Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Hey everyone just wondering if anyone had advice about flat head... My 4 month old has reallllly bad flat head iv tried everything changing sleep positions, tummy time i dont have a car so shes not even in her carseat that often! Iv just heard about special pillows for flat heads wondering if anyone has used one? Thank god shes a girl and hopefully her hair will cover her oddly shaped head lol! Thankssss nabzx
Link to comment
https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/23759-baby-flat-head/
Share on other sites

I bought a pillow as one of my friends twins suffered with this. I didn't end up using the pillow as neither of my children ended up needing it. It's caused from laying the same side all the time. Apparently if you can ensure a different part of head laid on (turn when asleep) it avoids it happening in the first place / getting any worse.


It can be corrected. There is a helmet that can be made and worn. I am happy to ask my friend for more details if your interested. I know they had to go private to do this, it did work.

I know a few people with twins whose babies have had it, linked to torticollis I think (heads turned to one side due to being squashed in the room)


I believe that a flat head needs to be checked to determine the cause, and any treatment should be early.

Before trying to use pillows etc yourself, I would go and get it checked.

I was recently concerned about my baby girl having a flat head as she persisted in only sleeping on her back. I saw my Health Visitor who referred my dtr to a Physio (standard policy). The appointment took about a month to arrive & we saw someone at Sunshine House. The Physio was lovely & very thorough, they did a full body assessment not looking just at her head. They told me that she had a slight flatness but they allow this to self-resolve up to 20 months. The Physio said she was,among other things, looking at her features to see if they were properly aligned or 'wonky' (she gave a technical term which Ive forgotten). She also said my dtr would probably soon start to move about & change her sleeping position which would help.


My dtr has now started sleeping on her tummy with her bottom in the air & I can definitely see an improvement. I also received a phone call 6 weeks later to ask if I was still concerned, which I wasn't. They actually identified another potential issue which we are now referred to have a scan for. So after this long-winded post, I'm basically saying if you are concerned see your Health Visitor & ask to be referred.

My eldest had a flat area as a baby. I was referred but told it was nothing to worry about and it did correct itself. I know someone who had twins that wore helmets for a while, I think they only do this when it's more severe but def. worth speaking to your doctor or HV before doing anything else.

I bought a pillow on my friends recommendation. We didn't end up using it but bought it online for @?12. Think it was a Swedish make. We no longer live locally otherwise you would be welcome to it, it's unused.


My friends daughter is 6 now, they only went private because there was no help available from the NHS- different health authority and different time so you may get the treatment on the NHS. I remember her having to wear a contraption that looked like a crash helmet. I suspect hers was a severe case.


Definitely see your Dr as first port of call. Good luck x

thanks everyone for your replys


shes got her vaccinations on wed so i will deffinitly bring it up with the doc and see what they think. i got her weighed 3 weeks ago and did mention to HV and she said to just keep turning her head when shes asleep and if nothing works atleast shel grow hair so it wont be noticable! so i guess if she thought it was bad enough she would have referred me?


im giving her plenty of tummy time now and trying to encourage her to not just lie on her back (but i do find this is her fav position!)

I thought it was very common these days as the advice is for babies to sleep only on their backs for the first 6 months - Miss Oi had it (I think I always put her down on her back for longer than 6 months, can't remember now), but at 2 and a half she looks OK. Never thought to get it checked out, ooops.
I agree with Fuschia - get it checked out, just for peace of mind. My son did not have a flat head but the cranial osteopath who I went to see because of his constant crying to was concerned about the shape of his head. I only went to the GP because the osteopath strongly recommended it (the hv had not raised it at all), and it turned out he had craniosynostosis. Luckily a very simple version and it was corrected and now you would never know about, looking at him. It is very very rare, but the earlier these things are found the better. Good luck!

I've got twins and one has a flat head. I so wish I had noticed before the doctor pointed it out at the 6 week check up as the damage can be done very early on apparently. Her head was quite bad by the time it was pointed out to us and we couldn't get her to sleep in other positions as her neck had tightened up. Try and get your baby to sleep in as many varied positions and as soon as possible.

We were referred by our GP and saw various specialists. We felt happy with the NHS treatment we got. She had about 4 developmental checks and they concluded that it is just a cosmetic thing. I would definitely advise you to go to the doctor so you can have similar checks - most likely it is nothing serious and purely due to awkward positioning but there can be another less common cause which is more serious.

