Positional Plagiocephaly : A Symmetrical Solution

Methods for raising infants have been many and varied over the years, and much scientific research and practical experience have established a knowledge base parents and specialists can confidently rely on. For example, an infant requires more sleep during a 24 hour period than time awake. A newborn requires a total of 16 hours of sleep, and even up to a year a child still requires 14 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period. Another more recently discovered practice is that children should sleep on their backs to prevent SIDS.

Understandably, as parents put their children to sleep on their backs more, while the number of SIDS cases decreased, the occurrence of positional plagiocephaly increased. Positional plagiocephaly is also referred to as "flat head syndrome." It occurs when a baby’s head starts to develop flat spots on the back or side due to the head being frequently in the same position. Fortunately, positional plagiocephaly is both preventable and treatable, and fairly easily diagnosed. Positional plagiocephaly is therefore preferable to SIDS, and thus parents will continue to be advised to put babies to sleep on their backs.

Various methods can be applied to prevent positional plagiocephaly. When a baby is awake, he should have "tummy time" or periods of time laying flat on his belly. Parents can also hold their child upright, or prop her up in the sitting position. All of these techniques would relieve pressure on the baby’s head. However, more time should be spent sleeping than awake, and babies are supposed to sleep on their backs. Dr. Ricardo Hahn, also known as Dr. Plagio, was concerned about the occurrence of positional plagiocephaly in children, and recommends the methods previously stated for waking time with children. But he was also interested in helping parents during those critical sleeping hours where a child is so likely to develop positional plagiocephaly. Dr. Plagio teamed up with Basic Comfort, a company dedicated to innovative baby products, to develop the Symmetry Sleep System.

The Symmetry System consists of three main components designed both for infant comfort, and parent proficiency: a sleep positioned, an alarm, and a caliper. The sleep positioned is uniquely designed to be comfortable and safe for the infant, and easy to use for parents. The alarm included reminds parents when to reposition baby’s head to prevent flat spots from developing, and the caliper helps parents measure whether their child’s head is developing symmetrically.

With this Symmetry System, parents will be empowered to monitor their own child’s development and take preventative action before positional plagiocephaly occurs. They will also be able to discover if a problem exists and should see specialists. As positional plagiocephaly usually occurs within the first two to twenty weeks, parents shouldn’t wait to find their own Symmetrical Solution.

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