I am about to step on to a BIG soapbox. Stop reading now if you're easily offended when it comes to your kids.
I was at a work party on Saturday and a fellow PT brought her little boy who is 2 months younger than Maisy. Cute kid; except for the helmet. I was flabbergasted. How could a PT let something like this happen? Just because we don't work in peds doesn't mean that we can't notice that our kid's head is always turned to one side creating a flat spot. So what do we do? We stretch them until they're symmetrical. It's what we do. How could you let something like this happen? I can't turn off the PT in me. I hold a kid and I'm facilitating their muscles or challenging them somehow. I can't stop.
Also as a PT we know what normal gross motor development is, and we should be freaking out if our kids aren't reaching those milestones. Just a refresher: (I'm super glad that someone else said this first on instead of me, because I'm strongly of the same opinion.)
Rolling back to stomach - may occur later because we do not place our children on their stomachs to sleep and therefore they are not playing in this position as earlier as children were in the past
3 – 6 months:
Hold head up in supported sitting
Rolls
Weightbearing on forearms, elbows, and hands when on stomach
Reaching with one arm when on stomach
Gross motor skills start to emerge at 4 months therefore increase floor time
Concerns: arching back – this prevents normal development
6 – 9 months:
Transitions into sitting from all fours
Sits independently
Uses trunk rotation
Pulling up to knees
Crawling
Protective reactions
More floor time – develop proximal control in shoulders for use later (handwriting)
Look for a variety of movement patterns
Spend less time in walkers and saucers – these increase toe walkers
I don't care if you sleep your kids on their back. SIDS is scary. But they need to spend every waking second (exaggeration) on their stomachs to ensure normal development. The fact that both of my kids crawled at 6 months does not make them freaks. So everyone quit being surprised. And to quote another study that I don't have the reference for kids need a minimum of 81 minutes of tummy time/day. Their back sleepers, they hate being on their stomachs. I get it. Be the parent and do what's best for them. Increase it slowly everyday, until they tolerated it better.
Sometimes I wonder if the head shaping helmets are some kind of racket with SIDS studies. No one is going to do a study to see how real SIDS is. In the mean time, kids have an increase in torticolis and flat heads. As a PT I should be stoked that the torticolis is increasing business, but seriously those head shaping helmets are around $3500. We know that cost is crazy inflated because it's a medical supply, but still.
Deep breath. Step off the box.
4 comments:
Don't get me started!! We are flat head Nazi's as well. In fact, Jotham's dad invented the helmet called the DOC band. You can see the site here:
http://www.cranialtech.com/
And Jotham actually holds a patent for a device that he designed to prevent plagiocephaly. He tried to sell it to the same company that his dad sold his idea to and they freaked out. Freaked out because it is a major preventer of plagiocephaly. Jotham named it the "POP" band, instead of the "DOC" band. POP standing for "Prevention of Plagiocephaly." Jotham received a certified letter from them, warning him against naming his device that, etc. It was pretty funny!
I know I don't put Graham on his tummy as much as I should, but I sure am ALWAYS moving his head all the way from one side to the other while sleeping. Jotham and his Dad tried to talk me into sleeping our babies on their bellies, but I could never forgive myself if something happened.
....Okay, guess you got me started....I'll step down now too.
My 2 cents.
I think Jotham ought to try a competitor to the DOC company. Try 3M for instance.
I am a tummy-sleeper mom. My Pediatrician gave me "permission" since we have no other risk factors for SIDS when I told him that they really didn't sleep well on their backs and I really wanted to just put them on their dang tummies. :) It is hard to be a parent and do what is right for our kids instead of what is easy...but that is our job...and it doesn't get easier!
i loved this post... not that i'm the best mom or anything... but, i hate seeing those blasted old helmets.. i always think 'lazy mom' when i see a sweet baby in one... tummy time all the way! j was crawling at 5 months and l at 6 b/c of muscle strength...
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