Lots of babies have asymmetrical or pointy heads?and it?s totally normal. Newborns are born with fairly thin, flexible bony plates instead of hard skulls, which makes them all the easier to squueeeze through the birth canal. But a softer skull means your baby may end up with a flat spot on their head in the first few months of life, simply from the pressure of lying on a mattress, or in a car seat or baby swing.
That?s what Cloey Bradcliff* discovered at her son Henry?s* two-month checkup. ?The paediatrician noticed Henry had a tendency to lean his head to the left, which can be a symptom of tight neck muscles from always keeping his head turned to the right when he was on his back. He also had a small flat spot on the right side of his head,? says the Toronto mom. She was surprised. ?I had no idea that this was a thing.? Plagiocephaly, or flat head syndrome as it?s commonly known, is when a baby?s head has a flat spot or is misshapen. The number of babies with the condition has soared in the past 15 years or so, because babies are put to sleep on their backs, which is the safest and only recommended sleeping position. A 2013 study in Calgary found that almost of half of babies between the ages of seven and 12 weeks had a flat spot. Flat head syndrome is not dangerous and doesn?t affect brain development, and as long as they’re doing tummy time, most little ones grow out of it on their own by around six months, when they?re rolling over and starting to sit up.
But if ...