Tummy Time

It is really difficult to do tummy time at first. I remember I told my pedi at my dd's 2 month check up that it was hard to do tummy time with her. He told me to do it every day. So, I started tummy time for a few mins at a time, letting her get a little frustrated, and then rolled her back over. I would do this 3 - 4 times a day, and eventually, she started to love it. It really does help them to strengthen their neck muscles. Good luck.

I second the sling! My two were rarely put down and both have lovely round heads.

We used a Moby Wrap, which was incredibly simple to put on and put baby into (after a few practice runs, I was able to use it with no help). My husband was also able to wear it (and he's a big guy). It's just a long panel of fabric which you wrap different ways for different types of hold. Bonus: I cold breastfeed in public, walking around even, with no one noticing!

I had a similar issue with twin girls. all the info you have already received was very helpful. A couple of other suggestions that we did that helped - we did not end up having to use the helmet: We bought a neck support usually used in car seats; it looks like a little donut, but instead of using it like a neck support, we turned it upside down and used it to support the head anytime the babies were lying on their back or side. When I put them to sleep, I was careful to rotate them from side to side; I rolled up a blanket and placed it behind their back to give them support and to keep them in that position. Be careful that you don't start putting all the emphasis on the left side; you don't want to just transfer the problem to the other side. A rotating approach is better. Good luck; every thing you hear is always scary, but keep in mind that we just have such good medical services these days and preventive tips are just that - information that will help to prevent a problem. Most likely, you have time to take care of this problem.

Hi S.,
I just went through this exact same thing in that my 18 week old son heavily favored looking to the right as well. Because he favored the right side so much, his skull began to develop disproportionately and my pedi said exactly the same thing about the helmet. I was able to 100% correct it within three weeks by laying him on the opposite side to sleep (he sleeps on his side), holding him the opposite way when I bottle fed him, only approaching him from the left, laying all his toys on the opposite side, etc. I truly believe that by placing him on his opposite side while he slept caused his skull to balance out and he got 100% cleared from the pedi just today at his 4 month check up. It took a lot of awareness on the part of my husband and I, as well as his teachers at his daycare and our in-laws, but by totally changing the way we held him, the way we laid him down to sleep, doing his neck exercises, etc. we were able to correct it. My pedi said that a baby favoring one side is totally normal, but we have to do what we can to encourage him/her to use both sides of the neck.
I know this can be really alarming (imagining your poor little one in a helmet!), but it can be corrected naturally with patience and awareness. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any additional questions.
As for tummy time, an alternative I found for my little one is that it does count if the baby is laying on his tummy actually ON your tummy. So if he doesn't like laying on the ground, lay on your back and lay his tummy on yours. Its great for one-on-one contact and it will encourage him to look up at your face when you talk to him.
Good luck!

Hi S.,
My ped said the same about my now 13wk son. I really didnt want to give him tummy time, cuz in my culture they dont encourage tummy time until the child turns over on their own. So I was VERY hesitant.... therefore i would only give him 2tummy times a day and they only last till he started getting upset. but as time passed he was lasting longer before getting upset. Also another thin i did was use the boppy pillow underneath his chest so that helped him keep his head up to see things around him and i sometimes gave him tummy time on the bed so its not so hard as the floor. good luck!!

My son also favored his right side and developed a flat head as a result. He was diagnosed around 8 weeks. We did the same exercises that Carrie mentioned, but I did it after every feeding rather than at the diaper change. We also used a sleep positioner to force him to sleep on his left side. My son hated tummy time, but I still tried to do it a little each day. One thing his pedi said was that since the back of his head was not flat (only the side), it was okay for him to spend time in his swing or bouncy seat, as long as we did not let him look to the right. We rolled up receiving blankets and put them next to the right side of his head so he could not turn his head in that direction. Like Carrie said, I was amazed at how quickly the exercises made a difference. His neck loosened up enough after just a few days that he stopped favoring the right side and would look in all directions. After just a few weeks I noticed his head starting to round out. He never needed a helmet, and now he is a two-year-old with a nice round head.

Good luck! When you catch it early you have a good chance of correcting it without the helmet.

Have you tried wearing your baby in a sling throughout the day? That would be a good way to minimize the pressure on the head. Sometimes if they spend too much time in the bouncy seat, swing or crib they can get those flat/bald areas. Something like a maya wrap is really good when they're itty bitty and don't have neck control yet. It also helps you to move around and get things done. A baby bjorn, although popular, isn't as good imo.

My ped recommended rotating the head; however, if they have a preference that can be hard. When my son was that age, I played bunko with a therapist who worked with kids with developmental delays. I asked her what the most avoidable thing she saw was. She said it was motor delays due to people not giving their kids enough tummy time. She recommended starting with about 5 minutes for every awake hour and build up from there. It was TORTURE at first for us because my son HATED it, but it did get better. Having them lie on their tummy while on your tummy counts too btw. I got my son some of those clear Fisher Price blocks with things in them and cars, lots of cars, that he found fascinating. Things lying around the house interested him too so don't overlook measuring spoons and cups either.

Good luck!

OK, I went through this too and I was able to correct it and he doesn't need a helmet...I'm shocked that it corrected itself so well!

OK, what my doctor said to do was at every diaper changing do these exercises...hold each one for 5-10 seconds.
1. Baby flat on back, turn head facing right...like touching their chin to their right shoulder...hold
2. Baby flat on back, turn head facing left...like touching their chin to their left shoulder...hold
3. Baby flat on back, head facing forward, tilt it so that their right ear is touching their right shoulder...hold
4. Baby flat on back, head facing forward, tilt it so that their left ear is touching their left shoulder...hold

They don't seem to be bothered with it. Also, we were swaddeling him still so we would do that and prop him up in a sleep positioner so that he was forced to look left...on his left side.

for the tummy time...he hated it! So we would lay on the couch with him on our chest. He seemed to do better with that.

The neck exercises and proping him on his left side really helped him out. He was out of swaddling blankets, so we ordered a Miracle Blanket and that worked for awhile.

Good luck!

I was where you were at the same time. From what you are describing is Torticollis. I noticed when my daughter was 2 months old that she would only turn her head to the Right and she her head started to flatten on one side (plagiocephaly). We did take her to PT and she also recieved a DOC Band (aka helmet) and it ran us $3000 and no ins didnt pay. But it was worth every penny!

As far a Tummy time for kids with Torticollis this is something that is very unplesant for them. I never gave up on TT but only did it until she cried.

I tried this: Lay him on his back facing you and hold onto his little hands and slowly pull him up towards you. SLOWLY until he starts to lift his head up. Do this a few times a day and he will slow build up neck strength.

Also, sit him on your lap and hold his hands and help him balance in the sitting position. This also helps his neck muscles...

My baby girl was able to sit by herself by 5 months and had great neck strength. See, there other things you can do other than TT.

The main thing is for you to keep his head off of things. If you dont have one already buy a Exercauser and put a blanket around his body to help support him and let him play in there. Also Bumbo's are good as well. For the car seat buy the Boppy Noggin Nest Head Support this will help the continuation of the flattening see link: http://www.target.com/Boppy-Noggin-Nest-Head-Support/dp/B...

For PT you will need to do neck streches and try to make his whole world exist to his LEFT. PT is both your and the therapist's job. You will have to work with him on his neck streches throughout the day.

I would not wait another 2 months the sooner treatment is sought the better. If you have any questions please email me and I will be happy to discuss my expierences with you.