The uneven head shape may be present at birth but more often comes on gradually
in the first couple of months of life. This may be due to the baby’s favoured head position.
For instance “torticollis”, which causes tightness in the neck muscles on one side so that the baby always
lies with its head turned to that side and cannot fully to the other, may allow
a flat area to develop on the side the baby turns to.
If your baby has a favoured side Cranial Osteopathy may release the tension in
the neck muscles allowing even movement of the head which should help prevent
moulding.
Before worrying about your infant’s head remember different head shapes do run in families and some family head
shapes are naturally flatter across the back or narrower from side to side or
taller from top to bottom than others. However, an inherited head shape should
be symmetrical so a head that is asymmetrically flattened is probably not down
to an inherited trait.
If you think your baby’s head is uneven be reassured that unusual head shapes are not likely to be a
threat to your child’s health and there are things you yourself can do to help.
Repositioning Therapy: In the first six months you are advised to try this at home. All that is
involved is a series of measures you can take to minimize pressure on the flat
areas of your child’s head. These measures vary according to where the flat areas are but include the
following: -
Buy a baby pillow such as the ones already recommended by paediatricians in
Sweden e.g. Lilla Kuddis Baby Pillow.
• try a neck support for when your baby is in its car seat to keep the weight off
the flat area of its head e.g. a child-sized travel pillow
• if your baby has plagiocephaly (a parallelogram shaped head when viewed from
above) get it to sleep with its head on the opposite side to the flat side
(after first of all treating any torticollis that prevents this). Try
a) putting them down with their feet to the other end of the cot to encourage
them to look the other way to see the light / a mobile / you,
b) lying them on their side to sleep, you may need to support them with a rolled
up towel behind their back (check with your health visitor about the latest
safety advice first) or
c) using a wedge shaped support under their body to tip them slightly to the
other side when they are lying on their back.
• if your baby has scaphocephaly (a very long head from front to back) you could
try a pillow with a hole in it to support the head upright avoiding pressure on
the sides of the head
• if your baby has brachiocephaly (head flat across the back) get them to sleep on
alternate sides supported with a rolled up towel (check with your health
visitor about the latest safety advice first).
• reduce the amount of time your baby spends lying on its back or reclined in any
sort of seat by
a) putting them to play on their front, so-called "tummy-time" (supported under the armpits and chest by a folded towel if necessary). If they
resist start with only a minute or two at a time until they get used to it.
b)From about four months try putting them in a Bumbo seat, door-bouncer or baby
entertainer for short periods of time to give their head time free of any
pressure.
• if bottle feeding, swap sides each time to encourage equal movement of their
neck to each side.
• if they suck one hand, cover it with a mitt to persuade them to suck the other
side.
• try carrying the baby forward facing in a baby pouch and when you hold them up
against your chest / shoulder, alternate sides to make them look both ways.
Specialist advice:
• for Torticollis (inability to turn the head to look round to one side as far as
to the other due to tightened muscles in the neck)
a)ask your GP to refer you to a physiotherapist to be shown how to stretch the
tight side or
b) see an Osteopath experienced in treating children to treat the musclular
tension and any underlying joint stiffness.
• look up further information on other websites
• in cases of extreme head shapes where you worry your baby may suffer teasing
when older you could try private orthotics clinics that offer a custom made
helmet that help even up head shape as it grows. The clinic may recommend
Cranial Osteopathy alongside the helmet treatment in order to maximise
improvements.
After a baby starts to sit up unsupported (from around 6 months) you should
notice a big improvement in the head shape over the coming months because they
are spending less time with weight against their head. Continue to encourage
them to play on their front. Further improvements should continue naturally
right up until the child is in primary school.
All treatments, whether it be repositioning, cranial osteopathy or a helmet,
need to harness the most rapid growth period of the head to gain the best
results. This is between birth and 18 months. During this time all efforts are
made to remove obstacles to correct head growth and to encourage the flattened
areas to “catch up”. Changes are expected to continue after 18 months but at a slower rate.
