how do you keep a baby from getting a flat head?

Answer 1

Position them differently all the time. It usually comes from sleeping on the back. Try to give the baby a lot of tummy time, use the bumbo seat (supervised on the carpet, of course), and put him/her down for bed alternating which side the head is tilted towards. Or, let him/her take naps on his/her side, alternating sides each nap. That's what the specialist suggested for the little girl I used to nanny for.

Answer 2

A timely question! Since the "Back to Sleep" campaign, many infants remain on their back. The more docile ones are content to turn their head to the side - usually to the right - where there is light, sound and motion. Thus they develop a flattening on that side of the head.

One way to stimulate the infant to turn to the other side is to put it in the crib with the baby's head at the foot of the crib on alternate days. This will induce most babies to look to the other side.

Additionally, when the infant is awake and alert, allow it to have "tummy time," that is, place it on the stomach for a while.

Answer 3

lots of tummy time! This will not only prevent flat-head syndrome, but it will also increase the strength of the neck and arms.

Try to have at least 20 minutes of tummy time each day.

Don't let your child sleep on his/her tummy, though. This is a SIDs risk and it's a risk you don't want to take! Tummy time should only be done when the baby is awake!

Good luck and have fun!

Answer 4

Basically, at the very minimum your child should have 3 hours of supervised awake tummy time everyday and should not be sleeping with their head in the same position every night. That is the basic standard advice to avoid your baby having a flat head.

Personally, I think that putting infants to sleep on their backs is very dangerous from a developmental point of view and totally disagree with the "Back to sleep" campaign because it causes far more problems than it claims to prevent. I think putting a baby on it's tummy (prone position) to sleep is far more healthier than putting them on their back (supine position). But, each parent should decide for themselves with all the information.

The following article is by a nurse and in her section under "Conclusions" she talks about how to prevent your child getting a flat head (the technical term is deformational plagiocephaly):

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1595182

This article talks about how lots of kids now have plagiocephaly:

http://www.oandp.org/jpo/library/2004_04S_005.asp

This article talks about how the "Back to Sleep" campaign statistics are probably incorrect and it may be that there is no benefit to the whole thing and only negative consequences:

http://cgi.thescientificworld.co.uk/cgi-bin/processHtml.pl?Id=2005.03.71.html&format=Dreamweaver

Here's another article that talks about flat head:

http://www.oandp.com/edge/issues/articles/2006-12_02.asp

Good Luck.

Answer 5

Don't let him lay on his back all the time. Tummy time and also holding him..My son has never had the flat head and he also hasn't got that little bald spot baby's get when their hair rubs off.

Answer 6

Tummy time is important. Also - when you do lay the child on his or her back, try to put them in different positions in the crib or on the floor so his/her attention isn't always focused in the same direction, having their head turned in the same direction all the time. It is important to have them looking around at all angles, and not just in the same position all the time.

Answer 7

Get a sling and carry your baby as much as possible. Don't let anyone tell you that lots of carrying will spoil your baby. They used to believe that, but that's outdated now. Research shows that the opposite is true, so wear your baby as much as you can!

Answer 8

make him sleep in different positions every time he sleeps, it's to late for my twins the both have flat heads.

Answer 9

rotating sleep position
tummy time

Answer 10

tummy time