What’s Causing the Flat Spot on my Baby’s Head?

There are many possible reasons for your baby to have a flat spot on her head. Sometimes babies are born with one from their position in the womb. Or, one has developed since you’ve gotten home.

If you’ve searched online for answers, you’re probably confused and worried. Let’s see if we can clear things up a bit, shall we?

The bones forming your baby’s skull are not fully hardened and won’t be for a few more months. In the meantime, it is important to know that a baby’s bones are still malleable and soft enough to respond to intervention.

Here in America, we promote the Back to Sleep program to prevent your baby from smothering. This program, along with how often babies are placed on their backs in car seats, carriers, strollers, etc. has contributed to an increased incidence of baby’s developing flat spots on their heads.

If you’ve noticed a flat spot on your baby’s head, here are 3 things you can do:

1. Each time you take your baby out of a carrier or pick him up from the crib, cradle the back of his head so his face is pointing up and not off to one side. Doing this gently stretches any neck muscles that may be tight.
2. Limit the use of infant positioning equipment, such as car seats, carriers, bouncy seats, etc. For example, only use the carrier or car seat combo when your baby is being transported.
3. Take pictures of the flat areas on your baby’s skull from various angles (especially from overhead) and discuss your concerns with your baby’s pediatrician. Intervention works best when it is started early.

For most infants, the cause of the flat spot is laying on that area too much and the weight of the baby’s head has flattened the bone. That is why it is so important to not let your baby lay on certain spots of the head for long periods of time.

Again, don’t leave them in infant positioning equipment any longer than necessary. Remove her and lay her on her tummy on your chest or on her side while you are directly (arm’s length away and not distracted by phones, etc.) watching her.

[DO NOT place your baby on her tummy to sleep until she can lift her head and turn to either side so she doesn’t smother. Do tummy time only when directly (arm’s length away) supervised by a responsible adult.]

Just making a few changes in your and your baby’s daily routine, can really make a difference.

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(Photo from Pixabay)