New mothers and mothers-to-be have a lot to think about and a lot of catching up to do to ensure the good health of their baby. If you are one of them, then it is important that you know about infant flat head. Our heads are supposed to be round and that is the way you have known it to be. But as a child/infant, your baby’s bones are soft and even her skull is susceptible to pressure.
Mostly you baby will turn her head to one side and remain like than when placed on her back. This can cause flattening of the skull in part or whole. The medical term for this condition is positional plagiocephaly.
Can You Avoid Flathead in Babies?
Yes you can avoid flathead by following some basic rules while handling your baby. In rare occasions you will see flat spots in your baby’s skull. Do not ignore these signs as a flatheads can affect the weak and formative neck muscles. Strain on her weak neck muscles may cause damage to her skull and sometimes lead to death referred to as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
How to Prevent Flathead in babies?
By doing the following you can prevent flathead or flat spots in your baby’s skull:
- Keep your newborn in an upright position for as long as possible. Though most infants sleep a lot, you must not let her lay on her back in the crib, swing, car seat or stroller for long hours; you can of course switch sides. Bring her out and hold her in an upright position to avoid pressure on the skull.
- Change her sleeping position often. Babies tend to turn their head to one side and stare at one direction only. You must change her position regularly so that she turns her head and looks in different directions. Changing arms while feeding her aids to this cause.
- Tummy time is important. You must place your baby on her tummy every day not only to prevent pressure on the skull but to also allow her neck, shoulder and arm muscles to strengthen. This will also help and motivate the child to start crawling faster.
- Consult the pediatrician at regular intervals. If you notice that you baby’s eyes or ears look uneven, the doctor should be your first call as this signal is somewhat associated to flat head.
Most flats pots do get rounded with time and do not affect the brain of the child. A correctional helmet or a head band can help. But prevention is always better than cure and so the measure should be taken from the very tender age. Be careful about the posture of the child as it is only you who can prevent this disorder with carefulness.
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