Bouncy seats/swings - What I'll Do Differently Next Time Around

[MyFirstBaby]

I just want to comment on the importance of Tummy Time and how spending too much time in things like bouncy seats and infant carriers is not the best thing for them. They are great, don't get me wrong, but using them exclusively, all the time, and not getting them on their tummies, is what I am talking about...

Surely you've seen babies with "flat head" or flat spots, and surely you've heard that it will "round out on its own". Well, the condition is called positional plagiocephaly and it is caused by spending much time on the back or side. In my son's case, he favored lying on his right side and did so in the bouncy seat, infant carrier, crib, etc. He loved is FP Kick N Play bouncy seat and boy did he spend a lot of time in it...

Since the Back-to-Sleep campaign we know that we reduce the incidence of SIDS by sleeping our babies on their backs, but now that we have SO many toys and sleeping things (like bouncy seats, swings, etc.) babies are spending more time than ever on their backs. When we were young our parents didn't have these things and we were where? On our tummies on the floor!

My son now needs to be fitted for a cranial remolding band to round out his head or risk problems down the road due to his skull assymetry. It's not an invasive process, but it costs $3,000 and many insurance companies are battling the coverage.

I listened to our pediatricians for months who said, "it will round out, etc. etc.", until finally at 4 months we were referred to a neurosurgeon for a diagnosis.

I only bring it up because it is so new - it used to be one in 300 babies with "flat head", but as of late, that statistic has grown to one in 60. They (the doctors) need to do a better job at informing us of the risks before it happens. It makes it more difficult, too, that there are so many products available for our babies that are comfortable like the bouncy seat, swing, infant carrier, etc.

Here's a like to my son's new webpage if you're interested in seeing:
http://www.geocities.com/imaplagiokid/index.html

Thanks for letting me share -
Enjoy your little ones because they grow so fast :)

EDITED COMMENTS - 5/10/03:
Let me add that there are different kinds of head-flattening conditions. My son's condition, 'positional plagiocephaly' causes an oblique-shaped head. Seventy-six percent of these (positional plagio) cases are thought to be as a result of some sort of neck muscle weakness either at birth or thereafter. The neck weakness causes the baby to tilt their head to one side or favor one side; ultimately causing flatness.

Brachycephaly is the condition where the head appears wide and flat in the back, typically caused by a symmetric force against the skull (eg. extended time in car seat/bouncy seat, swing or carrier).
Hope this helps clarify :) Visit my site for other links that can better explain.

[etwahl]

Thanks for sharing your story! I had no idea about this danger. Lauren is 5.5 weeks old and still doesn't like being on her tummy really. I've tried several times, although not in the past couple days. I have one of those gymini playmats I've been trying her on.

At what age do you think it's important for them to be on their tummy a lot more? How much tummy time is good each day? What are some other ways activities to get them off their backs and on their tummies? I carry her around a lot over my shoulder. I assume that helps?

Any other advice regarding this?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003

[Momof3Labs]

Tammy,

We found that laying on the floor on our backs and putting Colin on his tummy, so he could see our face, made tummy time easy and enjoyable for him. Also, try laying on your back and bending your knees, and let Lauren lean against your knees (so she's "standing" on your tummy but being forced to use her muscles to support her head). The second one will probably work better once she has better head control, but you can do the first one now.

Colin never liked tummy time on the floor, but did great using these positions. I've heard tummy time should be about 10-15 minutes a day starting as young as possible.

Edited to add: we also carried him upright a lot more than laying back in our arms, and I think that helps a lot to develop those muscles, too. But it doesn't replace tummy time.

[MyFirstBaby]

Tammy,

As Lori says, you should get them on them tummies as early as possible, even if only for a few minutes each day. Once they gain that head control it is easier for them to do - they may still not like it, but it's the best thing for them. There is a Tummy Time Boppy out there, which is smaller than the big Boppy (made by the same company), and has a blanket attached to it for them to lie on with toys connected on the other side of the boppy (the side they'd be facing if on their stomachs). I bought it, but a little too late.

Another way to combat this is to carry them in something like the Baby Bjorn. The best way is to just try not to have them in the bouncy seats ALL DAY long. It's hard when they're young, yes.

