Baby Helmets

[DsMommy]

My son is 7 months old and just starting to do physical therapy for torticollis. We recently had him seen by a specialist who suggested that we get him a helmet because his head is a little bit flat on one side from the torticollis.

After she brought it up she told us it was our decision and that if it were her child she would probably not get one because she thinks it may work itself out but at the same time she can't garauntee it. We also went and got a second opinion and they pretty much told us the same thing, if we didn't get it for him they feel he will be ok but they also said we should consider it.

I'm not sure if it is my preconceived notion about helmets or just fear of my baby not being "normal" but when the doctor brought up the helmet it made tears come to my eyes. That's my baby and I want him to be perfect . I am torn, I don't want to put him through the wearing the helmet all day everyday if his head will correct itself on it's own but at the same time I don't want to make the decision not to get it and regret it later in his life.

And I don't know if it is even too noticeable. It is apparently a 1in difference when you measure his head diaganolly from his eyebrow to the back of his head. I obviously notice it because I look for it but other family members don't notice it unless I point it out to them. I just want some input from other people.

Is there anyone that has a similar situation or an opinion. We are really on the fence about this and i need help...

[Tortillykoolmum]

I felt the same way. You should check out my blog, join, and comment if you'd like.

I'm getting the "helmet" for my daughter next month. It's really not that big of a deal, you treat the torticollis, and it's said that the helmets are well tolerated by the kids. Before I decided to do the craniocap I was extremely preoccupied by the shape of my daughters head, worrried everytime I would see her laying on her flat spot. Trying to twist her head to get the pressure off that spot, and worrying that every time I look at her for the rest of my life I would wonder if anyone else could see the flat spot. Or if anyone else notices her slightly mis-shaped ears....are her eyes uneaven? Then I realized, we have to twist her head and treat her torticollis, and there's plenty of other things to worry about besides a flat spot. So, we're getting her a helmet, once I finally decided on doing it I felt so much relief. I didn't even know I had been so uptight about it in the first place. Point being, if you can fix it and want to fix it, then do it. It's not painful, it doesn't take that long, then your done and can move on to more important things. Like tummy tickles, and spit bubbles..... :)

http://tortillythankful.blogspot.com/

[Momo123]

My DS had torticollis and wore a helmet to correct his plagiocephaly (flat head) when he was a baby (from 6 months to 1 yo). His was pretty severe and noticeable, and it is still not symmetrical now even after the helmet, though much improved. This is just my own opinion based on my own experience, but looking back now (he's 2.5 yo), I don't know if I would do it again if I had another child with the same issue because 1) His head might have improved without the helmet and 2) Even though he will not remember it, I remember the sweaty head, the rashes and the all the appointments to adjust the helmet and because of #1, I don't know if it was worth it. However, I know that if I had not done it, I might have always wondered what if. I think it takes a lot of courage to say, "here is something that might help, I'm not going to do it because it may not help," and I couldn't make that decision at the time.

So I guess my experience is not very helpful because I feel torn about it even later. But I have met some parents who absolutely feel it was the right decision for their baby. Good luck with your decision!

[BabyMae09]

No experience here, but I wouldn't do it, esp. if it is likely to correct itself. Just MHO.

Edit: I would do it. I don't know why I said that. If it helps, that's great!

Edited by BabyMae09 - 12/6/11 at 7:17pm

[DesertSunsets]

My foster son came to us with plagiocephaly, and it was definitely noticeable although the orthopedic specialist said it was only a moderate case.  Obviously we did not have a choice whether or not to get the cranial band (helmet) because he is a ward of the State, but I do feel like it was absolutely the right choice for him.  It made a big difference for him.  

He wore the helmet for about five months I believe, from ten months old to fifteen months old.  His head is well within normal ranges now and the orthotist said that if he were brought in for evaluation now, there would be no need to do any correction.  Maybe part of the reason I feel so good about the cranial band and his current head shape is because he's very fair, light blond hair and not a lot of hair, at that.  When his head was misshapen, it was so obvious because he didn't have enough hair to cover for his headshape.  His head was also in the 93rd percentile for size, so that didn't help him.  

He transitioned into wearing the helmet very easily, we experienced only one rough patch when he got sick and had a fever and so the helmet came off until his fever broke.  His helmet just became part of his head, it honestly never seemed to bother him.  Worst part of it for us was how stinky it was when it came off his head every night, lol.  Oh, and making sure he only wore button or snap-up clothes, since none of them would fit over his head and taking the helmet off and on was a pain.  

For what it's worth, these are the before and after scans of my foster son's head (looking down on the top of his head).  The measurements may be too difficult to make out but the shape is pretty obvious I think.  

I know it's got to be a hard decision to make, with knowing it could self-correct.  I'm sure you'll come to the right decision for your child and for your family.