Babies spend a lot of time lying on their backs. Both when they are asleep and while we are giving them a bottle or breast, when they are in the car seat, in their hammock or on their play mat. When they are born, their skull is soft and flexible, so they can better transit through the birth canal. These soft spots are known as the fontanelle, and they harden and close during the first two years of life.
The confluence of two factors –a soft skull and spending many hours lying on your back– can cause malformations in the skull such as positional or postural plagiocephaly. Its incidence has increased in recent years and it is important to know what it consists of, as well as how to prevent it, in order to remedy it as soon as possible and avoid complications in your baby.
Positional or postural plagiocephaly is a deformity in the baby’s skull by which some areas of his head are flattened. The constant pressure on a certain part of the skull due to a repetitive posture means that it does not grow regularly and uniformly.
The fact of spending many hours lying on your back in the same position causes your head to flatten out in that specific area where the pressure is exerted. Generally, it is a deformity that affects only aesthetic levels. But in some cases, if not treated properly, it can lead to developmental problems in the little one.
The key to preventing plagiocephaly in babies is to alternate their head posture frequently, as well as avoiding spending too much time lying on their backs. For example, it is advisable to carefully vary the position of your head when you sleep. Or also turn the crib so that you have to rotate your head if you want to look at something that catches your attention, such as a mobile or your parents.
It is also advisable that you do not spend too much time lying down or in the crib, or in a chair or in a hammock. Instead, it is convenient to practice carrying, as well as what is known as “tummy time”. The latter is a technique that consists of placing the baby face down on a soft but firm surface for a few minutes a day and increasing the duration as the neck strengthens. During this time, he must be awake, always under adult supervision, and you must attract his attention with toys or petting him so that he keeps his head up.
Plagiocephaly can be corrected in about two or three months by performing postural measures prescribed by the pediatrician such as those mentioned above, with certain exercises and rehabilitation techniques. In some cases where the baby does not show improvement, it may be necessary to resort to a cranial orthosis, a kind of helmet that is custom-fitted to correct the shape of the skull. Surgical interventions are used only in some children with a more severe prognosis.
