Not long after the ‘back to sleep’ campaign was launched, parents started to find that their children had developed flat heads (deformational plagiocephaly). Some so severe that helmets needed to be worn for up to 18 hours a day in order to reshape the head.

From this the sleep wedge or positioning pillow was created.

A new study to be published in the March issue of the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery found that pillows and wedges designed to prevent or treat “flat head syndrome” in infants don’t appear to do much good.

In an analysis of risk factors for deformational plagiocephaly on severity of flattening, these orthotic devices had no effect on infants with the condition, Albert Oh, M.D., of Hasbro Children’s Hospital and Brown University, and colleagues reported.

Although several have received FDA approval, that only indicates that they’re safe, the researchers noted. None of the orthotic devices has demonstrated the same effect in randomized controlled trials.

The research team found that Infant Flat Head Syndrome can occur even when a baby sleeps on their tummy, so other forces must be contributing.
Several studies have identified risk factors including:

• in utero flattening exacerbated at birth
• supine sleep position
• firstborn status
• multiple gestation
• male sex
• prematurity
• developmental delay
• poor head mobility

There have been no studies conducted to evaluate how each factor influences the severity of flattening.

I guess it’s safe to say that my firstborn male who was born prematurely with developmental delays has an unusual head shape for a reason…

VIA BABBLE

Reviewed by Cari

As a mother of a new baby girl and a three-year-old son who suffered from Positional Plagiocephaly (Flat Head Syndrome) as an infant, I was very interested in the Symmetry Sleep System as a tool to help prevent this condition.

As most parents know, siblings can be very different. My son spent hours on his back and was very resistant to “tummy time”. My daughter, on the other hand, prefers sleeping on her tummy and shows no real preference for turning her head to one side or the other. In fact, she spits up significantly whenever she is placed to sleep on her back and does not sleep soundly. As such, she really isn’t at high risk for Flat Head Syndrome, but the Symmetry Sleep System offered me a great tool for giving her more time on her back.

My first impression of the Symmetry Sleep System was the moulded foam design and breathable fabric. Because my daughter spits up so much I was worried that it would be stained and smelly after the first night. The fabric, however, is very breathable and was easy to wipe and dry. Even more impressive, my daughter didn’t spit up at all by the second time I put her to sleep on it, I assume, due to the positioning that prevents her from lying flat on her back.

The sleep positioner is soft to the touch but sturdy enough that the baby doesn’t sink into it, which was one concern I had when reflecting on all the articles I had read about not putting pillows or soft blankets in a baby’s crib. Baby’s face is never close enough to the positioner for it to be a worry. It positions the baby so that her head turns slightly towards one side or the other, relieving pressure on the skull that occurs when baby favours one position while sleeping.

The “Mom-Friendly Caliper” included with the Symmetry Sleep System is a tool that moms can use to see if their child is at risk for Positional Plagiocephaly. Despite the fact that it looks a little like a medieval torture device, it is surprisingly user-friendly and not intrusive or uncomfortable for baby at all.

Overall, I am very impressed with the Symmetry Sleep System and will continue to use it with my daughter as a tool to get her sleeping more regularly on her back with less spitting up. I definitely wish I would have had access to the sleep positioner when my son was born. It would have been a good investment that may have prevented hours of physiotherapy and doctor’s appointments to correct his Plagiocephaly. This is a great product, especially in light of the current “Back to Sleep” movement in infant sleep health and safety.

For more information on flat head syndrome please visit Dr. Plagio’s site or the basic comfort site to see more of the Symmetry Sleep System.