15
PREVENTING BABY’S HEAD FROM FLATTENING
CÓMO EVITAR QUE LA CABEZA DEL BEBÉ SE APLANE
Pediatricians and child health organizations
agree that healthy babies should be placed on
their backs to sleep for naps and at nighttime,
to reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome (SIDS). But babies who are always on
their backs can sometimes develop flat spots
on their heads (plagiocephaly). Most cases of
positional plagiocephaly can be prevented (and
sometimes corrected) by repositioning your
baby to relieve pressure on the back of the
head. Here are some tips and techniques from
the experts to keep in mind as you care for
your baby:
• Change the location of your baby’s sleeper or
crib in the room, so she has to look in different
directions to see the door, or the window, or
interesting things going on around her.
• When your baby is awake, provide
opportunities for adult-supervised “tummy
time” play. Playing on his tummy helps take
the pressure off the back of his head, which
will help prevent flat spots from developing.
Tummy time play also helps your baby’s head,
neck and shoulder muscles get stronger as
part of normal development.
• Try tummy time two or three times a day,
for short periods of time, until your baby
gets used to being on her tummy. Once your
baby begins to enjoy this position, try longer
periods of time or increase the frequency of
tummy time play.
• Help your baby avoid resting his head in
the same position all the time by frequently
changing the direction he lies in the crib. For
example, have your baby’s feet point toward
one end of the crib for a few days, and then
change the position so his feet point toward the
other end of the crib. This will encourage your
baby to turn and look in different directions.
