![]() next, check out your baby’s side or profile while he/she is still seated.Start with your baby on your lap or, best, have someone hold your baby on their lap while you stand and check out these viewpoints. If your baby has lots of hair, you might do this assessment in the bathtub, when the water slicks their hair down onto their skull for a clearer view. ![]() Having one or two of these signs may not indicate a concern, but noting these differences from several viewpoints may be an indicator of concern. But please note: most of our heads, and especially our new babies, may have minor imperfections and asymmetries. to see if they might have plagiocephaly, also know as “flat head syndrome,” or other unique head shapes. Here are 3 easy views you can do at home to get a sense of your baby’s head shape… Generally, any asymmetries or unusual shaping from the birth event will have resolved fully by 2 months of age. As pediatric physical therapists, we love to hold babies and to check visually from multiple viewpoints, and can take anthropometric measures with calipers if concerns arise.Ī parent or a primary care provider (PCP) can visually screen a baby to assess their head shape. “Plagiocephaly” literally means “slanted head.” When deformational or positional forces such as gravity, tight muscles (torticollis), trauma from birth, in utero positioning, sleeping in one position, and overuse of baby equipment occur, the malleable infant head can become misshaped. With the rise of plagiocephaly in babies since the “Back to Sleep” campaign in the early 1990s, more parents are aware and concerned about their baby’s growth and development, and in our clinic (and amongst our friends, family and colleagues), pediatric physical therapists are asked almost daily to peek at various baby heads to screen for plagiocephaly and other related cranial issues. Typical head shape in 3 month old – courtesty of “Should I be concerned about my baby’s head shape?” ![]()
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