July 16, 2024, 6:24 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
When a baby is born, its skull is still soft–and for good reason. If parents notice deformations on the head in the first few weeks, they may wonder: Should we be concerned? What could be behind it, whether deformations are normal and will disappear–here are the answers.
The head of a baby must first fit through a birth canal. Additionally, the brain, which grows rapidly in the first year of life, needs enough space. There are good reasons why babies are born with a still-soft skull. Only gradually do the bony skull plates fuse together. However, if parents discover flat spots on the back or sides of their newborn’s head in the first few weeks, they quickly become worried. Rightly so?
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Overview
It’s not unusual for a baby’s head to be deformed
The good news: Such deformations are quite normal. In the first five months of life, almost all infants show such head asymmetries, according to the Professional Association of Pediatricians (BVKJ). And the doctors give the all-clear: In most cases, they are temporary and harmless.
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Babies often have their favorite position
In medicine, such a flattened deformation of the head is called plagiocephaly. It often develops in the first four to twelve weeks of life. The cause is often that babies prefer a certain head position when lying and sleeping.
Parents can counteract such position-related deformations by encouraging their child to turn their head to the side they do not prefer, through speaking to them or using stimuli such as toys. This is advised by pediatrician Ulrich Fegeler from the BVKJ.
Incidentally, according to pediatricians, these skull deformations have become more common since the recommendation that babies should sleep on their backs to protect them from sudden infant death syndrome.
Helmet therapy helps with severe deformations
But when do flat spots on a baby’s head need to be treated? “If the deformation does not recede in the first three to five months of life, the pediatrician examines whether there are muscular, bony, or other conditions that need to be treated,” says Ulrich Fegeler.
In cases of severe deformations, helmet therapy can be used. The child must then wear a custom-fitted helmet for 23 hours a day. The therapy usually lasts two to six months.
*With material from dpa