And since I did not nurse, I bottle fed him predominantly with my right hand, which caused him to flop onto his right side only exaperating the problem.

Good luck :)

Rhonda G

[JElaineB]

I would also agree with carrying or holding your baby upright a lot if he/she doesn't like tummy time. My babe hated tummy time until he could roll over on his own. But I carried or held him almost constantly for the first 3 1/2 to 4 months. It definitely helped develop his head and neck muscles. He learned to roll over at 4 months and has done his own tummy time since then. I only used to put him in the bouncy or swing for 5 min at a time, pretty much, mostly because he didn't like them when he was that young.

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

[etwahl]

when she's on her tummy, she reminds me of a turtle on it's back. just sort of moves legs and arms and grunts! she doesn't lift her head really when she's on her tummy. is that normal? i just tried the suggestion above having her on my chest and she hated it, but i will try again every day like suggested.

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003

[skp]

Thanks to all of you for this advice. I am a new mom-to-be in July and had no idea about this.

[khakismom]

I'm so glad that someone posted about this. This is such great information! I brought out my bouncy and swing for baby #2 and they look brand new because they were hardly used. My ped really stressed the importance of tummy time so we put Kathleen on her tummy and on the floor as much as possible, rather than in her bouncy or swing. We would lay her on her tummy and put a toy in front of her--something to keep her interest. We started this when she was just a few weeks old and it really helped. She had excellent head control from a very early age--like 4 weeks old. And most days when I layed her down, she was on her Gymini so she could roll around and learn to grab at stuff. The bouncy or swing we really only used for fussy times, or when I needed to take a shower or cook dinner and I would take the bouncy into the bathroom or kitchen with me.

...Maureen

Mom to
Kathleen 3/22/01
Ellen EDD 6/12/03

[Ti Lung]

Hi Rhonda:

Thanks so much for your post. I wish the best of luck for Baby Collin!!

T.L.

[ocmama]

I had the same experience with my pediatrician. My son has positional plagiocephaly as well. He just finished his first week in the Doc Band. When my husband and I took our son to the pediatrician, he also told us that the head would round out on its own. We ultimately opted for the treatment.

I'm curious to know where you found the statistic regarding the increased incidence of flat heads. We would love to provide this information to our physician, with the ultimate hope that our physician would seek to become more informed about the condition.

[vikivoly]

Thank you for posting your story. I also have a baby with plagiocephaly and don't know what I should do about it. I noticed that my DD always turned her head to the right side as a newborn, but didn't think much of it. I gave her some tummy time, but obviously not enough. I brought it to my ped's attn. at her 2 month appt.. He said to try repositioning and it should correct itself because she was so young. At her 4 month appt. we saw a different ped.. I have been taking pictures to see if the repositioning is helping and showed them to her. She didn't seem to be to bothered by it. She also said it would round out now that she is getting older and will be sitting up more.

My husband and I don't know what to do. Our families think we are making a mountain out of a mole hill. They say I spend too much time looking things up on the internet! So, I've been trying not to obsess about it. She is now almost 5 months, and I don't see much improvement. I just don't know what to do. Should I go to another ped.? I hate to make her wear a band if it's not necessary. With it being a mostly cosmetic problem, am I being too vain?

[ocmama]

My son also always looked to one direction (right). Did your ped. mention anything about torticollis? This is where the neck muscles on one side of the neck are tighter than the other and therefore you always look the direction where it is most comfortable. This is easily treatable with neck exercises. It did however relate to the plagio.

I noticed my son's head at about 2 months and did repositionl therapy for about 3 months with little or no improvement. One thing that can be done that I wish I would have known earlier is get a head measurement. There is a company called Cranial Tech and they can do it for you. I had DS head measured at about 4 months and compared it to measurements at 7 months. There was no change. That is what made the decision for us.

This is a cosmetic issue to a degree, but I have read that there can be an increase in jaw problems and even vision. Personally, I think this is just something so new that not every problem that could arise has been discovered.

We are in week 2 and my DS has adjusted great. For our family, it was the right decision.

