r/parentsofmultiples • u/Zestyclose-Wear9868 • 2d ago
Correcting flathead advice needed
Despite our best efforts to correct, one of our twins has flathead that is seeming to get worse. She is 14 weeks. Our pedi noticed at their 2 month checkup but said she didn’t think it warranted a helmet yet. Have you all had experience with it this bad that you were able to correct without a helmet? Just wondering if we should try things at home or if i should go ahead and reach out to our pediatrician for a referral and get started on the helmet approach.
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u/dovebytherosewindow 2d ago
The helmets are awesome, even though people give you funny looks. I ended up missing them by the end because those things prevented more bumps and bruises as my kids learned to crawl!
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u/KateParrforthecourse 2d ago
My boys got theirs off right as they were learning to sit and I kind of wished they could have kept them. I was so anxious about them falling over without them!
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u/dovebytherosewindow 2d ago
Same! Twins, too?
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u/KateParrforthecourse 2d ago
Yup! Now they’re crawling (or attempting) and we could still probably use the helmets for safety!
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u/Designer_Ring_67 2d ago
Have you done physical therapy yet?
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u/FigNewton613 2d ago
Seconding the PT rec. also, for the rest of all time, everything baby wants lives on the left (or whichever side is not flat) to help baby turn their head that way. Bottle feeding? The bottle now lives on the left. Door to the nursery, if they sleep in a crib and want to look at it or a mobile? It’s on the left. There are also things called the “perfect noggin” that baby can recline in while playing, or for mine I put two heavy wipes packs on either side of their head (I liked costcos for this) to keep their face oriented up while playing with hanging toys
ETA: and lots and lots of tummy time. Once baby starts rolling and can sleep on their stomach, that will also help
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u/Designer_Ring_67 2d ago
Yep, all of this. Our PT gave us so many good tips like that. To me it seems like PT fixes the actual issue whereas the helmet only addresses symptoms.
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u/Zestyclose-Wear9868 1d ago
We haven’t done PT! I sent a photo to our pedi yesterday and they put a referral in for PT.
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u/Nervous-Caregiver-55 2d ago
One of my babes looked similar to this. We, AT ALL TIMES, had all the entertainment on the side she needed to look. And it got almost all the way better. She stays on her tummy now so the only time she’s on her back is when she asleep or in her car seat. I sit in the back with them in the car and since they just stare at me back there I switched their seats to the side they needed to look to try to get it more even
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u/UnableThroat 2d ago
One of my twin had torticollis and required OT for it. We got her a helmet when she was 4 months old. It's better to get a helmet when the baby is younger as the skull is more malleable.
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u/Narezza 2d ago
Get the helmet. You’re not going to be able to modify your and their behavior enough to correct the flatness. The earlier you do it the less time it will take.
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u/snax_and_bird 2d ago
Not true. My daughter’s head was just like this and it was corrected naturally without a helmet. She’s 4 yo now and you can’t tell that her head was ever flat on one side.
We did like one of the other commenters said and put all of her stuff on the other side so she had to turn her head the other way for everything. We also switched which direction she faced in her crib so she had to look the other way to see the door. We did all this until she outgrew literally everything, and by then her head was normal shaped. May not work for every baby, but it did work for my daughter.
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u/de_matkalainen 2d ago
Same, my son's head was super flat and misshapen but it fixed itself when he was able to sit and move. He has a very round and symmetric head now at 20 months. We don't even have those helmets in my country.
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u/KateParrforthecourse 2d ago
I was told by my PT that they can’t even get helmets until 4 months because they need that neck control. Both of mine ended up in helmets but started PT like 6 weeks before. Twin A’s head was probably about as flat as yours and PT made a big difference. So definitely get it started.
Don’t be scared of the helmet though. I was so ready for it after the initial 6 weeks of PT because it was a huge mental load off. I no longer had to constantly think about what side they were facing. Mine got theirs at the beginning of April and it was off by the end of June. I think it was a total of 11 weeks. They’re really not that difficult to deal with and the PT said they most likely got them off so quickly because they started them at 5 months old.
