What I learned After My Baby Had to Wear a Helmet
Although this post will likely only relate to a small number of parents, I felt the need to jot down my experiences, thoughts, tips, and encouragement for all of the moms like myself who have heard the words “your child may need a helmet”. I remember when I first heard these words from our pediatrician when he was just a couple of months old, along with conflicting opinions from family members and other medical professionals, I scoured the internet for any advice from parents who had already walked through it, hoping for a story encouraging us that it wasn’t as bad as we were expecting it to be. While I didn’t find exactly what I was looking for online, I did find that the helmet was not as bad as we were expecting it to be. It really wasn’t bad at all. While some inconveniences came along with it, the treatment flew by for us. I did find loads of helpful advice from friends and friends of friends who had already completed helmet therapy with their babies. My hope here is to compile the details of our experience, and all of the tips I learned along the way from other moms, to hopefully help some parents out there feeling the same way I did only a few months ago.
There are a few things I think you absolutely need to know before anything else. First, babies can require a helmet for several reasons. Some babies are born with a more prominent flat spot on their heads due to their positioning in utero. In our case, Sutton was born with a flat spot on the back right of his head based on where he was throughout pregnancy but never had any torticollis. Torticollis is another reason why many infants require a helmet. Positional torticollis in newborns occurs when baby’s neck muscles become stiff or tight, which causes their head to tilt one way or the other. This is typically treated through physical therapy and some insurance companies require a certain amount of PT to be done before covering the cost of a helmet. The next thing you need to know is that a helmet is not the outcome of not holding your baby enough. While “containers” can be a cause of plagiocephaly or brachycephaly in some cases, it’s a common misunderstanding that this is always the case. Sutton spent the majority of his first few months of life in my Solly baby wrap or sleeping on my chest and when we found out early on that he had a flat spot, we avoided the use of bouncers, or laying him on his back, as much as possible. The third thing you need to know is that you have done nothing wrong. You are an incredible mom (or dad) and needing some extra help from a helmet to round out that sweet noggin does not mean otherwise, not even in the slightest.
Here’s a look into how the process went for us:
Birth | Our nurses in the mother/baby unit pointed out the flat spot on the back right of his head (plagiocephaly)
Two Month Well Check | Our pediatrician encouraged us to make small adjustments throughout our day to keep Sutton off of his flat spot
Two to Four Months | Went to a chiropractor twice a week for exercises to ensure he did not develop torticollis
Four Month Well Check | Our pediatrician referred us to a plastic surgeon, who then referred us to the Hanger Clinic to be measured for a helmet
Five Months | Got measured at the Hanger Clinic and submitted measurements to insurance for helmet coverage
Five to Seven Months | Continued re-positioning methods in an attempt to avoid needing the helmet (babies' heads grow so quickly, and something they will round out on their own without the need for treatment)
Seven and a Half Months | Got the helmet!
Eleven and a Half Months | Graduated from wearing the helmet!
When your baby is measured for a helmet, they will typically be measured for both brachycephaly and plagiocephaly, the two most common diagnoses. You’ll probably hear the term, “cephalic Index”, also referred to as cranial ratio and this is the measurement used to categorize a baby’s head shape. The CI is the measured width of the head divided by the length of the head multiplied by 100 and reported as a percentage.
These measurements are placed into normal, mild, moderate, and severe categories. At Sutton’s first measurement, we were in the mild category for CI (Brachy) at 93% and finished wearing his helmet in the normal range at 87%.
Normal: 75% – 90%
Mild: 91% – 93%
Moderate: 94% – 97%
Severe: >97%
The scale for measuring plagiocephaly is based on the two diagonal measurements from the outer edge of the eye to the opposite high and low spots at equal angles. The difference between the two measurements in mm determines the whether baby’s head is normal, mild, moderate, or severe. We began in the severe category at 11mm, started the helmet at 8mm, and ended treatment at 3mm.
Normal head shape: 0 – 4 mm
Mild Plagiocephaly: 5 – 9 mm
Moderate Plagiocephaly: 10 – 15 mm
Severe Plagiocephaly: >15 mm
A few tips when you notice a flat spot on your baby’s head, or when your doctor points it out to you:
Noticing a flat spot does not mean you will need to resort to having a helmet!
Chiropractic care was extremely encouraging and helpful for us. Just with the help of our chiropractor at Louisville Family Chiropractic, Sutton’s head improved on its own! This can also be an incredible way to prevent or treat torticollis.
You can typically get measured for free at the Hanger Clinic, or any other offices that provide helmet therapy. It doesn’t hurt to get a professional measurement done to get an idea of where your baby falls in the normal to severe range.
Don’t stress. Trust me on this one. I spent months worrying about this helmet, that in the end, was not a bad experience. I was worried that it would affect his sleep and nursing him. Sutton did not skip a beat - breastfeeding was never affected and he actually began sleeping better with the helmet on!
Increase tummy time and allow your baby to take contact naps and monitored naps on their tummies!
Consider which side of the car their car seat is on, which way they are facing during diaper changes, etc., to keep them off of that flat spot as much as possible!
A few tips if you are moving forward with getting a helmet:
Get measured early to have more “severe” measurements to submit to insurance! They will be more likely to help cover the expenses of the treatment.
Take it one day at a time. Although hard to do at times, especially as parents, don’t worry about tomorrow, next week, or even next month. Your baby might not even notice the helmet once they’re in it, or they may take some time adapting. Take things slow and don’t put pressure on yourself or your baby! With time, they’ll adapt quicker than you think!
Communicate with your orthotist if you think anything is off - whether it’s the fit of the helmet, baby’s skin, or getting overheated - they’re available and want to help you! You pay for the cost of the helmet, not the number of appointments you need, so don’t hesitate to make an extra appointment just to confirm everything is how it’s supposed to be. Trust that special instinct God gave you!
Remember, the helmet is not glued to your baby’s head! While we tried to be strict keeping it on 23 hours a day to maximize results, we would remove it if we wanted to go outside while it was hot, if we wanted a helmet-free picture, or if Sutton wasn’t feeling 100%.
Do what your provider recommends, but ours encouraged us to wash Sutton’s helmet with the baby shampoo his skin was accustomed to. This worked very well for us and removed any “stink” from sweat. We would wash his head and the helmet once a day during his 1-hour break before bedtime! If it was an extra hot week in the summer and his helmet was getting stinky, I would also wash it out with an alcohol wipe (linked below), but avoided doing this as much as possible to prevent drying out his skin.
In the end, my prayer was that when Sutton is old enough to see photos of himself wearing his helmet and I can tell him all about how awesome he handled it, hopefully, he’ll learn to share compassion and kindness with others in a similar situation!
A few items I’d recommend picking up before picking up your helmet:
Alcohol Wipes (for weekly use)
2 Stroller fans - here’s the one we love
A fun new toy to distract your baby on the day they get their helmet - like this!
An extra bottle of baby shampoo to keep on your counter for cleaning the helmet - what we use
A Sponge for scrubbing out the helmet - like this!
A baby bath seat (depending on age) so that you can wash the helmet without having your hand on them 24/7 while in the bath. I would recommend washing the helmet in the tub while filling up the bath - do not ever leave your child unattended in the bathtub. This one worked best for us! (and it’s discounted right now!)
I hope this is both helpful and encouraging for at least one person like myself. I am seriously an open book on most topics relating to motherhood, but especially this one. Please reach out if you have any questions, or just need to talk through the possibility of your little babe needing a helmet. I understand the fear and worry, but I also understand the relief, celebration, and joy now being on the other side of it!
