth from the very first days of life, thanks to the simple and effective recommendations that anyone can put into practice in one's daily lifefrom breastfeeding to sleeping, from carrying to playing with the baby and much more.
By listening to the advice in the video course, every mum and dad can prevent completely flat-headed and know what most parents still don't know.
This will allow you to avoid lengthy and expensive medical examinationsa lot of stress and above all to offer the best development to your child
Remember that: cure has a cost, prevention is priceless!
10. How to treat a newborn baby's flat head
If no one has informed you beforehand on how to avoid flat-headedness and your child has developed itdon't worry.
I help dozens of parents every month to successfully resolve these issues and I can help you too, receiving you in my studio in Seregno (Monza and Brianza).
For parents who live far away, I have created a video course representing a practical guide in which I explain in detail all the types of flat-headedness, the postural errors that cause them, and above all I explain how to treat them in the best possible way and in the shortest possible time.
To cure a flat head is necessary:
- understand what type of flat head the newborn has developed, because each has different causes and cures;
- Explain to the parent what incorrect postures have led to their child's flat head;
- it must be explained to the parent how to resolve any muscular contractures and what to expect from the treatments of a paediatric osteopath;
- It is essential to explain to parents all the postural tricks to solve flat-headedness, including:
decrease time spent supine by your child in all devices;
avoid misuse of bouncers, baby carriers, pillows, etc.
how to hold the baby,
how to position the cradle,
how to position the infant's head during the night,
how to make the baby play on the play mat,
such as massaging the back and neck of the child to help him restore proper cervical mobility
many other important tips.
It is important to realise that a newborn baby's flat head, It does NOT cure itself over time.
Activate now and you will achieve the best possible results in the treatment of a flat head.
11. How to tell if the baby has a flat head
In this video I explain how to visually assess your baby's little head for understand whether he has developed a flat head.
Up to what age can a baby's flat head be resolved
To understand the answer to the question "up to what age do you correct an infant's flat head?" I must explain how much it grows the little head and how mouldable it is in the first months of life.
The baby's head originates approximately 35 cm in circumference in the male and 34 cm in circumference in the female.
In first 3 months the circumference increases by 6 cm.
From 3 to 6 months the head grows by 3 cm of circumference.
From 6 to 12 months the head grows by only 3 cm of circumference.
Another important factor to be known to understand up to what age you can solve flat-headedness is the Modelling cranial (how soft and mouldable the head is).
The baby's little head is extremely mouldable in the first month of life and also in the second.
Gradually, in the third and fourth months, it becomes less and less mouldable.
In the fifth and sixth months the little head is very little mouldable.
From the sixth month of life onwards, the head grows little and is less and less mouldable and ossified.
In the light of what has been said so far, we have realised that the sooner one starts the correct therapies to solve the le and the flat head, the better.
The results will be better and faster.
Now I will answer the question 'up to what age can one treat a flat head' more precisely.
The flat head of the newborn baby can be treated effectively and quickly at an age of between 0 and 3 months of age.
The flat head can be cured well with longer cure timesat an age between between 3 and 6 months old.
A flat head can be cured with long lead times at an age of between 6 and 12 months of the child's life.
After 12 months of life, the timeframe for improvement becomes exponentially longer, and one has to realise how much more improvement the head can make over the following years.
My advice is to do not wait one more day e activate now with the best care for it.
13. Does the plagiocephaly pillow work? Does the flat-head pillow work?
In this video I explain both why the plagiocephaly pillow or the flat head pillow is not only useless to prevent and/or treat flat-headedness, but also dangerous for the health of your child.
The pillow for plagiocephaly, being concave e envelopingIt restricts the movement of the child's neck and increases the support surface of the head, reasons why the pillow increases the risk of flatten the infant's head (as well as increasing the risk of choking and Syndrome of cot death of the newborn).
In addition, using the flat head pillow without practising postural precautions will cause the head to continue to worsen.
14. Parents' testimonies on plagiocephaly and flat head
After theory comes practice.
That is why theoretical explanations must be matched by real therapeutic successes.
Read more about 260 Google reviews checked at 5 stars on my profile. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Elisa, Nora's mother
Valentina and Sajeev, parents of Kaylash
Francesca and Fabio, Federico's parents
The experience with Matteo was positive in every respect, in just a few sessions he managed to remedy a situation desperate for a stiff neck dour child, who was also cause of plagiocephaly and pain during lactationo. We went from 90% artificial breastfeeding to exclusive breastfeeding within a very short time. Our baby's little head became round again. In addition, the advice and subsequent sessions directed us correctly for motor and postural development and now at 6 months our little one crawls everywhere. We are glad we made that famous first appointment.
Silvia Villa, Matilde's mother
Seriousness and professionalism. I took my daughter for plagiocephaly and thanks to the assistance received, the problem was solved. Followed up at 100% with lots of useful tips and advice. I absolutely recommend it!!!
Gaia d'Abbundo
I had a very good time with Dr Matteo Silva who treated my son Tommaso to recover from a mild plagiocephaly at the age of three months. It was due to a possible wrong position of the baby's head during delivery.
Through a few massage sessions and by giving me the right advice to use at home to change his posture, the problem was solved.
I am very grateful for your help!
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