I’m excited to introduce Smarty Mom Leigh Mays. I met Leigh at my neighborhood new mom’s group and our children are in the same class at daycare. Leigh is a superstar in my book! I marvel at her ability work full time, be a super mom, all while channeling her inner Martha Stewart. Where I bring the store bought brownies to the school luncheon and play my “working mom” card, Leigh rolls in with a plate of some amazing homemade dessert. Before the Thanksgiving holiday I witnessed Leigh delivering homemade strawberry jam for all the teachers in the infant suite. Really?!?!? Who works, takes care of their son, husband and still has time to jar homemade preserves, well Leigh does and I continue to be in awe.
Leigh’s son was diagnosed with plagiocephaly during his first few months, which is really just a fancy term for flat head. But, I wanted her to share her experience with the CSP readers so that we all could learn more about why some babies wind up with flat heads and some easy ways for us to avoid it. She can probably even give you a few tips for turning a helmet into a fashionable item. Tyson rocked an Alabama Football Helmet thanks to her handy work!
The stats:
Name: Leigh Mays
Husband: Kevin Mays
Kid – Tyson (9 months)
Married (how long): 4.5 years
Hometown: Sarasota, FL
Lived in Charlotte: 4.5 years
What are the clinical terms for flat head and helmet? I’m sure saying flat head is not the technical term.
Plagiocephaly – a persistent flat spot on the back or side of head. Head flattening and asymmetry can have a number of causes: torticollis (aka wryneck or tightened neck muscles), crowding of the baby in the uterus, extended time in car seats and other infant carriers as well as back sleeping.
Did you notice the issue with Tyson’s head or did your pediatrician?
At Tyson’s two month check up, our pediatrician noticed the flat spot on his head and referred us to Susan Slaughter at Carolina Kinder Therapy for a second opinion. At that point, we hadn’t noticed the flat spot on our own. I had noticed that one of his ears seemed to be farther forward than the other, which was likely attributed to his head shape. Our therapist stretched his neck muscles, took measurements of his head, and diagnosed him with a moderate case of torticollis and plagiocephaly. The two diagnoses oftentimes go hand and hand. She explained that since we caught it so early and babies grow so rapidly between two and four months that there was a 50/50 chance that he’d need orthotics (aka cranial band) at around four months of age. Given the pace of growth, four months is the earliest that she would even consider a band. Tyson saw a therapist once a week for a month, and then it tapered to about once every other week until he was 4 months old.
What did the therapist recommend you do to work with Tyson?
We were given exercises to strengthen his neck with every diaper change and were encouraged to limit his waking time on his back and in all contraptions (swing, bouncy seat, car seat). In addition, and most importantly, we increased his tummy time and began to incorporate time on his side. We went to great lengths to encourage him to look left (the side of his neck that was tight) – so much so that we changed the direction we placed him in the crib at night and for diaper changes and left the light in the hallway on or fan on to draw his attention (and keep him off that flat spot). Try changing a diaper with the baby’s head on the opposite side – it’s like signing your name left handed (unless of course you are left handed)! We saw great improvements in his neck strength and flexibility over the course of those two months (pre-helmet).
When did you learn that Tyson needed a helmet?
I prepared myself from the beginning that a cranial band was likely at four months, but was determined to do everything I could in the meantime to try and prevent it. By four months, we had seen great strides in Tyson’s neck strength and flexibility. He was able to track items both to his right and left, but hadn’t seen much improvement in head shape. In our minds, we had done everything in our power, so the sooner he had the band on, the sooner he’d have it off. We were eager to get the next step in the process started, although nervous to see how it would affect him.
What was his course of treatment?
Tyson’s head was casted (similar to how an arm or leg would be) with plaster at 4.5 months. The cast of his head was then shipped off to a lab where his custom cranial band was made based on how his head SHOULD be shaped. We had some options of designs and colors for his helmet, but ultimately chose white, as I had already been researching and designing his band. For me, that was the exciting part. I knew I didn’t want white – it was far too medical and looked like something was wrong with my sweet baby boy. In all my research, I happened upon a fabulous website that showed custom designs for the cranial bands and showed dozens and dozens of happy babies sporting their helmets. The website, Bling Your Band, was a great way for me to share with family and friends what Tyson would be wearing.
