Researchers have found that almost half of infants aged between 2 and 3 months have a flattened part to their head (positional plagiocephaly).
The study, published in the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), investigated the occurrence of positional plagiocephaly in infants aged 7 to 12 weeks who attended a 2-month well-child clinic in Calgary, Alberta in Canada.
Researchers assessed 440 healthy infants who had been born at full-term (37 weeks of gestation). Of these infants, 205 (46.6%) had some form of 'flat spot' on their heads. Of those babies, 78.3% had a mild form of plagiocephaly, and 63.2% were affected on the right side of their head.
Since 1992, the AAP has recommended that infants should sleep on their backs. Since this recommendation, the AAP says that there has been a 50% reduction in the US of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
But while the AAP recommendation has reduced cot death, there has been a rise in the number of infants developing flat spots.
The AAP guidelines include recommendations on safe infant sleep environments, including firm sleeping surfaces, and keeping soft objects, loose bedding and bumpers out of a crib.
Positional plagiocephaly, also known as deformational plagiocephaly, is a disorder in which the back of the head (called the occiput), or one side of the head is flattened. It is more likely to occur when a baby repeatedly sleeps in the same position for long periods against a flat surface.
Baby's heads are naturally soft in order to allow for significant brain growth in the first year of life. Because of this, a baby's head can be easily moulded into a flat shape as a result of sleeping in the same position.
Treatment for this disorder is in most cases easy and painless, often cured by repositioning the infants while they sleep, encouraging them to alternate their head position while sleeping on their backs. See Kidshealth.org for more information.
According to the authors of this most recent study, the high number of infants who develop the disorder indicates that parents should be educated about how to prevent the condition before the 2-month well-child visit.
They add that future research should examine the incidence of plagiocephaly in older infants to gain a better understanding of how changes will occur over time.
The study, published in the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), investigated the occurrence of positional plagiocephaly in infants aged 7 to 12 weeks who attended a 2-month well-child clinic in Calgary, Alberta in Canada.
Researchers assessed 440 healthy infants who had been born at full-term (37 weeks of gestation). Of these infants, 205 (46.6%) had some form of 'flat spot' on their heads. Of those babies, 78.3% had a mild form of plagiocephaly, and 63.2% were affected on the right side of their head.
Since 1992, the AAP has recommended that infants should sleep on their backs. Since this recommendation, the AAP says that there has been a 50% reduction in the US of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
But while the AAP recommendation has reduced cot death, there has been a rise in the number of infants developing flat spots.
The AAP guidelines include recommendations on safe infant sleep environments, including firm sleeping surfaces, and keeping soft objects, loose bedding and bumpers out of a crib.
Positional plagiocephaly, also known as deformational plagiocephaly, is a disorder in which the back of the head (called the occiput), or one side of the head is flattened. It is more likely to occur when a baby repeatedly sleeps in the same position for long periods against a flat surface.
Baby's heads are naturally soft in order to allow for significant brain growth in the first year of life. Because of this, a baby's head can be easily moulded into a flat shape as a result of sleeping in the same position.
Treatment for this disorder is in most cases easy and painless, often cured by repositioning the infants while they sleep, encouraging them to alternate their head position while sleeping on their backs. See Kidshealth.org for more information.
According to the authors of this most recent study, the high number of infants who develop the disorder indicates that parents should be educated about how to prevent the condition before the 2-month well-child visit.
They add that future research should examine the incidence of plagiocephaly in older infants to gain a better understanding of how changes will occur over time.