Fixing My Flat: Our Baby Helmet Experience
Before I begin, I wanted to let any mommas with helmets in their future know that this is not a scary process and your baby’s head shape is no fault of your own. I’m not one to be emotional about things like this, but I know it can be stressful and emotional for a lot of mommas and that’s ok! Just know that this is common, everything will be ok and, from our experience, babies do not even notice anything is different.
Diagnosis
We noticed at around 3 months that our daughter Alayna had developed a slightly abnormal head shape and favored one side of her head. She preferred to look to the right more often than the left because of tightness in her neck, which is referred to as torticollis in medical terms. The back of her head was flattening and, as a result of her favoring her right side, a slight bulge was forming on the left side of her head (also known as plagiocephaly in medical terms). At her 3 month checkup appointment we were referred to a physical therapist to treat the tightness in her neck while we waited to get into Mary Free Bed for a consultation to confirm whether a helmet would be necessary to correct her head shape.
Physical Therapy
During physical therapy we learned a few techniques to help encourage Alayna to use the full range of motion of her neck. These techniques mostly involved distraction. Placing anything interesting and exciting on the side we wanted her to use more so she would look that way and strengthen her neck muscles, plus lots of tummy time. We visited the physical therapist once a week for 3 or 4 weeks, doing ‘homework’ in-between appointments. She continued to improve each time, but she would still ultimately need a helmet to course correct her head shape.
Consultation
At our first consultation with Mary Free Bed they placed Alayna in a scanner to measure her head shape and confirm whether or not a helmet was necessary. They used a fun light toy to distract her and keep her still in the scanner (it was like magic). There is a scale that determines whether the measurements are within normal range or not. Her measurements were just outside of the normal range, enough that they would need to be corrected, but not severe. They estimated she would wear a helmet for 4 months, which is on the shorter end of the spectrum.
We were able to pick out what we wanted the helmet to look like right at that appointment. You can pick the helmet color or design, as well as the velcro strap color (which was actually kind of fun for me). After that, they took her measurements and molded a helmet specifically for Alayna’s head shape. It would gently compress the areas that needed to shrink and leave room in other areas that needed to grow. It takes a few weeks for the helmet to be made, so we would return at a later appointment to receive it.
Cost
Mary Free Bed was great at working with our insurance and ensuring that we knew what the costs involved would be before we moved forward. The consultation and all follow up appointments were free of charge. They only charge for the cost of the helmet. Luckily we were able to get the helmet ordered before the end of the year (just barely!). We had already met our health insurance deductible and max out-of-pocket so we did not have to pay anything out-of-pocket for her helmet, our insurance covered it 100%. According to our insurance statement it ended up costing around $2500.
What if you choose not to get a helmet?
According to the Mary Free Bed website, if an abnormal head shape is left untreated “the long-term effects… include gross motor difficulties, vision problems, facial and ear asymmetry and asymmetric jaw development in moderate or severe cases”.
The Helmet
About 3 or 4 weeks after our initial consultation, we returned to get Alayna’s specially fitted helmet. The helmet is made out of a hard plastic outer shell and a styrofoam-like material on the inside that they “sculpt” to achieve desired results. At the appointment, they placed the helmet on her and made adjustments to attain a perfect fit. Alayna was barely phased by this appointment and did not have much reaction to having the helmet placed on her (maybe a tiny fuss right when it was put on, but it quickly passed).
The specialists made sure we were very comfortable with using and caring for the helmet. They taught us how to place the helmet on her head, how to clean the helmet, how to clean her head and more. We were also sent home with an informational sheet that answered frequently asked questions and reiterated the care instructions so we could always have that information handy. The specialists also gave us their contact information and we were able to get ahold of them via phone or email any time if we had questions or concerns (I never ended up having to do this). As soon as you leave the appointment you start the adjustment period. Apparently babies’ heads grow so fast that even waiting a day could potentially create issues with the helmet fitting correctly.
Fox Footed One-Piece for Baby: Old Navy
The Adjustment Period
For the first 5 days of the helmet there is an adjustment period where you work up to leaving the helmet on for 23 hours a day. This was the most “difficult” part of the entire process and feels a bit daunting at first as you’re all adjusting. You follow a schedule of wearing the helmet and taking it off. For example, alternating one hour on and one hour off.