Were you worried about the helmet’s effect on Tyson?
Two weeks after his plaster mold was taken, (about 1 week before he was five months old), Tyson was fitted for his band. I was nervous that my happy, easygoing baby boy’s personality and demeanor would be altered after wearing a helmet for 23 hours a day. It NEVER fazed him – on or off. And actually, it was a great way to protect his noggin from falls as he began to roll over and sit up. There are spills now where I think to myself, man, that helmet would have come in handy!
What did you do to decorate the white band?
After much deliberation, my husband and I agreed upon an Alabama Football helmet. After all, it was August and College football was right around the corner. My husband Kevin is a huge Alabama football fan, so he was thrilled albeit insistent that it look like the real thing.
Did people ask you about his helmet?
23 hours a day, seven days a week for 11 weeks, Tyson sported the helmet…. Yes, people talked – some questioned, some gawked, and some just quickly looked the other way. The helmet caught your intention and definitely became a conversation starter once it was painted. I think the design made it no longer look so medical and made us much more approachable to share the condition and course of treatment.
How can new moms avoid flattening their baby’s heads?
Don’t be afraid to encourage tummy time and side time when the baby is awake from the very beginning. I think there is so much emphasis on putting your baby on his/her back to sleep that the stress of tummy time is lost, especially in the first few months.
As Susan best put it, use the swing, bouncy seat, car seat, etc as condiments and not the main course.
Ask your pediatrician early if you notice a flat spot, the baby favoring one direction or having a tilt in his or her head.
Do families need support during this time?
I think they do. I reached out to two different families who had children that wore cranial bands. They were so supportive through the process. Personally knowing those beautiful children with giant personalities and who are flourishing in all aspects of life helped me keep perspective that everything was going to be okay. Since then, I’ve met at least two more families going through a similar process with their babies and I have made a valiant effort to reach out to them and tell Tyson’s story and answer their questions/concerns. As I was told on numerous occasions early on, the cranial band affects the parents so much more than it will affect the child. Hard to believe – yes, but 100% true.
How is Tyson’s head now that he is 9 months?
Much rounder, but with a few more bruises now that he’s getting around! We saw a difference in shape within the two weeks of wearing the helmet. At the beginning, I thought surely it was just wishful thinking on our part, but even his first set of measurements showed signs of improvement. He actually has a profile in either direction now. The 11 weeks flew by and were well worth it. And that Alabama football helmet is now worn by a stuffed monkey in his room.
References:
Carolina Kinder Therapy – http://www.carolinakindertherapy.com
13 comments
Is this a cosmetic condition or are there medical reasons why it needs to be treated?
We saw Susan when my daughter was diagnosed with torticollis and she is the BEST!!
My daughter wore a band as well… I was very upset at first but quickly became adjusted to it and so did she!
@anonymous, it can be cosmetic because who wants a flat head, however, torticollis is a medical condition effecting the movement of your neck. Also, plagiocephaly can cause differences in position of the ears, eyes, and jaw bones. For instance, our daughter's jaw bones were effected and in the long run this could cause her major mouth problems, so the cranial band got her head back into proper alignment. not perfect but much better.
I'm pretty sure my son Quinn is going to end up with one of these! His head is as flat as a pancake! I try everything from tummy time to getting him to be on his side, but his head ALWAYS ends up in the wrong position! Plus, he is a spitter and each time he is on his tummy he ends up face first in spit-up. Good times! Bring on the helmet!
There is this really cool thing called the Smart Cappy that is supposed to prevent flat heads. Neither of my daughters ever had this issue, but I know a lot of babies that have worn helmets. http://www.lagoogie.com/ Has anyone ever tried one of these?
