19 Jan 😬Did your first baby develop a flattened head shape? 🤔Want to prevent your second baby from developing a flattened head shape too?
A flattened head shape is called Plagiocephaly. 👶🏻This is a condition characterised by the flattening of one side of a baby’s head. The most common type of Plagiocephaly is Positional Plagiocephaly and occurs when external forces, such as the baby consistently lying in one position, cause the head to become flattened on one side.
Once Positional Plagiocephaly develops the best treatment for it is Paediatric Physiotherapy Intervention. An Expert Paediatric Physiotherapist 🤓will be able to assess and determine the best treatment strategies to help correct your baby’s flattened head shape. However, as they say, Prevention is better than Cure.
So here are 3 ways to prevent baby from developing a flattened head shape:
👶🏻1. Babies have to lay on their backs to sleep to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). This can cause a flattened head shape if baby constantly lies on the same spot on their head. So every time baby lays down to sleep, turn their head to the opposite side with every nap. This will alternate the pressure placed on baby’s head to prevent a flat spot from developing.
👶🏻2. When baby is wake, lay them on their tummy to play. This will strengthen baby’s neck muscles and help them learn to turn their own head side to side when on their back. Strengthening baby’s neck muscles means that baby will enjoy tummy time more and stay off their back and reduce the time spent on the back of their head.
👶🏻3. Avoid using Bassinet prams so that baby is not spending time lying on their back even when they are awake and travelling between places outside of their home. Reducing the time baby spends on their back will prevent Positional Plagiocephaly from developing.
If your baby already has a flattened head shape, ring My Favourite Physio on📱 (02) 9790 4233 or DM us @myfavouritephysio to speak to one of our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists today.🤓
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