5 Ways to Help Your Baby's Stiff Neck and Prevent the Development of Flat Head
What can I do about my baby’s flat head?
One of the most common things mums bring their babies into my clinic for is stiff necks and subsequent flat spots on their baby’s head. You may see this as a reluctance for your baby to turn their head one way but it may also show as a preference to feeding on one breast or a general poor latch on the breast or bottle. Any difficulties with latch can lead to baby taking in too much air during the feed and cause trapped wind and colic.
So what can you do if your baby does have a stiff neck?
Firstly, if you are able to, I would definitely recommend you take your baby to see a cranial osteopath. They will be able to perform a full assessment on your baby to see exactly why their neck is stiff and then be able to treat them safely and effectively. They will advise you on stretches and routine changes to help encourage more movement through the neck and prevent the development of flat spots on the head.
A cranial osteopath undergoes specialised training in techniques that are gentle, safe and effective for babies and children. Very specific, skilled, light pressure is applied where necessary to assist the natural ability of the body to release stresses and tensions.
But what if your baby has a stiff neck and you can’t get see a cranial osteopath?
Not everyone can go to see a cranial osteopath, especially in the current climate, however there are a lot of things that you can do at home. Here are my top list of simple changes you can make to help:
Positional changes - one of the simplest changes you can make is to make sure that anything interesting is placed on the side your baby doesn’t want to turn to - that will include any toys, light sources such as windows and noise sources such as the radio. You also want to make sure that you are sleeping on the side your baby doesn’t want to turn to ie if your baby doesn’t want to turn right, make sure you are sleeping on their right side.
Plagiocephaly pillows - these pillows are usually made out of memory foam with a circular cut out to encourage the baby to align their head correctly when sleeping on their back. They are very useful and can be safely placed underneath the sheet so that you don’t have to worry about it moving during the night. These are readily available on places like amazon and you don’t have to buy a super expensive ones - the ones that are priced at £15-20 are just as good.
Daytime sleeps - if your baby has already got a bit of a flat spot then I often recommend increasing the amount of time they spend on their side in order to change where the pressure is being placed on their head. For any supervised daytime sleeps it can be useful to allow them to sleep on the side that isn’t flattened. This is also very helpful for babies that are suffering with wind and colic.
Tummy time - tummy time is really helpful for all babies but if your baby has some stiffness in the neck or flattening of the head then it is really important to make sure you are doing a bit of tummy time everyday. You don’t have to put baby down onto the floor - this can be done on your chest, or over your knees, which will often allow baby to tolerate tummy time for a bit longer.
Stretches - there are a few simple stretches that you can do at home with your baby to help improve their neck movement. You can see these in the following video
Cranial Osteopath in Guildford, Surrey
At Surrey Osteopathic Care we specialise in the treatment of babies and children. Whether your child is in distress after a traumatic and difficult birth, or experiencing pain as they grow, we realise that this can be as difficult for you to deal with as it is for your child.Cranial Osteopathy is very gentle and effective, making this technique suitable for the care of babies and children. It may appear that the osteopath is simply placing their hands on the patient, when in fact a variety of complex techniques are being used. Care of children at Surrey Osteopathic Clinic is deliberately relaxed. Our practitioners do not wear white coats and the treatment room is warm and inviting with lots of toys around.
To find out more about how we can help you click here
For more information on plagiocephaly - https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/plagiocephaly-brachycephaly/
Articles supporting the use of cranial osteopathy for neck assymetries:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18822256
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S174438811100020X
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00381-016-3200-5