plagio in Baby 411

[justincase]

There have been several threads lately on the boards from moms concerned with their DC's flat heads. And lots of moms who feel their pediatricians have brushed off their concerns with an "it'll round out on its own". Yet we know that congenital or positional plagiocephaly can lead to facial asymmetries and other problems, and that torticollis, with which it often goes hand in hand, is tough to detect and can lead to developmental delays. Yet both of these issues are treatable, and the earlier the better. With all this said, the dismissive tone about this issue in Baby 411 is bothersome. I can imagine a worried mom who has just been brushed off by her pediatrician reading the paragraph in the book and thinking she should let her concerns drop instead of feeling empowered to keep pushing the issue.

I know that the book can't address every single issue a child might have, but since this one is already addressed, maybe a slight change in advice or even tone is warranted. I really loved the book for my son -- you can tell by how worn my copy is!

[poppy]

Just wanted to bump up this important issue.

I also am wondering why the Fields have not yet responded?

I planned on getting 411 but not if this correction is not made. It is not responsible to not include a referral to their pediatrician at least.

Plagio is a real concern and should not be treated lightly. Often times, it does not round out, and asymetrical features, such as ears, eyes and jaw prevent the child from having a normal life later on if not treated. Some children will have difficulties chewing, wearing glasses, hats and one eye may bulge out more than the other. This condition can improve and often times become normal with the proper treatment.

[boltfam]

In the Fields' defense, I had posted the Plagio issue in the Baby Bargains suggestion box (accidentally...meant to post it here) and they responded to me by saying that they actually do include it. Maybe it's in a newer issue than everyone that posted has? If you do a search in BBB Suggestion box, it should come up. I think if you type in "flat head", it should come up.

[justincase]

Maybe it's in a newer issue than everyone that posted has?
As the OP, I'll second that. It was pointed out to me by another poster in a different thread that the newer edition does a better job addressing this.

[alandenisefields]

Hi all. Sorry about the delay in responding to this thread---we should have posted earlier!

Jessica: what edition are you reading? In our most recent (3rd) edition, we cover positional plagiocephaly on pages 85-86, 191 and 228.

I think we have rather straight forward discussion of the issue---we didn't try to be dismissive or brush off those concerns! If we did that in an earlier edition, we apologize.

We agree that the increasing incidence of this problem means we probably should boost the level of coverage of the topic . . . and we'll try to include that in the next edition of the book!

best wishes,
Denise Fields
author

[Kindra178]

I think "save the helmet for the bike" is the dismissive treatment referred to above.

[henry's mom]

I too felt plagio topic was very glazed over. When my son started getting a flat spot on the side of his head (he favors one side), I wasn't overly concerned when I read that "in most cases, the flattening is mild or moderate, and rounds out over the first year". So when my pediatrician became concerned and referred me to a pediatric chiropractor....I felt like a horrible mother. I think defining what is moderate and what is more than moderate would be very helpful.

Going over treatment options would be helpful...helmets aren't the only option now.

[alandenisefields]

Thanks for that suggestion---that is a good point. We'll try to beef this part up in our next edition and define what is "moderate"! Perhaps some pictures would be good.

Denise
co-author, BABY 411