[vikivoly]

I'm familiar with torticollis, mostly from research on the internet. My ped. never used the term torticollis to me, but he did say her right neck muscles were a little tight. He showed me a few stretching exercises.

When she sits up she moves her head in all directions and doesn't seem to favor one side over the other. But, due to her slanted head, it naturally falls to the right when laying flat.

Did you have to take your son to a Cranial Tech clinic to have him measured? Do they require a referral?

Thanks for the info.

[dogmom]

I just like to point out it's not just tummy time that should help avoid a "flat head." Because I'm a nurse I'm sort of obsessive about reposition and keeping track of how much time my baby is spending in one position. I used a sling or side lying in hope of avoiding problems with to much back time. Tummy time wound up being very frustrating for him, and still is, so he only tolerates it for 15 minutes at a time. But even when he was on his back in his exercise gym he kicked and moved around so much it changed the position of his head. He's moving a lot on his own now, so it's becoming less of an issue now.

Jeanne
Mom to Harvey
1/16/03

[etwahl]

DD HATES being on her stomach (6 weeks). Whenever I try, she gets really frustrated and cries the whole time. It doesn't help that she has a stuffed up nose and she snots all over me, but I think she can't breath very well when she's on her tummy and getting so upset.

I try anyway, but should she be able to lift her head at 6 weeks while on her tummy? She really can't, or doesn't. She does seem to have a strong neck when she's over my shoulder. I am a little worried.

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003

[Tondi G]

this is becoming more and more common and people still don't know enough about Plagio!!!! I have a friend who even went to a helmet specialist who told her he didn't need one then and his head is FLAT in back!!! I would have demanded one!

It is really important to get baby up out of the swing/seat/bouncer as much as possible.... and tummy time is essential for learing to crawl too! pop those babies in the Bjorn or the sling and carry them around with you instead of putting them in the swing if you can... my son lived in our arms and the Bjorn till he could sit up on his own and play... people always commented on what nice round head he has!!!! LOL

Tummy time is very important!

~Tondi and mason 7/8/01!

[ocmama]

I did have to take my son to a Cranial Tech office to have him measured. Is there one close to you? They are really great there. You do not need a referral to have an evaluation. You do need a prescription from your ped. if you want the DOC band. You should check out the Cranial Tech. web site or cappskids. org. There is great information on both.

If you have anymore questions let me know.

Good luck.

[MyFirstBaby]

Thanks, but we've already been to CranialTech in Paramus, NJ. Collin's DOC band will be ready for pickup on April 30th :)

And I agree, both cranialtech.com and cappskids.org are great, informative sites which is why I included both those sites as links on Collin's website.

Rhonda


Edit Comments - My apologies! I didn't realize you were not responding to me. Disregard the above.

[MyFirstBaby]

Hi again,

To answer your question on where I got the statistic on increased incidence of flat heads, I did SO much reading and research that I cannot pinpoint the exact place. HOWEVER, if you go to Collin's site
and to the Links section, there is a link to an online "Petition". In this letter to the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force they mention this statistic and the author of the letter provides a link to email her. I am sure you can find out exactly from her.

Hope this helps,
Rhonda

Collin's site: http://www.geocities.com/imaplagiokid/index.html

[ocmama]

no problem. Please know that for us it was not as tramatic an experience getting the band as I thought. DS is doing great in it. Hope all goes well for you on the 30th. I did have a question for you in an earlier post. Can you point me in the direction of the stat. that stated 1 in 60 babies are getting flat spots. Thanks

[mama2be]

You've taken a lot of time to sahre your experiences with us and I know I can speak for all of us by saying thank you...this is a huge topic and now I notice of late we all seem to be discussing it...

Thanks again!!!

[nofeea]

Just thought I'd add a slightly different experience...

DD had a noticably flat spot mostly on the right/back of her head by her 2 mo. checkup. I was concerned and aware of the helmet issue since a friend of mine had been advised to get one for her daughter. My ped looked at the area and said that it should round out by itself if I put DD to sleep on her side and rotated her each time I put her down. (Images of cooking a cornish hen come to mind :) ) I used a sleep positioner to make sure she wouldn't roll and I switched her from side to side every time I put her in and out of the bassinet. I must admit- by 5 mos. she was essentially rounded out! This may not work for everybody but I guess sometimes the peds are right...

