Helmet or No Helmet?
Parents of children who have been diagnosed with Plagiocephaly, aka, flat head, often find themselves needing to make a decision on whether or not a helmet is necessary for treatment of this condition. Some Pediatricians may be pro helmet and others may not which leaves the parents feeling more confused about this decision.
From my experience, the ideal time to treat Plagiocephaly conservatively with repositioning techniques is between 2 weeks old and approximately 4-5 months. This is the time frame where the baby’s head is growing the quickest so, as a PT, if we can get these babies as early as 2-3 weeks, we can see amazing results and possibly prevent the need for a helmet.
A baby can receive a helmet as early as 3 months. Helmets aren’t typically prescribed sooner than this because your baby needs to establish head control first before they can support the extra weight of a helmet.
If your baby is closer to 4-5 months and has a moderate to severe Plagiocephaly, the use of a helmet is the best treatment option. Obtaining a helmet prior to 6 months of age is ideal as the head is still growing quickly and the duration time in the helmet will only be 6-8 weeks. If a baby receives their first helmet around 8-10 months, the treatment time is usually 10-12 weeks because the head is not re-shaping as quickly as it was when they were younger.
As you can see, the earlier the treatment the better and quicker the outcomes. Don’t wait if you have a concern about your baby’s head shape. The sooner we can identify this, the sooner we can implement the tools needed to see quick results.
Example of a doc band for Bachycephaly/Plagiocephaly treatment