flat spot on head (4 month old)?

[atpeace]

What are the implications of a flat spot on the head? DS's left back side of the head is pretty flat (I figured out that it's from the way we were sleeping, me always on his left side and he naturally turned his face to me for most of the night in the first few weeks...I've since switched him to the other side, so we'll see how this works out).

Are flat spots just a problem for appearance, or is there some serious brain development issue I don't know about? How do you know if it's serious? How do you know if you need a head-shaping helmet?

I don't have a moment to research right now, as one creature is in my lap, and one is jumping around me. Any info would be great!

[Peace+Hope]

from what i've read (here, dr sears), except in extreme cases, it really is only cosmetic.

[Starry-eyedMom]

My middle child had a mild-to-moderate case of plagiocephaly. One half of his skull was pushed forward more than the other half. We had a conventional M.D. tell us he did have it, but not enough to warrant a helmet.

We also took him to a chiropracter trained in pediatric cranial molding. She did maybe l2 sessions with him, spread out over a year, and we feel it definitely helped. The earlier you start the better. She seemed to think that it can cause some problems (I'm trying to remember what all she said--maybe more spinal/neck problems in general, allergies and minor health problems). He's fine now, and I'm more aware of switching sleep positions with my third baby. Although the MD said he had Tortocullis (spelling?) which means a twisting of the neck, which probably exacerbated it. This can be from birth or maybe even genetic, if I remember correctly.

Hope this helps!