If your baby is starting to develop a flattened area on the head, repositioning is the preferred method of treatment up to the age of 4 to 5 months. If your baby’s head shape is not responding by 5 months of age then cranial remoulding with a STARband™ may be considered.

If you notice a flattening starting to develop, then you should start to reposition to take pressure away from the flattened area as soon as you notice it.

When Asleep and at Night.

• BABIES SHOULD ALWAYS BE PLACED ON THEIR BACKS TO SLEEP.
• Babies may need your help to change their head position until they can do it on their own. As your baby sleeps, gently turn their head to vary the position that it rests in.
• Change the position of toys and other interesting things that your baby likes to look at from one side to the other.
• Babies who suck a thumb tend to turn towards that side. Try covering the thumb that is sucked or encourage them to suck the opposite one.
• Alternate the end of the cot that your baby lies at to encourage looking to the other side.
• If your baby sleeps in your bedroom in a crib or Moses basket, turn this around regularly so that your baby is not looking in the same direction all the time.
• Some parents find a Sleepcurve mattress helpful (www.sleepcurve.com). This may prevent a plagiocephaly developing further.

• Don’t feed your baby from the same side every time. If you are breast feeding, then you will be doing this naturally. If you are feeding with a bottle, alternate the side that you feed from.

• Place your baby on the tummy to play when awake and you are with them. This is great exercise. They learn how to prop with their arms and it is really good exercise to develop all the spinal extensors and hips.
• Many parents say that their baby does not like to go on to their tummy and starts to cry or complain. If so, then try starting a little more gently. Cross your knees and lie your baby across them with the arms propping on your crossed knee and your hand supporting under the bottom.
• Carry face down along your forearm like a sleeping tiger. Or carry your baby facing out rather than cradled in your arm. Use a papoose or carrying sling.
• Play aeroplanes.
• When sitting, don’t let your baby sit back against you. This is a really easy position and does not encourage core strength in the trunk or neck to develop. Sit your baby across your leg like riding a horse, slightly leaning forward with your arms around the body.
• When sitting or feeding, don’t use an infant carrier, car seat or buggy insert too much. Try using a Bumbo seat (www.bumbobabyseat.com) if your baby is old enough and has good sitting and head control.

If your baby has a tight neck or torticollis, which means that one of the side neck muscles is much tighter than the other, you should see a physiotherapist or osteopath as soon as it is noticed. Although the majority of infants who have a torticollis have a simple tight muscle, there are other causes of this condition and you should seek medical attention before working on stretches to improve the range of motion of the neck.

All of these simple things add up to improving your baby’s strength and spine and neck control and will reduce the tendency for a flattening to develop. If you are not seeing a great change by the age of 5 months then a STARbandTM will improve the head shape much more rapidly and more fully than will occur naturally.

For further information, please visit our Fitting Centres page, to find you nearest centre.