Infant Flat Head Treatment - Symptoms, Causes & Methods

An infant's flat head is one of the things that bothers the mother and causes her to panic and worry about the health and safety of her child due to the abnormally deformed or flat shape of the head. Continue reading if you notice your child has a crooked or flattened head and want to know the causes and treatment options.

It is normal for an infant to be born with flexible and soft bones that can flatten for various reasons. Between the ages of 6 and 8 weeks, the child experiences flattening symptoms. A newborn flat head can be treated in the first 6 months of the child’s life, but it may be difficult to treat after the passage of the first year of the child's life.

What are The Symptoms of An Infant Flat Head?

• Flat sides or bottom of the head
• Ear swelling on the affected side
• Lack of hair in the flat area

What are The Causes of Infant Flat Heads?

The causes of the problem of infant flat head are multiple, including what occurs due to spontaneous errors or health-related problems, and most of the causes can be overcome and treated easily. Here are these common causes of the occurrence of a flat head in an infant:

1. Infection with genetic diseases or hereditary causes that cause a deformity in the shape of the infant's head.
2. Osteomalacia is due to a vitamin D deficiency, which affects the shape of the skull bones and causes muscle scoliosis.
3. Pregnancy with twins can lead to a flattening of the head due to the pressure of one child on the head of the other, which causes an infant flat head.
4. Problems during natural childbirth and the occurrence of problems in the uterus before birth, such as lack of fluids that protect the child, which forms pressure around the child’s head, causing flattening.
5. Brain atrophy due to the birth of a premature baby who did not complete the nine months of pregnancy and did not complete the growth of the bones of his skull.
6. Premature birth and the infant sleeping on one side or on his back constantly after birth can lead to a misalignment of the head due to the reshaping of the baby's skull bones.
7. The occurrence of a sprain in the child's neck due to the spasm of the neck muscles in one position and painfully causes a scoliosis in the child's head.
8. The infant spends most of his time on the chairs designated for him or on the swing, which changes the shape of the skull from the back as a result of the external pressure on the head area.

What are the methods of infant flat head treatment?

Treatment for an infant's flat head varies depending on the child's condition and the degree of flatness. For this, some necessary analyses and examinations must be done to determine the degree of flatness before prescribing the appropriate treatment, because the infant flat head treatment lies in treating the cause. Here are some methods of treating flat heads in infants:

1. Nutritional supplements

In some cases of newborn flat heads, the doctor dispenses some simple medications to improve the level of vitamin D, which plays a major role in strengthening the bones of the infant.

2. Head straightening device

In cases of flat head syndrome, it may sometimes be necessary to wear a head orthosis to help increase pressure on the flat areas of the head and improve their shape.

3. Sleeping position

Changing the child's sleeping position from normal to the opposite can restore the child's normal state and shape. If the child is used to sleeping on the right side, reverse the direction with head shaping Pillow 

4. Natural therapy

Exercise contributes to the treatment of flat heads in infants with problems in the muscles of the head and neck to improve the flexibility of muscles and bones, and this is done only by the attending physician.

Does a Flat Head in Infants Affect The Child?

• There is no need to worry about the occurrence of an infant flat head, as this problem does not affect the child's health or the physical or mental growth and development of the child's brain, and it does not require complex surgeries to treat the head; it only affects the shape of the child's head, which can be corrected with simple, painless procedures.
• In conclusion, the infant flat head treatment is not impossible and does not cause you to be anxious or panic, you can remedy it with easy and simple steps and by following the instructions of the attending physician, and the effects may disappear automatically with time, due to the increase in brain volume and the return of the head to its normal shape.