Head deformities in babies have become quite common. Head deformities are medically divided into plagiocephaly (crooked head) and brachycephaly (flat head). Head deformities as a whole are also called flat head syndrome.

For families with head deformities in their babies, a helmet placed on the baby’s head will help reshape your baby’s skull.

However, the most serious part of this situation is that the parent’s emotional and financial decision regarding whether to wear a helmet or not will gain importance. Because the cost of helmet treatment for babies can be quite high today.

‍Some parents are hesitant to treat plagiocephaly and brachycephaly because they consider it a cosmetic rather than a medical problem, and therefore they may agree not to opt for helmet treatment, knowing that the deformity may not completely resolve on its own.

On the other hand, some parents   prefer to follow up with a cranial treatment center clinic and receive helmet treatment for babies , as they think that the head of their baby, who has a flat head syndrome problem and has many different head structures , will not recover without intervention.

Why are head deformities increasing in babies?

‍Plagiocephaly and brachycephaly have become more common after the launch of the ‘Back to Sleep’ public health campaign to reduce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and fatal sleep accidents around the world . Head deformity problems in babies, generally called flat head syndrome, have become very common since these years.

Placing your baby on their back is a recommendation that has largely contributed to an 80% reduction in SIDS deaths since the 1990s and is still recommended.

‍Approximately 3% of babies have a trapezoidal head shape such as positional plagiocephaly and brachycephaly and require an infant helmet treatment.‍

Many parents consider helmet therapy as an option after following baby sleeping position recommendations and, in some parents, undergoing baby physiotherapy for a reason such as torticollis (bent neck) .

‍For moderate to severe cases of plagiocephaly and brachycephaly, there is a limit to the chance of success with positional recommendations alone.

‍ Helmet treatment in babies is an effective solution for severe asymmetric and flat head shapes. Wearing a helmet that reshapes the skull, which is trapezoidal, makes the head more symmetrical when the growth of the head is directed in the right direction by the influence of the helmet. The helmets used in clinics are specially produced according to your baby’s characteristics.

‍Made with a tough outer shell and soft foam inner lining, they’re lightweight, breathable and thin to increase comfort, so your baby will soon forget they’re wearing a helmet!

‍The color and pattern of the helmet can be customized to suit your little one’s personality.

‍The best time to start helmet treatment for head deformity in babies is between the ages of 4 and 14 months, with the average treatment duration being 4.5 months.

At Craniowell diagnostic and treatment center, we can evaluate the severity of your baby’s head shape asymmetry using traditional assessment techniques combined with a high-precision 3D scan to accurately capture the shape of your baby’s head.

‍With the parent’s involvement, the most appropriate course of treatment is jointly decided and repeated evaluations can be made to complete helmet treatment.