[MyFirstBaby]

You are correct, sometimes repositioning does work. And a good neurosurgeon/pediatrician will always recommend that you try repositioning for at least two months before going forward with the helmet. In fact, I believe most insurance policies require the repositioning attempt before the helmet is covered.

Repositioning success depends on a couple of things. The age of the child when you begin the positioning and also how severe the infant's flatness is. If a child is older, and has already begun moving around/rolling around quite a bit, it is difficult to reposition. And if the flatness is very severe, it may not work as well either.

We repositioned Collin from 4 to 6 months old, immediately after he was diagnosed. Had I done this earlier, say beginning at 2 months, we may or may not be in the situation we are today. Nevertheless, I did not do it until 4 months.

You can see from Collin's pictures that we did have some success with the repositioning, but at 6 months, it became too difficult and we were fast losing that 'window of opportunity' while his skull is still soft and pliable.

http://www.geocities.com/imaplagiokid/photos.html

Thanks for bringing up that point which is quite valid! But if, as a parent, you are still seeing severe flatness or asymmetry at 4 to 5 months after repositioning, it is a good idea to mention it to your pediatrician and get that referral to a specialist who can better assess the severity.

Rhonda

[ocmama]

Just wondering how your son is doing in the band? We were really worried as to how our son would adjust because our ped and neuro. told us he would HATE it. DS has been great. Doesn't seem to notice it much. Only bugs him if he is trying to tug on his ears. We are on week 5 with the band and are really starting to see some improvement. Hope your son is adjusting well. Have you been pleased with your Cranial Tech office? We have been very happy with Cranial Tech. The staff in the San Diego office is wonderful.

[KimMae]

What a great informational post.

DS clearly preferred turning his head/neck one way which looked very uncomfortable to us. I even had a hard time feeding him on the left side because he wouldn't turn his head all the way. I had a c/s because he wouldn't come out - turns out his head was molded to the side and the side of his face appeared to be slightly flattened. Of course the facial features and molding evened out. The conclusion was that he was turned face to collar bone and wouldn't turn his head to come out. Whether it was the many weeks in utero or the 36 hours of contractions - his neck appeared to have a big kink in it. I took him to my chiropractor who I fully trust and who adjusts his own children/babies. Within a few weeks DS no longer preferred one side. I feel that if he hadn't worked out the neck issues that he may have had some of the positional issues discussed in this thread.

I hope this information helps someone.

[sntm]

just an fyi:
be sure to let your pediatrician know if your babies do that - may indicate a condition called torticollis which can be treated with physical therapy but untreated can cause shortening of the neck musculature.

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03

[MyFirstBaby]

Shannon -

Good point! It definitely should be brought up with the doctor. If the muscle tightness is not addressed, a helmet is not going to fix that problem, only PT will.

I think what you are describing is the existence of SCM imbalance or sternocleidomastoid (SCM). The SCM is a muscle in the neck which can become shortened or weaker on one side as a result of torticollis, or it can be weak naturally (not necessarily from torticollis); I believe this is how it happens.

Congenital muscular torticollis is characterized by the shortening of the SCM muscle, causing a fixed tilt of the head with loss of passive and active range of motion. The SCM imbalance in an infant will have decreased ability to rotate their necks but the muscle is still pliable (not tight); the head tilt is intermittent versus fixed with CMT.

As with my son's case (who had a weakened SCM), the neck dysfunction often goes undiagnosed. Torticollis is more evident because the child will not be able to move their head from one side to another. An SCM imbalance will allow a baby to move from one side to another, but not all the time. Just to let you know how difficult it is sometimes to diagnose, our pediatrician diagnosed Collin with torticollis, but the pediatric neurosurgeon whom we were referred to, ruled it out.

The link below is from the Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal and has excellent info on the differences between SCM and CMT and their role in positional plagiocephaly.

http://www.cranialtech.com/ParentsArea/publications/cpcjmay99.pdf

Just want you wanted - more details... Hope this helps as well.