You'll probably be told her development isn't affected and it will get better with age as we were. I did consider helmets as I don't want her to be bullied when older due to a wonky head. Doctors aren't very pro-helmets if it's just cosmetic and you'd most likely have to go private. In the end we decided to hope they are right and that it gets better with age. She's got hair now so it's not as noticeable and I try not to look down at her head from above as 1 ear is about a mile more forward than the other one!

Good luck.

Hi,

My twins had desperately wonky heads and we ended up with the helmet treatment. Happy to answer qs on the condition (they had plagiocephaly) if you want to send me a pm. I also used the pillows and am doing so with baby number three as preventative measure. The Swedish ones are pretty good. I also tried cranio osteopathy - did nothing, physio via GP - helpful but too late! And lots of tummy time - at least they crawled fairly quickly!

We had a similar issue for our twin boys. After a lot of deliberation we went for the helmets too and are pleased we did. It's a very tricky decision though as the GP and consultant advice isn't well evidenced or consistent (and family members who are medical professionals were sceptical as well), and it's not cheap either. As a starter I'd recommend talking to your GP and asking for a referral to the specialists at Kings.


I'd be happy to discuss if that's helpful, and I'd recommend talking to Elaine Gregory at the Dulwich Therapy Rooms (http://www.dulwichtherapyrooms.co.uk/osteopaths/4522189296) as she really helped us think through what to do and wasn't pushing us one way or the other. PM me if I can help at all.


Rob


[Edited to make the link a link...]

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • Does anyone know when the next SNT meeting is? I am fed up with my son being mugged on East Dulwich Grove! 
    • The issue must be everywhere at the moment. I was visiting a friend last week in Bermondsey, think we were walking  down Linton Rd & we dodged 7 dog poos. It was disgusting. 
    • Thanks for your message — I actually took the time to look into what CityHive does before posting my original comment, and I’d encourage anyone with questions to do the same. Yes, the Companies House filings are overdue — but from what I’ve gathered, this seems likely to be an accountant or admin issue, not some sign of ill intent. A lot of small, community-based organisations face challenges keeping up with formalities, especially when they’re focused on immediate needs like food distribution. Let’s not forget CityHive is a not-for-profit, volunteer-powered CIC — not a corporate machine. As for the directors, people stepping down or being replaced is often about capacity or commitment — which is completely normal in the voluntary and community sector. New directors are sometimes appointed when others can no longer give the time. It doesn’t automatically mean bad governance — it just means people’s circumstances change. CityHive’s actual work speaks volumes. They buy most of the food they distribute — fresh produce, essential groceries, and shelf-stable items — and then deliver it to food banks, soup kitchens, and community projects across London. The food doesn’t stay with CityHive — it goes out to local food hubs, and from there, directly to people who need it most. And while yes, there may be a few paid staff handling logistics or admin, there’s a huge volunteer effort behind the scenes that often goes unseen. Regular people giving their time to drive vans, sort donations, load pallets, pack food parcels — that’s what keeps things running. And when people don’t volunteer? Those same tasks still need to be done — which means they have to be paid for. Otherwise, the whole thing grinds to a halt. As the need grows, organisations like CityHive will inevitably need more support — both in people and funding. But the bigger issue here isn’t one small CIC trying to make ends meet. The real issue is the society we live in — and a government that isn’t playing its part in eradicating poverty. If it were, organisations like CityHive, The Felix Project, City Harvest, FareShare, and the Trussell Trust wouldn’t need to exist, let alone be thriving. They thrive because the need is growing. That’s not a reflection on them — it’s a reflection on a broken system that allows people to go hungry in one of the richest cities in the world. If you're in doubt about what they’re doing, go check their Instagram: @cityhivemedia. You’ll see the real organisations and people receiving food, sharing thanks, and showing how far the impact reaches. Even Southwark Foodbank has received food from CityHive — that alone should speak volumes. So again — how does any of this harm you personally? Why spend time trying to discredit a group trying to support those who are falling through the cracks? We need more people lifting others up — not adding weight to those already carrying the load.
    • Well, this is very disappointing. Malabar Feast  has changed its menu again. The delicious fish curry with sea bass no longer exists. There is now a fish dish with raw mango, which doesn't appeal. I had dal and spinach instead, which was bland (which I suppose I could/should have predicted). One of my visitors had a "vegetable Biriani" which contained hardly any vegetables. Along with it came two extremely tiny pieces of poppadom in a large paper bag.   This was embarrassing, as I had been singing Malabar's praises and recommending we ordered from there. The other mains and the parathas were OK, but I doubt we will be ordering from there again. My granddaughters wisely opted for Yard Sale pizzas, which were fine. Has anybody else had a similar recent poor (or indeed good!)  experience at Malabar Feast?
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...