The High Authority for Health had announced that it was going to draw up information documents on plagiocephaly, after being seized, in April 2017, by the association Le Lien, which was alarmed by the resurgence of cases of the syndrome of “flat head”. HAS presents the results of this work in the form of a memo sheet intended for parents in order to prevent this deformation of the infant’s skull, characterized by an asymmetrical flattening, on the back or one side of the head, and linked to the infant sleeping on its back.
Encourage the baby to look to the side
To prevent the flat head, the infant must be left “free to move the head and the body, day and night” underlines the HAS in its document.
- Vary his positions during floor play activities: arrange his toys around him to encourage him to look to the side.
- During the diaper, gradually get him used to being on his stomach: he will strengthen his neck and back.
- At each bottle or feeding, remember to change arms: your baby will turn his head to catch your eye.
Tips for when your baby is sleeping : continue to put him on his back, on a firm mattress, in a sleeping bag. Corn :
- Do not use bed reducers, headrests and baby wedges: this will allow him to move freely.
- Let him look in all directions, without a bumper.
“Mechanical or even cognitive complications”
This work by the High Authority for Health was notably motivated by “an increase in the frequency of cranial asymmetry (…) since the implementation of recommendations for sleeping on your back to prevent sudden infant death syndrome” and by “the absence of French work on this subject”, explained in 2017 the HAS, before mentioning the risks associated with this syndrome: “Plagiocephaly can lead to mechanical complications, on the maxillofacial or cervico-brachial level, even cognitive.
For its part, the French Chiropractic Association (AFC) suggests alternating baby’s sleep positions: “place his head towards the front of the bed on even days and down the bed on odd days. As the baby’s head is attracted by the light, the pressure will not always be exerted on the same side of the head”.
Read also :
- Baby has a flat head, what to do?
- Infant torticollis: a symptom not to be underestimated
