Is the sleeping head shape of a newborn scientific?

Every parent hopes that their baby is not only healthy and smart, but also beautiful. Having a nice head shape will add icing on the cake to your baby's appearance. So if you want your baby to have a good head shape, the sleeping posture, direction, and pillow are also very important. Babies are relatively small, their heads are relatively soft, and their bones are relatively fragile. If the sleeping pillow is relatively hard, it is easy to affect the head shape. So how to adjust it?

Let's talk about baby's head tilt first.

In fact, when babies are born, most of their left and right heads are basically symmetrical. Because the baby's head is relatively soft, the fontanelle has not closed. It will be squeezed and deformed when passing through the birth canal, but will quickly return to its original shape after birth.

Causes of baby's head tilt

During the growth and development process of babies under 1 year old, their bones develop quickly and their neck muscles do not develop completely. Moreover, since sleep takes up more than half of our daily time, the head is more likely to be deformed by external forces. For example, during childbirth, if there is a problem with the labor process, causing it to stagnate, the doctor will use methods such as vacuum extraction or forceps to assist in the delivery. These methods are more likely to cause hematoma in the fetal head. After the baby is born, because the hematoma will cause pain, he will be unwilling to turn to the side of the hematoma, which will easily lead to head tilt over time. Also, babies have the instinct to chase light and their mothers. If the baby always faces one side of the window with bright light, or the mother is used to sleeping on the same side as the baby, over time, the baby's head will slowly lean toward the bright window or the mother's side, and the baby is prone to developing head tilt. Torticollis is a very common phenomenon in newborns. Because the fetus is curled up in the uterus, as the age increases, the space becomes smaller and smaller, and the fetus's neck will gradually twist to coordinate the body and adapt to the space in the uterus. The appearance of temporary torticollis is caused by postural compression. These babies are also prone to head tilt after birth. Eye diseases (poor eye movement or strabismus), nutritional and genetic diseases can also cause torticollis and lead to head tilt. If the baby's head is tilted, it will not only affect the shape of the head, but also the symmetry of the baby's face and facial features, and even affect the development of the facial features. Therefore, for mothers, preventing babies from sleeping with their heads tilted is an issue that cannot be ignored.

Does the baby need leggings or sleeping head shape?

How to prevent and correct head tilt?

1. Frequently change sleeping posture and direction

Generally, family beds are in a fixed position, and the sleeping direction is also fixed. If the baby sleeps in the same direction and position for a long time after birth, it is very easy to cause head tilt. Because the first three months after the baby is born is a critical period for shaping the head. Therefore, from the first day the baby is born, the mother and baby should frequently change sleeping positions and sleeping directions. Pay special attention to sleeping on different sides facing a window with bright light so that the pressure on both sides of the baby's head is evenly distributed. Mothers or family members should pay attention to changing positions when talking to the baby. Especially when the baby sleeps with his head tilted and is unwilling to turn over, call the baby more often. Have the side of your baby that he doesn't want to turn around face a brightly lit window. If there is someone to look after the baby during the day, the baby can be allowed to sleep on his stomach, so that the baby's head will be rounder. However, sleeping on the stomach can easily make the baby's face asymmetrical, so the baby should change direction frequently. In addition, you must pay attention to safety to prevent milk spillage or bedding from blocking the baby's mouth and nose and causing suffocation. For babies with scalp hematoma, you can use a small towel soaked in cold water and apply it to the hematoma in the first week after birth. After one week, use local hot compress to promote blood circulation around the hematoma and speed up the absorption of blood clots. At this time, you can switch sleeping positions between the affected side and the healthy side. Also be careful when hanging toys in baby cars. Do not fix them in one position to avoid causing strabismus and tilted head. Once the baby's head tilts when sleeping, the mother should find ways to correct it as soon as possible, because the younger the baby is, the more the skull has not yet been fully formed, and the head shape is easier to correct. If the baby's head always likes to tilt to the right, the mother can fold a softer towel and raise the right side of the baby's head so that the baby's head cannot twist to the right at will. If the towel is not strong enough and the baby still tilts his head to the right after sleeping for a while, then I made a small pillow that is just slightly bigger than the palm, filled it with millet, and it feels heavy when I hold it. Use it to pad the right side of the baby's head, and no matter how the baby moves, it will not tilt. Massage your baby's neck regularly to relieve the pressure on his neck. Over time, it will have very good effects. For example, if the baby's head tends to tilt to the right, you can massage the right side of his neck.

2. Questions about pillows

Whether the baby should use a pillow is also the most frequently asked question by mothers. Because the baby's skull is not completely calcified and the sutures have not closed, if the mother gives the baby a hard pillow, such as peas, millet, mung beans or even books as a pillow core, thinking that this hard pillow can help the baby sleep with a good head shape, there is actually no scientific basis for this. This hard pillow not only makes the baby uncomfortable, but also squeezes the head. The baby's skull is softer, and the fontanelle and skull sutures have not completely closed. A pillow that is too hard can easily cause skull deformation. In addition, the baby's poor mobility can make the head shape more likely to become crooked. In severe cases, the baby's scalp may be injured. In addition, babies at this age have shorter necks, their heads are wider than their shoulders, the occipital part of the head is in a straight line parallel to the spine, and the cervical spine has not formed a physiological curvature. This is a normal phenomenon for most newborns. If a higher pillow is used, it will affect the baby's breathing. Therefore, there is no need for the baby to sleep with a pillow before he is three months old. Mothers can put some cotton towels (folded into rectangular blocks) and other items under the baby's head. Even if the baby uses a pillow, the mother should pay attention when choosing the pillow. The pillowcase should be made of cotton cloth, the pillow core should be soft and breathable, and the texture should not be too hard. It is best to use buckwheat husk, cassia seed, or tea pillows, otherwise the baby's skull will easily deform. The standard for this height is that after the baby falls on the pillow, the head and body remain balanced, without any uncomfortable sinking or lifting. The length of the pillow should be equal to the width of the baby's shoulders, and the width should be about the same as the height of the baby's head.