An introduction to Plagiocephaly and Repositioning
There are a number of medical terms for plagiocephaly, including flat head syndrome, brachycephaly or scaphocephaly. Flat head syndrome is a condition that can appear at any time from birth, but it tends to take a few weeks or months to become apparent. Sometimes parents or health professionals notice that their baby’s head seems to have an altered shape with part of it appearing to be flat. If the flattening is severe enough, there can be asymmetry in the face and forehead with and one ear further forward than the other. 
An
*Infographic on plagiocephaly and repositioning from Technology in Motion
It can be confusing with all the different opinions and medical changes. When my babies were born we were told to put them on their tummies then by my 4th they were saying to put them on their sides and now it is different again. I’m so thankful for WIC, and the internet so new moms can get sound medical advice.
Gladys P
My youngest grandson had a pretty flat head when he was a newborn, and I think it was because he was always placed on his back for sleep and then spent most of his awake time in a bouncer seat. His head never had a chance to fill out completely. It filled out finally once he was getting more active and starting to roll and sit up.
I was only recently really aware of this due to a friends child having it. I wonder if Eileen has a valid point about babies sleeping on their backs all night then being laid down in bouncers and swings during the day. Babies can also get torticollis if their head is always facing the same way. (There is also a congenital version as well though). I think tummy time is very important and repositioning! Obviously if your child is born with the congenital versions there isn’t much you can do to prevent, just treat.
My daughter who is now 19 mos. had Brachycephaly. We started noticing it around 2 mos. and immediately started repositioning her and trying to eliminate/reduce the time she spent on the back of her head during the day. But it just continued to get worse since she was still spending the entire night on her back. We ended up seeing a specialist at University of Michigan who actually created the helmet she wore from the time she was 6 mos. til 9 mos. We saw amazing results in just 6 weeks. And truthfully, the time flew by and she was such a good sport about it. I was so worried about the prospect of putting her in the helmet but we are so glad we made the decision to do it. For any parents that are considering this, it really wasn’t that bad. Good luck making your decision!
my older kids spent a lot more time on their bellies. these little ones hate tummy time and cry and holler the whole time. so one of the twins’ heads is flatter than the other. but they still have necks and actually spend a lot of time sitting in bumbos, so hopefully that will help so we don’t need the helmet :(
my third child had this. we caught it pretty early though thanks to an amazing family doctor! We did just a few physical therapy appointments, and we were able to fix it before it became a problem. Thanks for sharing this info!
It seems that more and more infants are experiencing this. I wonder if it’s from babies needing to sleep on their backs and then all the new baby gear out there like swings, bouncers, and other chairs they use so much now? I never thought about it pushing their other facial features out of symmetry. I know one family member from many years ago who had casts on his feet for “club feet” and he could not sleep any other way but on his back. His hair covers and of course he is adorable inside and out, and no lasting effects…but besides physical change, can the brain itself be pushed beyond it’s normal containment and cause issues?