Why My Baby Wore a Helmet for 7 Months

Korin Miller’s infant son wore a helmet to correct a flat spot on his head. (Photo: Korin Miller)

I’ll never forget how I felt when my son’s pediatrician said that he should wear a helmet to correct a flat spot on his head. Sure, I had noticed the spot, but I never gave it much thought — I thought all babies had lumpy heads— so her recommendation caught me by surprise.

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But once she pointed it out, I really saw the issue: His head was slightly wider in the back than the front, had a two-inch flat spot on the left side, and definitely wasn’t round. Miles was just five months old at the time and I panicked at the idea — would people treat him differently? How would other kids react to it? And was this my fault?

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Helmet molding therapy, a treatment where infants are fitted with special helmets to correct the shape of their skulls, has been on the rise ever since the Safe to Sleep campaign was introduced in 1994. The campaign encourages parents to put children to sleep on their backs to lower the risk of sudden infant death syndrome but it also increases the risk that babies will develop a flat spot (a.k.a, deformational plagiocephaly) on their skulls from the pressure.

Miles having fun with his helmet, worn to correct a flat spot on his head. (Photo: Korin Miller)

Since Miles was a good sleeper — and therefor spent plenty of time on his back —he was at a higher risk of developing a flat spot. And unfortunately, he did.

The length of time that a helmet should be worn depends on the severity of the flat spot and the age it developed. Our doctor advised that Miles wear his for 23 hours a day, only removing it during bath time or when we cleaned it three times a day with rubbing alcohol. We tried to make the process as fun and non-threatening as possible by choosing an adorable jungle-themed helmet and even joking about getting a sticker that read, “You should have seen the other guy.” The helmet was huge — it had a hard plastic exterior and Styrofoam interior that was shaved down as Miles’s head grew. It was also expensive. The helmet itself cost $1,200, and between that and doctors’ visits, we shelled out about $1,700 for the whole process. At least, we rationalized, Miles’ head would be protected from common baby bumps and falls.

Fortunately, Miles adjusted to his helmet right away and he looked adorable wearing it. However, we got stares in public and people would ask “What’s wrong with your baby!?” As a first-time mom, I worried that Miles would become aware of how the world seemed to perceive him — would all the staring affect his self-image? To cope, I made a point to tell everyone about the purpose of the helmet and how it was helping Miles.

Once, a mom chased us down on the street to ask about the helmet. Her doctor had recommended that she get one for her son, but, like me, she was nervous. I was surprisingly grateful for her questions — it made me feel like we weren’t alone and I was happy to ease someone else’s fears about the process.

Especially because I wasn’t entirely sure that the helmet would work. Unfortunately, so are many medical professionals. “All children look better over time no matter what you do,” pediatric neurosurgeon Jeffrey Campbell, MD, chief of neurosurgery at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, tells Yahoo Parenting. “The question is, ‘Does the helmet help?’ There’s not a clear answer to that.”

Research on helmet molding therapy is conflicting: A small study published in the Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine in 2013 found that children who wore helmets had better head and ear symmetry than those who didn’t. However, a study published last year in the medical journal BMJ found no difference between children with severe skull deformation who underwent helmet molding therapy and those that didn’t.

Amir Dorafshar, MD, associate professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, is a proponent of the therapy. “We recommend that it be started as soon as possible, around 4 to 6 months of age, in order to get the best response,” he tells Yahoo Parenting. Therapy typically ends at 18 months because by then, the child’s skull has already formed.

Miles wore his helmet for seven months, until he got regular skin rashes (an unfortunate side effect). He’s now 2 and he still has a slightly flat spot on his head, but it’s not as noticeable as it once was.

Would we opt to do helmet molding therapy again? Absolutely. While it was an adventure, and a costly one at that, I’m glad we played it safe.

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