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Concerned about DD's head.

post #1 of 17
9/5/10 at 9:31pm
Thread Starter 
The left side of the back of her head is kinda flat and has been since she was an infant. I noticed it around the time she was a month old, but the ped said it would be fine and that it would eventually fill out. She's 16 months now and it's still flat. I'm starting to get worried bc it's not super noticeable, but you can tell. I'm also worried about it possibly deforming the growth of her head. I know some kids have to wear helmets to correct this, and that scares me.
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post #2 of 17
9/5/10 at 9:35pm
Hmm... I've only known infants to wear the helmets to correct it, because their skulls are still soft. I didn't even know it was possible to do with an older child, but I could be wrong.

Sorry, don't have any major advice. But I know people whose heads aren't perfectly shaped. Hair usually covers it.
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post #3 of 17
9/5/10 at 9:56pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by SubliminalDarkness View Post
Hmm... I've only known infants to wear the helmets to correct it, because their skulls are still soft. I didn't even know it was possible to do with an older child, but I could be wrong.

Sorry, don't have any major advice. But I know people whose heads aren't perfectly shaped. Hair usually covers it.
Thanks for your reply. I didn't consider that she may be too old to correct it. It's not bad, but if you're looking from above, her forehead protrudes a little further on that side, and her ear is not symmetrical with her other ear. I'm just worried about it possibly getting worse. I know her hair will likely cover it.
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post #4 of 17
9/5/10 at 11:52pm
Are you scared she would need treatment? I think a helmet or treatment now is better than problems later in life. I would look into it now because if it is still treatable something will need to be done soon.
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post #5 of 17
9/6/10 at 12:07am
I have a cousin who makes those helmets and a niece (on the other side of the family) who desperately needs one so I had a long convo with him about it.

At 16 mos, a helmet can still make a difference, but you need to jump on it right away, as the window is most definitely closing. The best time to correct it is 4-7 mos.

Google plagiocephaly.

To be blunt, if it is at all visibly noticeable, I would get it fixed ASAP. Yes, it's only cosmetic but if she wants to get it fixed when she is older, it will take major reconstructive plastic surgery as an adult.

My SIL refuses to get a corrective helmet for my niece who has severe plagiocephaly and my heart just breaks for her. The kid is going to look funny for her entire life. After researching it, I can spot those kids very easily who would have benefited from a helmet all over the place.

I'd get it looked at by a specialist.

HTH.
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post #6 of 17
9/6/10 at 8:58am
Thread Starter 
I definitely will google that and start looking more into treatment. Do you know how long she would have to wear the helmet and would it be like an all day thing for just a few hours a day? Thank you!
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post #7 of 17
9/6/10 at 2:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by blessedmama59 View Post
I definitely will google that and start looking more into treatment. Do you know how long she would have to wear the helmet and would it be like an all day thing for just a few hours a day? Thank you!
The kids I've known wore them 24/7(except for bathing) and for 4-6 months.
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post #8 of 17
9/6/10 at 2:06pm
My niece had that and wore the helmet 24/7 for 5 months. I would definitely go in about it. Her case may well have been extreme but her pediatrician said it might affect her hearing. Has your DD been in for a physical lately?
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post #9 of 17
9/6/10 at 3:33pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by GuildJenn View Post
My niece had that and wore the helmet 24/7 for 5 months. I would definitely go in about it. Her case may well have been extreme but her pediatrician said it might affect her hearing. Has your DD been in for a physical lately?
She just went for a well-child a month ago. I'm going to call her ped first thing tomorrow to see if I can bring her in to get a referral to a specialist. I am a bit concerned about how she would react to having to wear a helmet 24/7. I'm also concerned about them doing an x-ray or CT on her.
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post #10 of 17
9/6/10 at 3:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SubliminalDarkness View Post
The kids I've known wore them 24/7(except for bathing) and for 4-6 months.
Yup.
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post #11 of 17
9/6/10 at 5:52pm
She may not like wearing it all the time but she will get used to it with help. You may start off with days on, nights off or something. Talk to them about the xray, do some research, find out the risks and benefits.
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post #12 of 17
9/6/10 at 6:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by blessedmama59 View Post
She just went for a well-child a month ago. I'm going to call her ped first thing tomorrow to see if I can bring her in to get a referral to a specialist. I am a bit concerned about how she would react to having to wear a helmet 24/7. I'm also concerned about them doing an x-ray or CT on her.
Well if he didn't bring it up, it may not be that severe, but I think I would push at it a bit. My niece didn't like it at first for sure (she was younger) but she adjusted. It's not a full helmet, sort of bands, and they come with customizable stickers...it's still not fun, but. With my niece I remembered she had a neck muscle problem too and the physio really helped.

Obviously with tests you have to find your comfort zone but they may not be that necessary. I don't think my niece had any x-rays or ct scans.
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post #13 of 17
9/6/10 at 9:16pm
My son had to wear the helmet and I hated it... hated it... but he was younger, @ 9-12 months, and it did improve his head shape somewhat. I can't say the level of benefit for a 16 month old.

We never had xrays or ct scans, and we needed insurance approval etc. since it would have been about $2000 out of pocket, but they did a head mold to get it exactly right for our son.

I'm surprised the ped. hasn't suggested it so far if its to the point its concerning to you... yes, kids heads continue to "finish" forming for years and I will say that my son's head "looks" better as he gets older and grows more hair, etc. but if you, as the mommy are thinking its affecting her face, forehead and overall appearance, I'm surprised the DOCTORS haven't noticed as well....

It was a hard decision we made, I was truthfully against it, but my husband, as a handsome bald man was worried our son would someday be mad we didn't do more, so we did what we could, but his head is still not 'round' by any stretch...

I hope you all are able to figure out what is best for you all
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post #14 of 17
9/6/10 at 10:33pm
FWIW, the orthotics office my cousin works at does evaulations for free... so you might not need a referral from your ped to find out if she would benefit from it. You might still need a referral for insurance purposes if you decide to go through with it. My cousin has made some pretty cool helmets and totally customizes them, so maybe you could get one that she thought was cool/cute?
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post #15 of 17
9/7/10 at 12:12am
Thread Starter 
Thank you sosososo much everyone for the replies. It s really weighing on my mind and I'll be relieved when someone looks at her. The ped she has now is not the same one she had at a month old, so that's why she hasn't suggested anything. I guess it really isn't too bad or her new ped would notice..or, well, I would hope so. I basically pushed the worry to the side after her old doc told us it would be fine. I happened to come across some info on plagiocephaly and it brought up the worrying again once I realized how serious it can be. It is so relieving to know that if we do have to do the helmet, she may not have to have an x-ray or CT scan for that..definitely not into huge amounts of radiation being used on my daughter.
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post #16 of 17
9/7/10 at 12:24am
I would strongly urge you to have a pediatric chiropractor see her.

When our daughter was an infant, we took her to a wonderful pediatric chiropractor. Through a series of painless, gentle manipulations, she was able to "release" the sutures in dd's skull, allowing it to grow into a full, round shape.

No x-rays or helmet.

Best of luck!
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post #17 of 17
9/7/10 at 9:57am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Carolyn R View Post
I would strongly urge you to have a pediatric chiropractor see her.

When our daughter was an infant, we took her to a wonderful pediatric chiropractor. Through a series of painless, gentle manipulations, she was able to "release" the sutures in dd's skull, allowing it to grow into a full, round shape.

No x-rays or helmet.

Best of luck!
This actually crossed my mind a couple of times! It's definitely an option I'm going to explore. Thank you!
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