How Bad of a Flat Spot Does a Baby Need to Wear a Helmet

Babies in helmets are pretty much the cutest things ever, aren't they? From the outside, what's seen every bit only an ambrosial (or disruptive) accompaniment, is actually a actually of import piece of medical equipment.

But unless you lot've gone through the helmet process with your own little one, it can exist difficult to understand what they're really for. And if you're faced with potentially having to use a helmet for your own baby, it can be overwhelming to call up about what it might exist like.

To help gain some insight, we spoke with Kim Lapides of Consume, Sleep, Wearable on her personal experience with baby helmets. This, of course, is just i mother'south perspective. We promise that it helps requite you a brief view on having a baby who wears a helmet and helps to ease your worries virtually the procedure.

Kim Lapides

Kim runs the blog eat/sleep/article of clothing which is a personal web log that explores topics on way, lifestyle, travel and maternity.

Editor's Note: Always directly all of your of import questions to your pediatrician or a cranial applied science specialist. This is not meant to supervene upon medical advice or perspective.

How common is information technology for babies to wear helmets?

Once our son Otis got his helmet on, I started seeing helmet babies ALL OVER! I call up information technology's much more mutual these days to encounter babies with helmets. A large reason for that is probable because of the safe sleep practices of babies sleeping on their backs. Just at that place are many reasons why babies tin can develop flat spots. I think it's dandy that there is such an effective treatment option out there, so it's been more of a common thing to meet.

At starting time, it might be overwhelming simply at the end of the mean solar day, I had a salubrious and happy baby, and he was just fixing his apartment spot in his cool footling magic chapeau. Otis was always all smiles and literally could not care less about the fact he was wearing a helmet which really helped. Not to mention, that helmet came in handy when he started to stand up upward and pull himself up on things and crawl around!

It tin exist such an emotional process dealing with the fact that you accept something that adds some additional steps to your life and changes it for a short period of time. Peradventure getting baby dressed in the morning is a fiddling harder because his shirt doesn't fit over his helmet. Perchance information technology hurts that you lot can't snuggle your petty one's head while you're feeding them. Merely you lot adjust only like your baby does. Just know there are tons of babies out there fixing their flats spots, even if their parents aren't sharing those photos all over their Instagram or Facebook. Everyone has their own fashion of dealing with these life transitions, merely you are not solitary.

If the pediatrician puts the decision in your hands, what do y'all do?

This is such a personal conclusion. I think there are many factors to counterbalance. I recollect your mom gut, in combination with the advice of amazing doctors and cranial engineering specialists that yous speak with, volition always requite you the answer.

Once nosotros met with our cranial tech, they were able to measure Otis' flatness and be able to identify it on a scale of normal, moderate, severe. He was on the edge of the moderate/severe scale. By the time we started treatment, he was pushed over into the severe category in terms of his measurements.

We asked a lot of questions that ultimately helped us to make an informed decision. My biggest communication is to Ever inquire a lot of questions. As simple or dumb equally you might recollect they are, you demand all the answers when it comes to making such a big decision about your infant's health. I always had a Google Physician created with an ongoing listing of questions to keep me organized. This helped me feel informed throughout the process.

Be an abet for yourself and for your baby. Ask questions. Get 2d opinions. I call back all of these things will help you lot know what to exercise. I am then happy that we pursued treatment and besides successfully graduated from our helmet.

What are they for?

The helmet itself is a custom-made helmet that basically has some extra space in it. While your baby gets bigger, their head and then grows into this extra space in the helmet. This, in plough, helps to round out a flat spot or asymmetrical area of the head. Your doctor can give you lot a more than medical perspective on this.

How expensive is it? Are there any alternatives? Is it necessary?

Honestly, the cost is outrageous.

Our helmet cost $2200 which included the custom-made helmet and all of our appointments. Our insurance did not cover it, and there was even a specific exclusion for helmets. We appealed and tried to fight it, but nosotros had no luck. And then, the concrete therapy appointments were $50 per visit. It was and then expensive, and we were fortunate to be able to put information technology on a credit card.

It'southward really unfortunate that the price has to fifty-fifty be a gene in this decision, but it's VERY expensive, so it always is a gene.

I would non say there is an alternative to treatment, but every bit far as early intervention goes, there are some caput-adjusting hats, etc. that you tin can find on the market. None of those interventions worked for u.s.a.. We tried them. My son'south torticollis was also strong.