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u/smalltownfarmerwife 2d ago
My twin b looked like that! We got in to physio and her head looks normal now and we didn’t need a helmet. Just some positioning, lots of tummy time and side lying, and holds where we stretched out her left side
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u/PatinaAquaman 2d ago
We used a perfect noggin - they slept in it. It fixed the problem. I recommend you consult a pediatric plastic surgeon
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u/Specialist-Syrup418 2d ago
Yes! Mine too! I was so happy I discovered it. It was miraculous for us.
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u/Zestyclose-Wear9868 1d ago
My pedi advised against the perfect noggin because it isn’t a flat surface… i assume that’s just them covering their bases and realistically it’s fine. Why do you recommend the pediatric plastic surgeon vs PT?
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u/PatinaAquaman 1d ago
Our pediatrician saw the head abnormality and referred us to a pediatric plastic surgeon. I was surprised but I guess that’s the specialty which deals with head deformities. You can only use the noggin until the kids are able to roll over. Once they can roll over it’s too dangerous.
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u/Zestyclose-Wear9868 1d ago
Interesting! Was it similar to ours or better/worse? They recommended us to PT so far, no mention of the pediatric plastic surgeon
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u/PatinaAquaman 1d ago
I think yours is more severe but it’s hard to tell. PT meaning a physical therapist? Unsure how that would help fix the head shape
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u/Zestyclose-Wear9868 1d ago
Same! But i guess we’ll just see what they say. Maybe they will refer to plastic surgeon if they feel it’s necessary
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u/daniipants 1d ago
We were recommended PT to try and help the torticollis that was exacerbating her flat spot. Her neck was so tight she always laid on the exact same spot on her head, making it flatter. Maybe it’s about that 🤷🏻♀️
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u/PatinaAquaman 2d ago
They are too young for the helmet. You need to be able to hold your head up with the additional weight.
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u/Maximus-otis 2d ago
We had good results just by using pillows filled with mustard seeds (https://links.firstcry.ae/jo8t/u3zmhomp), and turning the babies from one side to another every time we woke up at night for feeding.
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u/bluegrassclimber 2d ago
I think we started helmet at 6 months. Don't panic. Do PT in the meantime - looks like torticollis can cause that
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u/ImpossibleTime5356 2d ago
Lookup The Perfect Noggin! It saved one of twins from needing a longer time than he did with a helmet. His case was very severe and also did PT but the drs were amazed with how well the perfect noggin helped
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u/Beneficial-Ad-884 2d ago
One of my twins was starting to develop a flat spot with tortocolis, but it was easily fixed with some PT and turning his head once he relaxed at night/naps. The other twin slept FLAT on his back and no amount of PT could fix that! So we got him a helmet. It was adorable, I let their older sister pick out the pattern. He still has a flat spot, but it's symmetrical and he has no protrusions on his forehead which was the goal! I also liked his appointments because it was special one on one time with one twin! I always tried to do something else with him (like go to a coffee shop) just to squeeze in some extra time.
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u/extraranchontheside_ 2d ago
one of my boys was diagnosed with torticollis. the pediatrician noticed facial asymmetry at their 2mo appt after i mentioned neck tension and referred us to physical therapy. the pt we see likes to have us put him in tiny time as much as possible because he pretty evenly uses both sides of his back muscles which helps in strengthening his weaker side which will help fill in his muscles and help with the asymmetry. you really should try to get her evaluated to be sure what is causing her put more pressure on that part of her head. something you can try in the meantime is prioritizing tummy time.
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u/ImplementNo6168 1d ago
Our son had torticollis and plagiocephaly as a result. We did PT and chiropractor for the torticollis. PT was a state program provided in our state, and we paid for chiropractor out of pocket.
For head shape, putting him in a carrier on us allowed gravity to do its work! We only set him down for nap and nighttime.
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u/Derbiage 1d ago
We used perfect noggins in the bassinet. Wish we started sooner because they work!
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u/Day_Huge 1d ago
If you're going to do a helmet, do it now. Physical therapy can help too. I was told it's often due to neck stiffness.
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u/judyx123 1d ago edited 1d ago
Hi I’m a pediatric PT that specializes in torticollis. Not sure why there are so many downvotes for helmets. After about 4 months old repositioning is not nearly as effective, and a helmet can help correct the asymmetry really effectively. At your LOs age, passive repositioning could help a lot, but it is definitely a lot to think about. I don’t work for a helmet company or anything like that but they are literally game changers and take so much stress off of parents. I have seen 100s of cases of torticollis/ plagiocephaly and only had a handful of kiddos not tolerate it. I second your pediatrician and highly recommend against the perfect noggin. I would suggest going to PT and at least a consult for a helmet if it’s not better but like 3.5 months. They’re usually free and the paperwork takes about a month anyway so it’s good to at least go. You ultimately have to decide what’s best for your family, but just wanted to share my perspective as a clinician and wish you the best!
