How many months does it take for a baby's head to take shape?

The baby's skull is very fragile. If he uses a pillow for a long time, it will cause the skull to deform. Once the head is deformed, it is very difficult to change it after adulthood, and it seriously affects the appearance. How should we pay attention to the baby's head shape and provide daily care to prevent the baby's head from deforming? Next, we will introduce to you the characteristics of baby's sleeping and playing, which can help you determine how to protect your baby's head shape.

Lying on your back is a common sleeping position for babies. It helps to expel gas from the baby's stomach and relax the baby's muscles. However, lying on your back will also cause the baby's relaxed tongue to fall back, blocking the airway and affecting breathing. If the baby sleeps on his back for a long time, the occipital bone will be flattened, causing the back of the head to become flat, forming a flat head. Therefore, mothers should not let their babies sleep on their backs for too long, and should adjust their babies' sleeping positions every 2-3 hours.

2. Do not lie prone for a long time

Sleeping on the prone position can not only prevent the baby from choking on milk, but also increase the activities of the baby's head, neck and limbs, and it is also helpful to promote the baby's lung development. However, sleeping on the prone position has certain risks, because babies under 3 months old have limited ability to turn their heads, and sleeping on the prone position for a long time can easily cause foreign objects to block the mouth and nose, causing suffocation. In addition, sleeping on the prone position for a long time will compress the face, causing poor blood flow and even head deformation.

The best sleeping position for babies is lying on their sides, because it will neither compress the baby's internal organs nor affect the growth of the baby's skull. In addition, sleeping on the side can limit the excessive development of the baby's mandible and prevent the baby's face from being too large. Before the baby's skull is fully developed, there are still gaps between the bones. If you want to have a good head shape, it is best to lie on your left or right side, alternating between them.

What should I do if my baby's head is tilted when sleeping?

In fact, as long as the mother changes the baby's sleeping position regularly and does not let the baby stay in the same sleeping position for too long, there is no need to worry about the baby's head shape being deformed. Of course, if the baby's head is tilted when sleeping, you should quickly use some tips to guide the baby to sleep on the tilted side.

Tip 1: Change your position and talk to your baby

For babies who like to sleep on the right side, the mother can talk to the baby on the left side; if the baby likes to sleep on the left side, the mother can play with the baby on the right side, so as to correct the baby's sleeping tilt.

Tip 2: Massage your baby’s neck moderately

If the baby's head is tilted when sleeping, the mother can correct it by massaging the baby's neck. If the baby's head tilts to the left, massage the left side of the neck. Be careful to be gentle. This neck massage method can relieve the baby's head tilt symptoms.

The mother can use a towel to raise the side where the baby's head tends to lean to reduce the pressure on the baby's skull and correct the deformed skull. However, this method requires the mother to watch over the baby because the baby tends to move around while sleeping and the towel can easily shift.

Tip 4: Consider using a baby mattress

The biggest function of a baby mattress is to reduce the symptoms of head deformation such as tilted head or flat head in babies under 6 months old, and prevent further deformation of the head shape. The baby mattress should be of moderate elasticity, looseness and breathability, which is more conducive to the correction of the baby's head shape.