Positional Plagiocephaly: Why is My Baby's Head Shaped Funny?

Upon birth many babies heads are rather elongated or pointy. This is quite normal for a baby's skull to have this kind of appearance. After all, the pressure put on the baby's head from passing through the birth canal is quite astonishing. The baby's skull is made up of several bones that have not fused together yet, giving it room to grow. This unusual shape usually lasts for several weeks after birth. However, if you notice your baby is developing a flat spot on the back or side of the head, it could be a sign of positional plagiocephaly. This is usually caused by your baby sleeping in the same position and giving it the "flattened head syndrome". Other reason's might be due to the baby's neck muscles. This is called torticollis which means that the neck muscles are too tight in one direction or another causing the baby to turn it's head more to one side than the other.

Premature babies are more prone to the flattened head syndrome because their skulls are much softer and the babies don't get turned over as much as full term babies. Some babies already have positional plagiocephaly before birth due to the pressure placed on the baby's skull while in the womb from the pelvis. It can also be caused by multiple babies pressing on each other in the womb.

Sometimes positional plagiocephaly is confused with craniosynostosis which is a more serious condition that pertains to when the skull bones fuse together too soon. Usually these babies have deformities in the front of the head. Positional plagiocephaly is usually easy to notice as the back of the baby's head is usually flattened and the ear on the flattened side may be pushed forward but most of the other features of the baby's head is normal. Basically, the baby just has flat spots on the head where the baby lays repeatedly. Many times just repositioning your child more frequently when your baby sleeps can help to make the bones grow normally, and the misshapen appearance usually disappears.

If you feel concerned about your baby's head shape, be sure to bring up at your baby's next checkup or call your pediatrician to set up an appointment for your doctor to take a look at your baby.