Reducing baby's plagiocephaly/flat head effectively

This article is intended to give you an overall idea of what will probably be needed, but in no way replaces the advice of a paediatric physiotherapist, who is the reference health professional for this. You can also complement this with one or more osteopathic sessions. This complements but does not replace physio sessions!

 

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The head flattens for various reasons:

- Long, deep sleep on the back with a soft mattress, often with large babies

- Plagiocephaly already present at birth (uterine start-up)

- GERD reflux, which causes baby to stretch backwards, flattening baby's head

- Positioning too often and for too long in a cosy outside the car, in a deckchair, in a doomoo or in a swing;

 

Because of a preference for one side, or a lack of mobility (torticoli), the baby will have a lack of experience in certain head amplitudes (full rotations, head tilt, flexion). These mobility deficits will require daily and repeated stimulation (at each diaper change, for example, and on motor mats) to compensate for the missing mobility experience. Even if mobility is not blocked. In this way, baby will reproduce daytime mobility at night, putting less pressure on the ‘flat’ area of the skull, and the bone will be able to grow more uniformly.

Once baby is no longer sleeping solely on his ‘flat’ skull, the skull will grow back by around 1/2cm per month, mainly in the flat area. At first, there will be bumps at the base of the skull, but don't worry, this will gradually become more uniform.

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Recommendations from the French National Authority for Health (HAS):

- Be monitored by a physiotherapist

- Have 1 osteo session often at least 2 to 1 month apart

- On the back: stimulate full rotations, even helping baby if necessary

- Stimulate reversals (the physiotherapist will teach you)

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- Turn over and hold the tummy-down position for as long as possible and repeatedly. Put a roll under the chest if baby doesn't like the tummy-down position. Hold for only a few seconds if baby cries quickly in this position.

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- Daily babywearing+++ This is essential for improving asymmetry, and is twice as fast with babywearing as without.

 

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- Encourage baby to bend over in your arms, pedal your arms and legs+++.

So yes, it's a lot of work, but it works really well, so go on !!!!


Here's a video illustrating the exercises:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3cnB_GzYkQ&t=156s&pp=ygUbYWdhdGhlIGtpbsOpIHBsYWdpb2NlcGhhbGll



How the Ma Petite Laine birth cocoon can help :

The flexion position or foetal position is a position that the cocoon allows the baby and which facilitates the mobility of the baby's head during the night and therefore prevents the baby from remaining in an immobile position (and therefore flattens the baby's head).


To reduce the risk of plagiocephaly, read our article on the importance of babywearing.


Discover theMa Petite Laine swaddling cocoon:

Innovation for baby's sleep

Created by a paediatric physiotherapist, baby sleeps without flinching