My baby is balding in the back of her head...what to do?

Question

I dont think her head was like when she was born. I am thinking it is because she has to sleep on her back. She is a lil over a week old. I have seen other babies with balding spots on the back of the heads in the past. I dont know if there is anything i can do...

Answer 1

It's completely normal. The baby hair will fall out as she moves her head. The new hair will grow in thicker and maybe a different color. My baby is 4 months old and the same happened and is happening to her.

Answer 2

Just as baby teeth have to fall out before the permanent ones can come in, soft, downy baby hair has to make way for a child's mature hair. So don't worry — some hair loss is perfectly normal during your baby's first six months. Since your baby spends a lot of time on her back during her first few months while she's sleeping and playing, the part of her head that presses up against the floor or mattress may be where she loses the most hair, simply because it's the site of the most constant friction and pressure. As she learns to sit up and her mature hair starts to grow in, the problem should correct itself. Your baby may also develop a bald spot if she bangs her head against her crib — a generally harmless behavior she'll outgrow before long.

What you can do about it
Not much, at least not for the first six months. Hair loss in young babies is normal and will most likely correct itself before too long. In the meantime, if you want to hide your baby's bald spot, pick up a few cute hats (a bonus: they'll keep your baby safe from the sun, too).

If your baby loses a noticeable amount of hair after she's six months old, tell her physician. Hair loss can occasionally be a symptom of medical or nutritional problems, the result of a scalp injury, or a problem in and of itself that the doctor can help reverse if it's caught early enough. In older children and adults it can also be caused by stress.

Answer 3

My son was the same way.. it's because of the amount of time they spend on their backs. Aa babies get older and spend less time on thier backs it gradually grows back in. Actually my son lost most of his newborn hair and then regrew hair that was slightly a lighter color and this is normal too. Some babies are born with a head full of hair and they lose it all. It usually starts growing back by about 6 months. My son just recently started sleeping on his tummy and he is also sitting up (he's 6 1/2 months) and his 'bald' spot is filling in!

Answer 4

This happened to my son who is now almost 7 months old and still has a completely bald spot on the back of his head. His started when he was about 4 months though when he learned how to shake his head "NO". After he learned how to do it and got a reaction, he started doing it all the time and he now does it whenever he's tired to try and wake himself up. There's not much you can do about it other than wear little hats on her as everyone else has suggested. I think it's cute and we laugh about it all the time, I even took a picture of it to put in his baby book so we can look back and remember when he's older!

Answer 5

Don't worry, it's completely normal. Almost every baby that I've ever seen -- from ones born with a full head of hair to ones with hardly any at all -- loses a great deal of hair within the fist couple of months of being born. It usually has to do with their hormones being a little "out of wack" from being inside the womb of a pregnant woman (and as I'm sure you know when you're pregnant your hormones go a little crazy, lol). That being said, if she isn't eating, or you think that somehow she may be malnourished (i.e. anemic), take her into the doctor -- malnutrition and anemia can cause hairloss. Also, does she have cradle cap? This dry-skin condition can sometimes cause hair to fall out.

In any case, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, but if you're still concerned, you should mention it at her next check-up (which should be soon, right?). Parents ask these kinds of things all the time.

Good luck and congratulations on the baby!!! :)

Answer 6

I have the same problem w/ my baby but I think his resulted from having cradle cap.

My nephew had a bald spot from sleeping on his back.

I hear people saying that it helps to change the position of the baby each night. I also think there are baby head caps for the babies to wear--- I don't know if it's safe or not--- I haven't tried it.

I'll just let my baby outgrow it-- but he is a boy--- I think I would be more concerned if he was a girl.

Answer 7

If your baby was born with hair (which it sounds like she was) her Newborn hair may not necessarily be permanent hair.
My daughter was born with dark brown hair and on the top it slowly turned light blonde, in the back she had a bald spot going on which I also thought was very odd. What it was, was the newborn hair falling out and her new light blonde hair coming in.

Its completely normal, a lot of babies have very odd balding patterns until they either grow the rest of their hair or all of their Newborn hair falls out and the new stuff comes in :)

Answer 8

I have found the best way to prevent the bald spotting from friction is to use a wedge and lay the baby on her side. Then the next time you put her down, lie her on the other side. It helps they're heads from getting that flat look in the back as well as keeping them off of their back and their stomach. It is also safer to put them on their sides using a wedge because if a baby spits up while you or she is asleep, being on her side reduces the chances of aspiration dramatically.

Answer 9

This happens to almost every baby!

There is nothing you can do except wait for the new hair to grow in, which won't take long. You can always try hats in the meantime. No worries.

Answer 10

Hi its normal. Every baby loses the hair there born with and I have noticed the more i get my sons hair wet the faster it comes out. You should be noticing that the permanent hair is coming in also.