Robert, our adorable 6-month-old grandson, was just fitted for a helmet to treat a mild case of positional plagiocephaly. Since the early 1990s, doctors have advised parents to place their babies on their backs to sleep to avoid SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). As a result, SIDS cases have declined 40% but positional plagiocephaly cases have increased by 600%. In plain terms, there are 6 times as many babies out there whose heads are slightly flattened in the back or on the side. The treatment is to wear a custom-made helmet for a few months so the skull resumes its regular shape.
Rob does not like his helmet or the fashion statement it makes. To show solidarity, we created a short video. Rob’s Helmet Video
A writer for the Washington Post had a son with the same condition and and wrote an interesting story about it from a parent’s perspective.