2 of my 5 children have had a band. I have had the pleasure of knowing Susan since 2000 when she helped my 1st child with his band who only had the issue of plagiocephaly/ flat spot. He was diagnosed at his 9 month old appt. and was subsequently casted and put into a helmet. He wore the band for 6 months. My last child who had a band also had torticollis. This was a very new experience for us. We had to work very hard with him to get this corrected. He came out of my belly with a flat spot…this is something he can blame on his twin sister. 🙂 My belly just ran out of room for the both of them. We were referred to Susan at Carolina Kinder Therapy. I agree she is the BEST!! Very loving and truly cares for her clients, she is patient and helps make the children feel comfortable. I know there are other companies in the area that do the bands but what made me go with Susan was the way she does the bands; there is no question or room for error as it is an exact fit to your child's head. The children are casted and then the cast is sent off to be molded for YOUR childs head. I have heard others say that casting may bother the child not at one time did he cry. He is not even 9 months old and has over come is torticolis. His head is looking WONDERFUL. We are on our 2nd band and Susan told us from the start since we were casting him at 4 months this might would happen. I wish you could see the pictures of his head before the getting the band and how much improvement there has been – NIGHT AND DAY DIFFERENCE!! Growth wise you can see the part of his head that was protruding has shifted over to the flat area. I can not tell you as a mom how important it was for me for him to get his helmet…it was such a relief to know that we were are doing everything we could to help him. His ears were misalingned and now they are looking better than ever. I truly feel that Susan's advanced training in myofascial release was key to his improvement. I would not hisate to refer anyone to her she knows what she is doing. Susan only sees children from 6 weeks to a little over 1 year of age which allows her to specialize in this age group. I highly recommend her. Once you meet with her you will know this is where you should be. One more thing before I sign off…I would like to answer the question about the band being cosmetic…some insurance companies say yes. However many have and are learning that it is not cosmetic. Having a so called "flat spot" can cause MANY other issues if gone untreated. Vision, hearing, misalignment of the ears and facial features. If you think your child has Plagiocephaly have your doctor look into it or call Susan.
Holly,
At our sons last Dr.’s appt, about a week ago, we were told that he has torticollos (he is bit over two months). We are incredibly concerned and fromt he research we have done, have not gained much hope. Your words provide what we have been searching for. I would like to speak to you more and gain a bit more insight about your child’s experience. We have an appointment this coming Wednesday with Susan Slaughter.
Our daughter saw Susan Slaughter for plagiocephaly and torticollis. Susan is incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and professional. Our daughter's torticollis has improved dramatically thanks to Susan. I highly recommend her!Our daughter wore a cranial band from five months through eight months. I was worried that it might bother her but it did not phase her. We had the attitude that if she had to wear the band we were going to make it look fun. We took the band to Leigh Gibson of Treasured Interiors and had it painted. She's talented and experienced in painting cranial bands and her prices are very reasonable. Her website is http://www.whymsicalmurals.com/ Now that our daughter is crawling, pulling up, and bumping her head, I actually miss the band!
Both of my sons have gone to Susan for plagiocephaly (flat head). With our first, I noticed that he tended to always look to one side right from birth, but even though I'm a physical therapist myself, it never occurred to me that he might have torticollis (tight muscles in the neck) or develop a flat spot– I was so worried about breast feeding, lack of sleep, and everything else that comes along with a newborn that I just wasn't looking at my baby through PT eyes! When my son was about 10 weeks old, we finally noticed his tendency to look to one side and the flat spot that was developing, so we went to the pediatrician, who told us not to worry about it. I think my husband and I were in denial a little, thinking, "it will round out on his own" and not wanting to even consider that it might not resolve on its own. So we waited and waited, and didn't pursue further intervention until he was almost 1 year old. At that time, we went to Susan Slaughter. She is a very skilled occupational therapist, as well as a very warm and empathetic person– she is a wonderful clinician. She began educating us on stretching and positioning, and strongly recommended cranial banding due to the assymetry in his face, ears, and jaw. Our son began wearing the helmet shortly after his first birthday (which is very late in terms of effectiveness for cranial banding!), and wore it 23 hrs/day for 3 months. I was SO anxious about the helmet, and remember crying about my poor baby having to wear it… but we had it painted to look like a Panthers helmet, and he actually looked really cute in it and it didn't bother him one bit. Most importantly, it worked! He is now 4 years old and has a perfectly round head with no assymetry. Also, Susan and our pediatrician (who later got on board with treatment) wrote excellent letters to our insurance company, and our cranial band was paid for IN FULL– we were amazed and ecstatic!Our second son