Plagiocephaly

Causes

A newborn baby’s skull bones are soft, thin and flexible. This means your baby’s head can change shape easily. 

Newborn babies often have strangely shaped heads. This can be caused by the head’s position in the uterus during pregnancy, or can happen because of the squashy passage down the birth canal. It will usually fix itself within about six weeks.

If your baby’s head hasn’t gone back to a normal shape by about two months of age, see your doctor for assessment.

Some babies might have a flattened spot on the back or side of their heads. This might occur because the baby lies with his head in the same position for a long time. This condition is known as ‘deformational plagiocephaly’.

In some babies, more severe deformational plagiocephaly can be caused by poor muscle tone, which can be associated with the delay of gross motor development skills later in infancy.

Symptoms

Your baby might have an uneven head shape, or might have flattened sections at the back or side of his head.

Treatment

There are various levels of treatment, depending on the extent of your baby’s plagiocephaly and her response to simple treatment measures. Often, your baby doesn’t need any treatment, because the condition will improve on its own as your child grows and begins to sit up.

There’s good evidence that simple deformational plagiocephaly will fix itself by the time your child begins primary school, even without any specific treatment.

If your baby needs treatment, your doctor will refer you to a specialist (a paediatrician or plastic surgeon), who’ll develop a treatment plan. This might start with ‘counter-positioning’ measures, which involves positioning your baby so he avoids lying on the flattened spot. If this doesn’t work, your specialist might recommend that your child wear a specially fitted helmet, which helps re-shape your child’s head.

Prevention

There are several measures you can use to help prevent your baby from developing deformational plagiocephaly. Try to alternate your baby’s head position between right and left when she’s sleeping on her back (this is the recommended sleeping position – putting her to sleep on her stomach raises her risk of sudden infant death syndrome). Also, place your baby on her tummy or side during supervised play time.

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