Whether or not a helmet is necessary is a question for your pediatrician and your cranial technology specialist. In the end, all these wellness intendance providers tin can practise their best to diagnose and steer y'all in the right direction. We had a very positive experience with the helmet overall, and now being on the other side of a successful treatment, I would 100 percent do it once more if I had to with another child.

Was it difficult to get your infant used to the helmet?

Surprisingly, no!

I was extremely worried about how he would conform to it. Him being uncomfortable was my biggest fright. Of course, there is always an aligning catamenia. That offset week is EXTRA sweaty. They only get so sweaty with something new on their head, simply that passes pretty quickly.

1 thing I learned was to not put socks on him and always clothes him in one layer less so he would not overheat because of his helmet. So, nosotros skipped socks a lot and skipped shoes sometimes and just made sure he was comfortable.

The helmet did not really bear upon his sleep at all. Of course, the first few days there is a learning curve, but basically, he seemed pretty unaffected by it. Babies are and so resilient and adjust so speedily. I retrieve it besides helps that both my husband and I had a positive mental attitude and arroyo.

Of course, we were nervous and excited and emotional, only we just tried to support our niggling babe as best as nosotros could. And he did great.

Do they wearable it 24/7?

They wearable the helmet wear for 23 hours a day. Information technology can exist off ane 60 minutes for bathtime and cleaning the helmet.

When you get-go initially become the helmet, there is a transition period where you switch off wearing it for ane hour and off for one hour. Then, you gradually increase to help your little 1'due south body conform to information technology. This is generally considering babies get super sweaty the first week in their helmet and then this helps them to acclimate.

It'due south and then of import to actually follow the rules your doctor gives y'all regarding your helmet since you lot are doing so much to assistance your little one set their flat spot. There is some flexibility too. Nosotros traveled to Maui during the summer, and I was concerned about pool time and whether the helmet would touch our trip. We were able to go along it off for iv hours during the day without affecting his treatment. Of course, this was only for special circumstance of being on vacation, and it's not something we ever pushed beyond what was advised to united states of america past specialists.

Talk with your cranial tech to come upward with the best plan for your little i, just typical wearable is e'er 23 hours a solar day.

How can you avoid it? Is it preventable?

I call up this is a large stress for a lot of parents. You always blame yourself when you find out your infant has a flat spot. You keep asking yourself what you could have done differently. Information technology'south a kind of complicated answer.

When a newborn is and so lilliputian, they spent most of their day sleeping and that means most of their day is spent on their backs. That is the standard for safe sleep according to medical professionals.

So, while they are awake, breadbasket time is your best friend. Babies don't always tend to tolerate tummy time well, simply it tin can be a squeamish mode to go them off the dorsum of their heads for some awake time during the solar day.

Nosotros caught Otis' flatness early and basically got rid of all our swings and contraptions, so he ever had to exist actively doing stomach fourth dimension or being worn in a baby carrier. Nosotros didn't allow ourselves to use any of his awake time in a swing or seat. We tried wearing him for all of his daytime naps, as suggested by our cranial tech since my married man and I both piece of work from habitation.

I thought that for sure because of all the diligent work we were doing to go on him off his head, his flatness would surely improve. But after a calendar month of this, his flatness actually got worse. So, this just goes to show you that sometimes, you tin can practice all the right things, and it'south nada nosotros could have done to prevent it.

If you are a mom who is recently going through this process, delight exist kind to yourself. It'south non your fault. We are all doing the best for our little ones, and some things are unavoidable fifty-fifty with the best intentions.

Does plagio bear upon development?

I am not a doctor, so I can only share what I learned from the health care professionals that we spoke with. We talked a lot with our cranial tech well-nigh the pros and cons of helmet treatment and what would happen if nosotros decided not to pursue it. In our case, Otis's head would have been apartment, but he would have been healthy and happy.

What we learned is that in very, very severe flatness cases where there is extreme asymmetry, there is the potential to touch on other parts of the body's development, similar jaw growth and more. Equally I said, I am not a doctor, simply in most moderate flatness cases, information technology does not affect development.

I highly suggest yous schedule an appointment with a cranial engineering professional if you have any concerns about your infant's flatness. They are amazing and can look at your infant'south caput measurements to get a better agreement of where the flatness lies on the calibration of what is normal and what is severe.

Are there long term effects after treatment is washed?

The great thing about treatment is that in one case information technology'southward done, it'due south washed.

