Preventing Positional Plagiocephaly

5″ height=”172″ />As we discussed last week, positional plagiocephaly can be a more serious condition than previously thought. Unfortunately, it’s a disease that parents don’t notice until considerable damage has been done.

It’s certainly not a definite that your baby will develop flathead syndrome, there are precautions you can take to help prevent it, specifically repositioning.

First, make a point to have “tummy time.” When your baby is awake and someone is watching, simply make sure your baby spends a fairly significant amount of time on his or her belly. This will help prevent flat spots as well as help strengthen the baby’s head, neck, and shoulder muscles.

Each week, alter the direction that your baby lies in his or her crib. This change will encourage the baby to turn his or her head in different directions to avoid resting in the same position all the time (the most common cause of flat spots).

Similarly, change the location of the crib every two or three weeks. Take note of certain things your baby tends to look at a lot (like the window or door) and position the crib so he or she will have to look in different directions to see it. If there’s a particular decoration the baby looks at a lot, just move that to various parts of the room.