“I think your daughter would benefit from a helmet”.
Words I was hoping not to hear at my daughter’s six month appointment. A helmet.
Wait, what?! That can’t be! But then I started looking at other babies her age. And I realized something.
Wow. My daughter’s head was flat.
I attributed her flat head to how she slept.
My daughter loved to sleep in what I called “touchdown position” [she must be dreaming of the Spartans] ).
I tried to move her head to the left or right, but she just snapped it right back to center, so I admitted defeat.
So what should you expect if your babe has to get a helmet?
Feeling anxious
Since I had never heard of helmeting, I was pretty anxious about the whole process.
- Was this my fault?
- What was going to happen?
- How would my daughter handle it?
- What would others think while out and about?
I mean, when you are told that you will have to wear the helmet basically 24/7 (you get an hour off a day to bathe your child and wash the helmet) it can be overwhelming.
The Process
The process actually isn’t too bad. The orthotist starts by taking initial measurements of your child’s head. Then they scan your child’s head in order to make their custom helmet. When the helmet is made (about a week after the initial scan) you head back to the orthotist so they can insure the helmet fits and make any adjustments needed. After that you continue to return every few weeks so they can continue to monitor how the helmet fits, take measurements, and make sure your child’s head is rounding out. Overall, you should expect for your child to wear the helmet for about 4-6 months.
Adjusting
At first, it can be a bit rough to see your little babe in a bulky helmet. They may not be to thrilled about it either.
After a day or so, they adjust, and go about their day just fine.
Really, it is harder on the parents than it is on the child. They totally forget the helmet is there.
It is important to note if your child is super upset about the helmet. As their head changes shape, the helmet can cause pressure. If you think the helmet is causing pain, give your orthotist a call. More than likely they’ll tell you to take the helmet off and check for marks.
Decorate it
If your precious baby is going to be wearing this thing all day, you might as well make it look nice.
I decorated my daughter’s myself using scrapbook stickers and modge podge.
**As a side note, do you know how many people told me what handsome boy I had while we were out. My daughter would be wearing pink, with a purple helmet that had the word princess on the front. I don’t think that screams boy, but maybe I’m wrong...**
Just like that it’s Over
It seems like it will take forever, but just like that your child will graduate from wearing the helmet, with a rounder head.
This post is going to help so many moms! I love the decorations too – so sweet. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much Kim! I really hope that it does help. Occasionally I see a mom with a child in a helmet out and about, and I always stop and tell them that Annabelle had to wear one and I don’t regret it.
This is so refreshing to see. I worked for a mother that her child needed a helmet & it was traumatic for the mom, not the child. I love that you spoke so honestly about your experience! GO MAMA!
Thanks so much Pamela. No one likes hearing there is something wrong. With the helmet I think many parents feel its their fault, like they didn’t do enough. Hopefully this will help others feel not so scared or bad.
I’m a twin mom, and in a club for twin moms. Sooooo many of my friends have had babies that needed helmets! It’s really common in twins. I’m sure you’re right that it’s harder on parents than it is on the babies, though 🙂 And I always love seeing the creative decorating jobs parents come up with!!! Totally cute, and way to make a fabulous accessory out of life’s lemons 🙂
I’ve heard that lots of twins end up needing helps because they don’t have as much room to move in the womb. I had a fun time decorating it, I decided if I was going to look at it everyday may as well do something fun. 🙂
Aww bless her! she soo cute and she look cute with the helmet on. xx
Awww thanks Anna! It sure did make her cheeks extra pinchable. 🙂
We were lucky in that we never needed a helmet for our son. But I love your matter-of-fact approach on the subject! And her helmet is super cute!
Thanks Jasmine! Hopefully if others google helemting they will see this and kinda feel a bit better. 🙂
My girls would be donned in all pink, and it seemed like someone would always tell me how cute he is! I have a few friends whose children have had to have helmets. They were stressed out at first, but just like you said, it went by really quickly. I love your helmet decorations! Thank you for sharing!