Each day it gets easier as you start to establish a routine and once you have worked up to 23 hours a day (even sleeping and napping), it is little more than a small inconvenience. Some of our adjustment days fell on days Alayna was in daycare and our daycare lady didn’t have any issues sticking to the adjustment schedule (something I was worried about at first because I felt like it was a lot to ask of her). During this entire process Alayna was her normal self and she barely noticed that anything was different, even once we had worked up to 23 hours a day. She truly just went on being her normal baby self, just with a cute accessory on her head.
Our Routine
Once we worked up to wearing the helmet 23 hours a day, we naturally fell into a routine that made everything a lot easier. We chose to do the hour of “no helmet time” right before bedtime. This way it left time for taking a bath, changing clothes and playing with Alayna helmet free. Every time we took the helmet off we would wipe it down with rubbing alcohol (the only approved cleaning method) and place it in a safe place until it was time to put back on. I say “safe place” because we were warned that pets can be very interested in the helmet because of its smells, so better safe than sorry.
Polka Dot Zip-Up Terry Sleep & Play: Carters
Follow-Up Appointments
Every few weeks we would return to Mary Free Bed to check on Alayna’s progress. They would retake measurements and make any adjustments needed to the helmet to make sure it continued to fit correctly and do its job. They also checked for any signs of irritation to make sure she was comfortable. At our second follow-up appointment they let us know that she was on track to finish early because she was growing so quickly, and that at her next follow up appointment she might be done with the helmet for good.
Yeast
About half way through the helmet process Alayna did end up having some very mild yeast issues on her head that can be itchy or uncomfortable. This is normal because there are some areas inside the helmet that do not get much air flow. It basically manifests as sweaty or crusty (dry skin looking) areas. To resolve this, we just had to bathe her 3 or 4 days in a row (more than our usual every other day-ish routine) and make sure to soap up and gently scrub the problem areas. It was gone after a few days.
Tips & Tricks
Zip or Button Bodysuits: Alayna lived in zip or button down one-piece bodysuits for the duration of the time we had the helmet. It can be hard to get over-the-head onesies or shirts over the helmet. My favorites were from Carters and Old Navy.
Don’t Skimp on Cleaning: It can be easy to start slacking on cleaning the helmet, but don’t! We were pretty good about cleaning it every time we took it off and had minimal issues because of this.
Check for Irritation: Make it part of your routine to give your babe’s head a quick once over every time you take the helmet off so you can catch any irritation before it becomes worse.
Helmet Painting: There are amazing people in this world who will paint your babe’s helmet for free. Ask your specialist for recommendations. If you’re interested in this, make sure your specialist knows so they can figure that into your starting schedule (in hindsight I would have loved to do this).
Helmet Decoration: There are also a lot of great helmet decoration items, like bows and decals, you can find on Etsy.
Final Appointment: Graduation
At our follow-up appointment, about 2 months after we started using the helmet, it was time to verify whether she could be done with the helmet early (as anticipated) or if she still needed a bit more time. They did another head scan to examine the shape of her head and took more measurements. She was in the “normal zone” according to the head shape scale, finishing 2 months ahead of schedule (about half the time we had expected)! Even though it wasn’t a difficult process, it was still one of the proudest moments of mommyhood (and daddyhood, too) so far. The Mary Free Bed specialists gave Alayna a cranial “graduate” certificate and a “graduate” bib, which was so sweet and made the moment even more special.
We were able to keep the helmet, so we took it home with us. Some babies have a hard time transitioning to a bare head (it’s almost like a security blanket), so if needed, you can place the helmet back on and ween them off (similar to how you weened them on). We didn’t end up having to do this, since Alayna was pretty unfazed either way, but it was a bit of a learning curve making sure she didn’t hit her head on things (since all of us, including Alayna, were so used to having a built-in protective barrier while wearing the helmet). It was actually really funny getting used to seeing her with a non-helmet head, since we got so used to her always wearing it! We ended up putting the helmet in her memory box so we can show her and tell her all about it when she’s older.
Obviously everyone’s helmet experience will be different depending on severity and how their baby adjusts. I’d love to hear about your helmet experience and any tips you may have for parents just starting their journey. Let me know in the comments!