Rhonda

[netne]

Here's an article from the latest issue of American Family Physician on positional head deformities. I'm an FP in training and this article is geared more towards doctors, but it is actually pretty good for the lay-person too. www.aafp.org (american academy of family physicians) has a great website with lots of good info on all sorts of topics.

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20030501/1953.html

[MyFirstBaby]

Great Great article! Thanks for the posting!

[ocmama]

Thanks so much for posting this article. I wanted one like this to take to my next doctor appt. Glad to see it here on the boards to inform others. I had no idea about this problem until it happened to our 2nd child.

[MyFirstBaby]

I also wanted to thank you again for posting this link! I have shared the article with my fellow parents on the Plagiocephaly Yahoo Groups support group bulletin board.

I also wrote to the author of the article, Dr. Wendy Biggs. She responded to my email and mentioned that it has taken her nearly TWO YEARS to get this article published.

This just proves my point that the message is not quite out there, and even our own pediatricians are complacent and skeptical at times that a real problem exists. Hopefully now, with an article published in medical journals such as the AAFP website, there will be more awareness at our child's "well visits".

Rhonda

[MartiesMom2B]

Rhonda:

Thank you so much for putting this out. My nephew had a rather flat head which I was concerned about and wanted to avoid with Martie.
It's good to know that putting her in a carrier will help to avoid this situation too.

Thanks and I hope Colin has a speedy recovery in his band.
Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03
http://www.mcdyer.com/MartieSurasky.htm

[KimberleyDawn]

Thank you for this post and the informative replies! My DS has a flat spot on his right side because he favors that side constantly and has since he was born (all pics of DS have him leaning to the right). I have been making myself crazy for weeks trying to get him to turn his head to the left or lean to the left. My ped isn't concerned about it and suggested not putting him to sleep through the night on his back but instead on his left side. What do you do during the awake hours? William is only 3 months old and can't sit yet. If I put him in his bouncy chair he leans to the right and the same goes for the swing. I have been doing tummy exercises but he will just put his head down and go to sleep (loves falling asleep on his tummy during tummy exercises) and I plan this time after his naps and it doesn't make a difference. Please tell me what you would do to avoid this problem from getting any worse.
Kim

[sparky]

I haven't experienced the problems discussed in this thread. However, I'd like to suggest routine chiropractic care with a provider who specializes in the care of infants and children. I became aware of the benefits when I was pregnant and began seeing a chiropractor regularly on the advice of a friend who was a chiropractic student at the time. If the idea of chiropractors makes you nervous, please keep reading.

Grace has no ongoing issues and now visits the chiropractor for well-baby care, ~once every 2-3 months. She started at six weeks for routine care. Early on they ask a lot of questions about preferences for one side or the other and do a lot of feeling for unusual tightness in muscles and restricted mobility in the neck and spine. They don't do any cracking, popping, rough adjustments, or anything like that. It is all gentle muscle work and suggestions for use at home to prevent problems.

Note to moms to be: I couldn't have lived without my weekly visits at the end of my pregnancy- I loved the muscle work on my aching back, neck, etc., They also helped reduce edema, of which I had a ton due to preeclampsia!

Very important- I wouldn't go to any chiropractor, definitely a specialist. In my area (Mpls/St. Paul, MN), NW Health Sciences University runs several wellness clinics . Visit http://www.nwhealth.edu for info on them.

[MyFirstBaby]

My posting has sparked some conversation on another post within this forum, where there may be some concerns about my motive for putting this topic out there, that I may be causing undue worry on some parents (certainly not my intent!). I wanted to be able to respond to Neve's comments from the other board and defend my own. For those that did not read the other post, the below still holds true and expresses how I feel about this...



First, I never intended to provide "medical advice" or throw statistics out there, causing worry to any parent by posting my topic on plagiocephaly (flat heads). Please, allow me to make that point clear. If I made the perception to any of you, that I was involved in the medical field, I truly apologize. In fact, I am a financial analyst - who happens to be very informed on the medical matters of my child, and that is all.