was born about a year after our first came out of his cranial band, and he also had a strong tendency to look towards one side right from birth. The second time around I was definitely watching him through my physical therapist eyes! We noticed the torticollis immediately and brought him to Susan within about 2 months. We started doing weekly OT sessions and home exercises, and after a couple months his flat spot had disappeared and he was no longer turning his head in only one direction. I feel strongly that if we had not intervened as early as we did with our second son, we would have ended up needing a cranial band for him too, so I'm so happy that we knew better the second time around. I hope this information might be helpful to anyone who is in a similar situation, unsure of whether or not to pursue further intervention. If you notice a flat spot or limited range of motion in the neck at all, I would definitely recommend seeing Susan… cranial banding is non-invasive and effective, but can be expensive (depending on your insurance) and time-consuming, so all the more reason to pursue early intervention to possibly eliminate the need for a band at all!:)
We recently went through the same experience with our son who was diagnosed with torticollis. We were fortunate to work with both Susan (from Carolina Kinder Therapy) and Suzanne Bynum (from Little Wonders Occupational Therapy). Suzanne helped us on a weekly basis for three months (from our son's 2 month bday through 5 months).She is an amazing therapist! Like the other posts mentioned, she recommended us limiting the use of the swing and bouncy seat – which is very tough when you have 3 kids! But we listened and did our best – and it proved successful!Hank was seen by Susan to measure his head at 2 months age and after 3 months of therapy with Suzanne, we were given the green light from Susan that a helmet was NOT NEEDED! Yay!!We were thrilled with the results of his therapy. Even though those months were difficult (lots of tummy time, Baby Bjorn carrying, even lying him flat in a stroller rather than leaving him in his car seat on shopping trips), it paid off in the end.I highly recommend Suzanne Bynum with Little Wonders. Their ph# is 704.752.1616. Check them out!
My daughter was also diagnosed with a moderate case of torticollis and plagiocephaly. At about 4 months I started to notice her preference to one side, which caused a flat spot, and she had a tilt in her head. I brought it up to a pediatrician who said it would correct itself. But after a month, nothing changed and so I mentioned it to her pediatrician again (she saw another pediatrician the first time). Her pediatrician acknowledged the flat spot and the tilt and referred me to Susan Klemm Slaughter at Carolina Kinder Therapy. When we first walked into Susan’s facility, I instantly felt comfortable. You are always greeted by name and I’ve had nice conversations with everyone while waiting to meet with Susan (I often times arrived earlier than my schedule appointment). Susan is a wonderful person and an excellent occupational therapist. She is very knowledgeable, professional and friendly. She has a very good eye for detail and will notice even the slightest things. Susan diagnosed my daughter with torticollis and plagiocephaly. We first wanted to try everything we could to correct the tilt and reshape the head without the cranial band. We tried neck strengthening exercises (my daughter tilted left, looking towards the right), and we tried our best to encourage her looking in the other direction (looking left in her case), by changing her head position in the crib and her position while changing diapers. We also did physical therapy twice a week. This helped tremendously, but after two weeks, we did not see a significant improvement in the shape of her head or the alignment of her ears, so Susan recommended the cranial orthotic band. We adjusted really well to it – it is true that parents are impacted more by it than the child who is wearing it. I remember bringing her home with it on and my husband, who just returned from work, sat there for five minutes just looking at her wearing the cranial band. Others have commented that it is all cosmetic. It really is not. If left untreated, plagiocephaly can cause many other issues that affects vision, hearing, misalignment of the ears and facial features. I personally loved the cranial band, because not only did it help with the reshaping of her head, it also protected her head from her little baby falls. My daughter wore it for four months (ages 6 months to 10 months), 23 hours a day (we only removed it for bath time). In those four months, we continued physical therapy twice a week. I also purchased a product called Snugzee for her car seat, to help her keep her head straight, instead of tilting (it worked quite well – http://www.snugzeebaby.com). But before and after her graduation from wearing the band, I still noticed an ever so slight tilt, which was more apparent when she fell asleep in the car seat. I remember talking to Susan about this (on the day the cranial band came off) and Susan had also noticed this very very slight tilt. She called us back the same day to schedule an appointment for a myofascial release. In addition, we put kinesiotape on my daughter to help with the tilt. I agree with the previous comment that Susan’s advanced training in myofascial release was key to my daughter’s improvement on that final slight tilt. We are so glad we met Susan!!
Susan at Carolina Kinder was amazing to work with and they just developed these awesome videos that show you what you can do at home for proper development and to avoid the helmet – my favorite is how to encourage tummy time and make it more tolerable for baby.