Pediatricians say there are ways to minimize the risk of plagiocephaly. Here are some tips:
• Remember "tummy time" -- supervised play while the baby is on his stomach. Tummy time strengthens the neck muscles as the baby looks up.
• Limit time in car seats.
• Avoid extended periods in bouncy seats and infant swings.
• Limit the time your child spends his back.
• Try placing your infant on her side while she sleeps. Be careful to watch that she doesn't roll over onto her stomach unsupervised.
• Reposition your baby in the crib. Infants positioned the same way will turn their heads the same way every time, usually toward the direction of noises; then, they end up falling asleep on the same side of their heads. Position the baby's head at alternating ends of the crib.
Devices you can buy -- or make:
Baby stores sell wedge-shaped foam pillows -- they look like little Jersey walls -- to prop up against your baby's head. A Harvard plastic surgeon, Gary Rogers, has patented a carved-foam pillow -- not yet on the market -- that he says helps prevent plagiocephaly.
We learned from our baby's physical therapist that Indian moms typically place the backs of their babies' heads into towels rolled into a doughnut to mold their heads as they grow. (We used a stuffed sock.)
