My buddy had a kid about 5 months ago. I saw it last week for the first time since it was in the hospital. Holding it, I noticed her head on the back was flat. Very noticably flat. Bringing it up to my buddy’s wife, her reply was that she was aware of it but the baby will only sleep on its back. I wasn’t going to press, but I have to admit it was a little disturbing. Will this condition hurt the baby eventually? Will it round out by itself?
My wife and I just had a baby about two months ago, before we had the baby we took a couple of those baby classes. One of the things they mention is that babies need ‘tummy time’ for exactly that reason. On their back to much and their heads flatten out on the back. Our baby’s head is somewhat flat on the back, but the doctors don’t seem to be concerned at this point. We give her more tummy time now, probably about 4+ hours a day. I believe my wife may have said that if it’s still like that at 1y she’s supposed to see a neurologist, but I could be wrong.
Here’s a couple of links that say it’s usually cosmetic and that it should go away within a year, tummy time is good, trying to get baby to sleep with it’s heat in different positions is good (ie with head to right one week and to the left another week), but really not to anything other then that without talking to a doctor first.
http://www.drgreene.com/21_1840.html
http://kidshealth.org/parent/newborn/problems/positional_plagiocephaly_p2.html
My son had a hard time turning his head to either side, so he slept on one side almost all the time. This was back in the day before tummy sleeping was considered dangerous.
His forehead protruded waaay out in the front and the side was flattened. I was horrified, but the doctor said it would even itself out and it did. Quite quickly, actually. After he was strong enough to turn himself back and forth, his head re-shaped itself. I wouldn’t worry about your friend’s baby’s head.
I saw a program about parents who put their toddler in a helmet to reshape his head. They wanted to prevent any teasing he would receive about his misshapen (read: flattened in back, probably would resolve on its own) head. Yeah, and that helmet will really win him cool points.
The bones in baby’s head are quite soft, with gaps between them, called fontanels. If this weren’t the case, vaginal births would be very difficult and possibly dangerous for the infant. Most vaginal birth babies have “bullet heads” for at least a day or two, sometimes longer. This, as well as any flattening from back sleeping goes away fairly fast once the baby can control his head. They should be able to lift their heads while on their tummies by about 2 months, give or take.
Babies’ heads are proportionally larger than adult’s. Their brains grow quickly, so they need the expansion room.
The anterior fontanel, is the most noticible, but there is at least one other, sometimes three. So, you can see how easily the shape can change, as long as parents are using a little common sense.
It’s not uncommon now that babies usually sleep on their backs. My niece was really flat, but she’s pretty normal-looking now (just turned two). Usually it goes away on its own, but a very few children have to wear some kind of headgear for a while. I’ve never actually seen that, though.
Of course, some folks just have oddly shaped heads.
Mrs. Butler has a flat spot on the top part of the back of her head. For it to be pressure induced, she’d need to sleep with her chin >>90degrees from her back.
The Butlerette (c-section birth) has the same spot, and has had it since birth.
I, however, have a perfectly shaped, normal sized head.
Mrs. Butler & the Butlerette have what I call the MMM (Massive Maidenname Mellon, same initial as her maiden & married name). Her family is not amused, even if it is true. 