Preventing and Managing Skull Flatness | Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

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During regular well-baby visits, your child’s pediatrician should check the shape of their head to see if there’s an area where less hair is growing or where the skull looks lopsided or flat. You should also watch for those signs of plagiocephaly or brachycephaly yourself.

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Avoiding a flat head in infants is all about changing their positioning. Make the following five techniques part of your baby’s routine:

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Up the tummy time. Tummy time is any activity that keeps your baby off their back. It’s essential for avoiding and improving flat spots while also developing the neck and shoulder muscles and other muscles needed to roll, sit and crawl. Most babies aren’t big fans of tummy time at first, and as a result some parents are tempted to skip it. Don’t: Tummy time is very important for their development. Start with small doses (a couple of times a day for three to five minutes at a time), building up to 20 to 30 minutes throughout the day. Support their chest with a pillow or rolled-up blanket until they’re strong enough to support themself.
Limit time in car seats, rockers and other equipment. Along with tummy time, this is probably the biggest tip for avoiding a flat head. Using carriers and seats for long stretches—whether your baby is sleeping or awake—restricts your baby’s head movement. Move them to different positions and locations throughout the day—yes, even if that means transferring a slumbering baby from car seat to crib (painful for mom and dad, helpful for a round skull).
Change up your baby’s position in the crib. Make no mistake, you should always place your baby on their back. Infants who are placed on their stomachs to sleep have double the risk of SIDS. It’s all right if your baby rolls over into other positions, and you don’t need to rearrange them if that happens; just don’t start them on their stomach, and be mindful of other safe sleep tips. When putting your baby in their crib, alternate placing their head at the head and foot of the crib. Your baby will naturally look out into the room, so switching ends of the crib will encourage them to turn their head both ways.
Change up your baby’s feeding position. You might have a preferred position for breastfeeding or a favorite arm for bottle feeding. Mix it up to alternate which way they turn to look at you. Bottle feeders can also try an arms-free version: Sit with your back supported, knees bent and your baby on your legs facing you.
Carry your baby in different ways. Switching shoulders and hips to carry your baby helps them turn both ways to look out at the world. Tote their belly down across your arm for support (sometimes called “the football hold”), or carry them facing out to let them take in the scenery from all angles. Just be sure to give their head and neck the support they need. When you need to be hands-free, slings and wearable baby carriers are great alternatives to putting the baby on their back in a rocker or swing.