The difficult piece of work of rounding out some of the initial flatness can't exist reversed. Since a baby is constantly going through developmental milestones, they have to accomplish some of those milestones before graduating from treatment.

For example, they have to be sleeping on their stomachs, sitting upwardly independently, standing upward, cruising furniture, fifty-fifty walking sometimes, until a doc says that they are officially done. With each milestone, babies are naturally spending less fourth dimension on the dorsum of their head and in plough, allowing their head to naturally round out as time passes and their head continues to abound.

I experience similar a bad mom because my baby has to wear a helmet. How do you become past this?

You are not a bad mom!

Trust me, I had those feelings of guilt as well. I felt like I didn't do enough to forbid Otis'southward helmet treatment. Information technology's so hard when y'all are doing your accented best to help your picayune ones. I know for me, it was an emotional process at beginning – yous end up having to make decisions pretty quickly since there is a small window for handling to be constructive.

I think that talking to our cranial tech really helped to put things in perspective almost merely how common this is. She really eased our mind that nosotros did everything we could practice to prevent treatment. It's a different journey for anybody, but it also helped to talk to other parents who were taking their kids to physical therapy for torticollis and were also because helmet treatment. Some of them decided not to pursue treatment and some of them did.

I know information technology's then overwhelming, merely you will get through it. I am here to tell you, from a helmet graduate, that it was And so worth information technology and got easier forth the way.

Are near doctors aware of the issue? How can parents advocate for their babies?

In our state of affairs, I actually had to advocate for our babe.

Our pediatrician spotted his flat spot at our 2-month wellness visit and said she wasn't concerned nearly information technology and to simply focus on more than stomach fourth dimension. In my gut, I knew I wanted to investigate this further. The more I looked at his head, the flatter it looked to me, and I just didn't run across how this would become significantly amend without intervention.

Afterward talking to a few mom friends, I decided it would be proactive to become my son evaluated by a pediatric physical therapist to see if there were any underlying issues. At our appointment, the PT instantly noticed Otis's musculus tightness. She is trained to see those intricacies in the muscles, and she diagnosed Otis with Right-Sided Torticollis.

At the cease of our first engagement, the PT likewise gave usa a referral to a cranial technology visitor. She suggest that if nosotros were worried virtually his flatness that it wasn't a bad thought to schedule a consult with them every bit they would be able to have head measurements and let us know how astringent his flatness was to give us some treatment plan options.

In that location is a small window for helmet treatment to be effective, and I wanted to go Otis on the correct rail. I eventually had to come back to my pediatrician and talk about the findings from physical therapy and asking a prescription for a helmet once nosotros decided to pursue treatment. That was not the well-nigh fun conversation, but it'south always important to abet for your babies and seek out 2d opinions from other specialists if you are concerned.

Is there a point where it becomes too late to right the issues?

I think every situation is uniquely dissimilar, but information technology'southward very highly recommended to correct flatness sooner rather than later.

Since babies' skulls are growing and then quickly when they are infants, if you are pursuing treatment, it'southward near effective when their skulls are in a catamenia of rapid growth. Something I didn't know is that the helmet basically creates space for the head to abound into. The helmet doesn't reshape what is there simply instead works to correct growth going frontward. Their heads do most of their growing before one year, so my specialist wanted to get Otis into his helmet at the latest at 5 months old to ensure nosotros could capture that precious head growth to really see keen results.

What do you lot wish you had known before your baby got a helmet?

I wish I had known more almost torticollis and being able to spot it so I could outset physical therapy earlier with the hopes to aid with earlier intervention.

I retrieve when you are in the throes of new motherhood, you just desire to focus on keeping your baby alive, and you lot don't actually observe that their head is favoring one side. Now I feel like I would spot this blazon of thing in an instant.

I think another thing I wish I had known is that catamenia feels and so emotional when y'all're in it, but it really flies by. If y'all practise need to do helmet treatment, it's going to exist over before yous know it. And honestly, I am so happy we did it. I would go back and tell myself that these babies are so resilient and that he volition be able to adjust so quickly.

Whether or non yous cull to pursue helmet treatment, you are a corking mom who is looking out for her baby, and there are tons of u.s. out there who take your dorsum.

How Bad of a Flat Spot Does a Baby Need to Wear a Helmet

Source: https://theeverymom.com/my-baby-had-to-wear-a-helmet-this-is-what-it-was-really-like/