Try to keep time in the car seat or pram to a minimum. This means there is no constant pressure on one side of the head (APCP, 2020). Varying positions: Alternate the side you hold your baby on when you feed and carry them and switch them between sloping chairs, slings and flat surfaces.Change the position of toys, mobiles or lights: That will encourage your baby to turn their head on to the non-flattened side.Swap ends of the cot too so they sleep on both sides of their head (NICE, 2019). Adjusting their head position during sleep: This will vary the position that the head rests in.Only do tummy time when your baby is awake and alert, and when you are there to keep an eye on them (NICE, 2019). Put some toys nearby for them to reach out to as well. If your baby struggles to lift their head, roll up a towel and put it under their armpits. Tummy time helps to build the muscles they need for sitting and crawling. Tummy time: Give your baby time on their tummy a few times each day.In mild cases, babies won’t need any treatment but you can help their head go back to a normal shape yourself. Plagiocephaly and brachycephaly treatment Also, premature babies tend to spend more time on their backs without being moved or picked up and they may not yet be able to move their head from side to side (NHS, 2018a). There is pressure on the baby’s head in the womb: Sometimes in the womb, there may not be enough amniotic fluid to cushion the baby, or with twins, babies can become a bit squashed in there (NHS, 2018).īabies are born prematurely: Premature babies are more likely to develop a flattened head because their skulls are softer than those of full-term babies. Tight neck muscles: Tight neck muscles can stop a baby turning their head in a particular way, putting one side of their head under more pressure (NHS, 2018). Do still put your baby to sleep on their backs though – the benefits far outweigh any negatives (The Lullaby Trust, 2019). The mattresses babies lie on are also firmer and that combination is thought to have led to an increase in the number of babies with positional plagiocephaly (GOSH, 2017).
But it means that babies now spend a lot of their early lives lying on their backs. Why do babies develop plagiocephaly and brachycephaly?īabies sleep on their backs: Putting your baby to sleep on their back greatly reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) (NHS, 2017). This usually corrects itself within six weeks after the birth but sometimes part of the skull might become flat (GOSH, 2018). Plagiocephaly and brachycephaly develop when constant pressure is placed on one side of the baby’s skull (GOSH, 2017).Īfter most births – and the baby’s trip down the birth canal – the head might look elongated for a little while. Until they’re about one, the bones of a baby’s head are very thin and flexible, which makes them soft and easy to mould (NHS, 2018). Plagiocephaly and brachycephaly: background and causes Craniosynostosis needs surgery to correct it.
Your GP can help you decide if your baby might need some other tests, x-rays or scans to rule out problems like craniosynostosis, where the plates of the skull join together too early (GOSH, 2017). One in five babies get some sort of flat head syndrome at some point and most get better without any treatment (GOSH, 2017 NHS, 2018). If your baby gets plagiocephaly or brachycephaly, try not to worry. Other than the physical appearance of it, there are no symptoms of plagiocephaly and brachycephaly (GOSH, 2018). (NHS, 2018) What are the symptoms of plagiocephaly or brachycephaly? The back of the baby’s head becomes flattened, causing the head to widen, and occasionally the forehead bulges out. The ears may be misaligned when you look from above, and sometimes the forehead and face may bulge on the flat side. The baby’s head is flattened on one side, so it looks asymmetrical. Plagiocephaly and brachycephaly describe the two main types of this condition (NHS, 2018). If this happens, it’s called flat head syndrome. That’s usually because they spend a lot of time lying on their backs or with their head turned to one side when they’re tiny. When babies are a few months old, they sometimes develop a flattened head. Plagiocephaly and brachycephaly: What are they?
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