How to Improve a Flat Head in Infants Naturally
Hearing that your baby may need to wear an infant helmet to correct flat spots or is fussy and uncomfortable due to excess tension in their neck can leave you feeling stressed and concerned.
We want to help relieve that stress and improve your baby’s health and development by sharing what causes a stiff neck and flat spots and the MOST EFFECTIVE method to AVOID an infant helmet and IMPROVE neck mobility and muscle control.
What Causes Plagiocephaly (flat spots) and Torticollis (stiff neck)?
At it’s core, plagiocephaly is a neurological problem stemming from a forceful labor and delivery that create stress and nerve interference in the nervous system. Nerve interference in the neck and upper spine leads to a stiff neck and poor muscle control (torticollis), which leads to flat spots on the head due to favoring one side when eating, sleeping, and laying on their back or tummy.
And you can probably guess what happens when a baby spends more time laying on one side of their head: flat spots!
Here’s a simple ROOT CAUSE equation for you: Birth Trauma (c-section, forceps, tugging/twisting of infant’s head) ➡️ stress in the nervous system ➡️a stiff neck and poor muscle control ➡️ flat spots on the head.
In the chiropractic field, we know limited head and neck mobility is a sign of NEURO-MOTOR DYSFUNCTION where the brain 🧠is not properly communicating with the muscles in the head and neck.
Listen to Dr. Kyle’s video as he provides a more in-depth description of what causes these developmental issues and the best way to heal them.
Watch Video
How to Avoid Getting an Infant Helmet
Is your baby 👶🏽 developing flat spots on its head? Are you hoping to avoid getting recommendations for a helmet? Here are a few things you can do to alter their neurology, daily activities, and environment to improve neck mobility and prevent flat spots.
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Get them adjusted: Because plagiocephaly results from dysfunction in the nervous system, the MOST EFFECTIVE way to prevent or correct flat spots is to remove tension and nerve interference in the neck. As a neurologically-focused chiropractic office, our doctors can gently REDUCE the TENSION in the motor nerve system which improves brain signaling 💫 to the muscles groups in the neck and upper spine that leads to increased range of motion so flat spots heal (or never occur in the first place).
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Do more tummy time: Get them off of their head and working on their neck and upper back strength.
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Limit the use of infant swings, bassinets, and bouncers: Most baby-holding containers force their infant to be on their back which can lead to flat spots on their head.
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Alternate feeding positions: Especially when bottle-feeding, it can be easy to have infants in the same position, even on the same side!
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Wear your baby more: As babies get to 3-4 months, they have enough neck strength to be forward-facing and enjoy seeing or being involved in everything you're doing; laundry, tidying up, vacuuming, etc.
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Switch up their sleeping position in the crib: If you're noticing your baby has a preference to always lie on one side, you can set yourself a calendar reminder a few times a day to move their head to a different position while they are sleeping.
💜 Getting your baby adjusted and doing these little things adds up to spending a lot less time on the same side of their head and can help prevent those pesky flat spots.
Get your baby checked to reduce stress in their nervous system, improve coordination of the musculoskeletal system, and decrease any muscle tension. We’ve helped hundreds of babies heal from torticollis and plagiocephaly and we’d love to help yours too! 💕Schedule an initial assessment with us online today!
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