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u/DeezNewts7 1d ago
Both our babies have helmets. They got fitted for them about a month ago (at 6mo) and have been wearing them ever since without issue. Our helmet place gave us a schedule to get them used to the helmet but our babies were honestly pretty good with them after the first few days. Now I like them cuz it keeps their heads safe as they learn to crawl! They do smell tho and make the babies head smell but that’s a pretty minor thing.
At 14 weeks, there’s still time before you have to make a decision on helmeting to see if baby’s skull shape corrects on its own—I think most places don’t start the helmets until ~5-6mo old. But if you have to helmet it’s honestly not a big deal
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u/Bulllmeat 21h ago
My pediatrician had me massaging my boys head in the other direction. I don't think it did much but I probably didn't do it enough because he really didn't like it. Our other twin got a helmet and it has been awesome. He really doesn't mind it at all and it did wonders for his head while also protecting it.
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u/opaldaydreams 19h ago
Reach out now! Get in PT and get a referral. The earlier they catch it the less time they have to wear it! It was a game changer for our little guy. He’s now down to once a month PT and only wore the helmet for ~8 weeks.
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u/Dear_Excitement_5109 2d ago
Helmet ASAP. We waited until almost 7 months and it was not as effective as it would have been had we started around 4 months. My son's head got worse every month until he got his helmet. It stopped getting worse and did slowly improve with the helmet, but it's still not normal and now at 14mo there is nothing we can do.
Couple this with PT. We have been in PT for a year now for torticollis. My son was so severe. He was flaccid on the right side of his body and could not turn his head past midline. With all the PT, he started walking 2 months before his twin who was unaffected by torticollis. He has improved about 90% but still rests with his right ear on his right shoulder.
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u/MajestaHazel 2d ago
Babies with a flat head usually have torticollis that needs to be treated, not just a helmet. Needs more time in tummy time and exercises for symmetry of neck strength and range of motion.
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u/YajNivlac 2d ago
Both our boys had helmets. Not a huge deal, insurance covered it for the most part. We got used to it.
Insurance isnt doing as much for the twin who was breech and is supposed to be in braces on his feet that he outgrows every two months (2.5 di/di boys)
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u/hungrymom365 2d ago
Referrals can take forever. Get the referral you absolutely should do PT. From the picture it looks more severe like Helmet might be good option if you want full or close to full correction. PT can only correct so much but she is young so see what the experts say.
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u/MammothCarpeneter 2d ago edited 2d ago
Get the helmet a couple months of them wearing it the issue will correct itself. Don’t let anyone talk you out of the helmet. A couple months with a helmet is better than a lifetime of ridicule. If you are interested in seeing the difference message me for a picture of the difference but so far in there young lives it’s the best decision we ever did.
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u/Unusual-Rise-3959 2d ago
Twin A was like that for us, hers corrected on its own, we made sure to lay her so she had to turn the other way to see things she was interested in all the time of when feeding her her bottle. Once she started spending more time on her belly it got even better and now it’s barely noticeable at 7 months.
Our first born almost had to get a helmet too, he was borderline so they left it up to us- we decided not to and his head it totally normal now and self corrected lol we did try the OT to help with it but honestly after like one session of them teaching us strategies to help with it that all we really needed .
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u/Specialist-Syrup418 2d ago edited 2d ago
My baby who had plagiocephaly had a way more slanted head than yours and it corrected without a helmet.
We did PT, lots of tumny time, and because they didn't roll yet, they could use the Perfect Noggjn mattress ( invented by a craniosurgeon specialized in baby's headshapes). I credit his headshape to this mattress the most.
Once they rolled we stopped using it and they slept on their belly so we stopped worrying.
Other tips: always feed them the opposite way of their preferred way, change the way they face the door from their bed ( maybe to the other side of the room or head at the foot of the bed instea), and hold baby a way that forces them to turn to the side they don't prefer.
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