17 Mar Does your baby have a flat spot on their head because they are constantly lying with their head turned to one side

Does your baby have a flat spot on their head because they are constantly lying with their head turned to one side
Are you staying up all night turning their head to the opposite side, only to find that baby turns their head back to their preferred side in 5 mins

Positional plagiocephaly describes a flattened spot on an infant’s head. This can develop if a baby lies with their head in one position for long periods of time during the first months of life. Positional plagiocephaly is a relatively common condition, with an estimated prevalence between 10-30% of babies in Australia.

Here at My Favourite Physio, our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists see many babies with a flattened spot on one side of their head or the back of their head. Often times, parents would have been trying to correct baby’s head shape themselves without success.

Here are 3 Common Mistakes that parents make when trying to correct baby’s head shape:
1. Staying up all night turning baby’s head to the opposite side to prevent baby’s head shape from getting flatter. This does not work because baby will turn their head back to their preferred side within minutes. Parents end up frustrated and sleep derived, causing more distress within the family. 

2. Buying “Donut Pillows” to place under baby’s head or “Body Wedges” to keep baby on their side to stop them from lying on the flatten spot on their head. This is extremely dangerous as pillows increase the risk of SIDS – Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, in babies. None of the “Donut Pillows” actually work to keep baby off their flat spot on their head but could suffocate baby if the pillow slides off when baby turns their head back to their preferred side.

3. Parents wait and see, hoping for the flat spot to get better. This does not happen spontaneously. Instead, studies have shown that baby’s head shape is best corrected with Paediatric Physiotherapy when baby is under 6 months old.

So if you are concerned about baby’s head shape, instead of making the 3 common mistakes above, ring My Favourite Physio on (02) 9790 4233 or DM us @myfavouritephysio to speak to one of our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists today!