As a parent of a child who posseses a medical condition called plagiocephaly (diagnosed as such), who has a severly asymmetrical flat head, and who does need medical intervention to correct the problem, it was my intent - an innocent attempt - to bring awareness to a problem which yes, has grown significantly over the last decade. My "opinion" that it has grown significantly is based on the following:

1. Actual statistics from medical journals, from my own research and from respected doctors' opinions. I have "references" for the source of all my "data" if anyone truly wishes to know the source. If you visit Collin's Web Page, there are also Links to web sites housing some of this information. (http://www.geocities.com/imaplagiokid/index.html)

2. My pediatrican's office who takes a very conservative approach to the whole flat head thing who finally said, at 4 months, that my son needs further assessment by a trained specialist - a pediatric neurosurgeon, and skull x-rays taken, to rule out a serious, but rare condition called "craniosynostosis", which is the premature fusion of fontanels, also causing flatness/assymetry and requires surgery to correct.

3. My personal relationship with my sister-in-law who works as a pediatric physical therapist and exclusively with the infant population. She offers her opinion to me, as well, that the increased usage of products that do not encourage neck muscle development can be contributers to a flatter head.

4. The incredible amount of research I did personally, that convinced me that it all made sense.

There are many different kinds of positional plagiocephaly, and all at varying degrees of seriousness. The problem does exist and I would question any pediatrician who offers the opinion that it does not. And yes, I am sure that there are many many babies with some degree of skull flatness out there, who do naturally grow out of it, and "round out" on their own. There are also many whose flatness is so severe that it will NOT round out unless there is some sort of intervention - whether it be physical therapy to strengthen neck muscles, or cranial band/helmet remolding.

My point was to simply bring light to the potential problem and share my son's story, not to scare or worry any parent. It could be also, that my son had some sort of neck imbalance or muscle weakness when he was born that made him favor one side that ultimately caused is flatness - I do not know. All I know, based on my research and discussions with a pediatric neurosurgeon and pediatrician, is that prolonged periods of time in a swing or bouncy seat, on their back, can contribute to poor muscle development in the neck and can contribute to some flatness. Which is why "tummy time" is condoned by many medical organizations out there.

To Neve's comment from her pediatrician who believes that we "are being trained to worry about this for marketing purposes" may be true in the case of some companies who manufacture these remolding bands/helmets. I cannot speak for any of them, but it certainly would not surprise me if such companies exist who "jump on the bandwagon" and take advantage of the situation by worrying us into getting their product. I can only speak for the company who we purchased my son's band from, who is very reputable and honest - who will tell you if the problem is not severe enough to warrant treatment.

So again -

At the risk of repeating myself, let me reiterate that in no way, was I trying to "recruit" anyone, put their mind at ease or otherwise worry them, regarding the usage of bouncy seats/carriers/swings and "flat head" on infants.

I truly value these boards as a source of information as well as the opinions of those of us out there who are the real consumers; real parents.

I do hope that someone out there found my information out there helpful. If at any time, of the 1,000+ views of my posting, that there was ONE Mom or Dad who had questions about their child and brought it to their doctor's attention, and who got great results from whatever treatment that their child needed, then that makes me feel good. If they worried, needlessly, then I truly apologize. I NEVER would intentionally do so. If anyone wanted further info, or wanted to probe me more, all they had to do was email me and I would have said to anyone who tells me they are concerned with their child's head which appears very flat on one side:

"Just have your doctor take a look at it. All I can say is that Collin's head was getting worse, not better, and now we are correcting it and Collin's head is rounding out. I am sure it will be fine."

Thank you again for allowing me the opportunity to share -

Rhonda

[Melanie]

I just wanted to post a little something about the babies preferring to turn their head to one side Vs. the other and even only nursing on one side vs. the other due to this preference. They could just need chiropractic adjustment. As Sparky said, it's very gentle and is the ONLY time my son likes laying on his back. He even smiles at the chiro. while she's adjusting him. Our chiro. is a FAMILY chiro. and even has her own baby. I have seen 2 other chiros. in the past, and they would not have been good for babies, so you do have to do your research.

My son goes for fluid in his ears, but she asked about the side-preference which some of your posts reminded me of. Birth can be very traumatic on a baby's spinal alignment, the less natural the birth, the more traumatic b/c of the pressure from pulling, etc.

Good luck to you all.