I have a DCB who is 6 mos and has flat head syndrome. He was in a public daycare environment prior to coming to me. From my understanding, he laid in the crib a lot, even while awake. At home and here in my care, the baby cries within seconds of being put on his stomach. I've always done tummy time with my own kids at a very young age so this was never an issue for me. The baby's head is very flat in the back so I want to keep him off of his head as much as possible. However, I have kids of my own and my nephew that I'm watching. I can't hold him all day and while I don't mind the crying for a few minutes while he is doing tummy time while I'm getting things done for the other kids, I would still like to do what I can to keep him off his head. Outside of a walker, what other things can I get or do for him so that he isn't laying back (bouncer, swing, papasan, etc)? Any tips on getting him used to tummy time.

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Practice makes perfect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnnKGK1mWBA

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My now 17 mo dcb had a significantly flat head, but the doctor was not concerned (strangers and friends, however, were).

He also hated tummy time, but I have him short bursts, plus bouncer time, sitting in a booster chair. Keep him out of a high chair if that means his head is supported...because it's essentially the same as laying on it.

At 6 months, though, he should be able to roll over on his own, and be close to sitting up (maybe with some help..boppie pillow?), and even crawling.

DCB head is still a little flat, but nothing like it was. Once he got mobile, he chose tummy sleeping (don't they all?), and rarely lays on his head.

BTW, my dude was and is kind of "stiff", kwim? Again, doc doesn't seem worried, and his development is on pace, but he's pretty wiry and stiff.

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He doesn't roll tummy to back or back to tummy from what I can tell. At least he hasn't in my care. He can almost sit up on his own though, so I sit with him when we are playing and just try to encourage the sitting right now.

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Do everything you can to keep him in the upright position. I used a bumbo chair on the carpet for play times until he could sit on his own, an exersaucer, and lots of tummy time- even though he hated it, and would cry, it needed to happen. Start with small amounts of time, and increase. Also, try using a baby mirror so he can see himself while on his belly.
It is a lot of work to try and keep a little one up as much as possible, and particularly hard if you have several others to watch, too.
Does the child have torticollis, too (stiff neck muscles). Sometimes, kids also have to have physical therapy for that. All you can really do is keep him up as much as you can. As he gets older, he will be sitting up, walking, etc and that will keep him off his back without any help.
Some pediatricians are relaxed about it, and say the shape of the head is cosmetic, and usually fixes itself. Others, like my ds', are hyper vigilant- just depends. Hopefully, the parents are doing these types of activities at home, too.

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see....I'm fairly RIE style and have never done tummy time with my own kids OR daycare babies.....and no one has ever had a flat head.

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My 2 yr old dd has low muscle tone and has physical therapy. Before it was diagnosed, I was told that the reason she had weak arms/shoulders was because we didn't do enough tummy time. She is my 3rd child and born into a home daycare, she was practically born doing tummy time & baby exercises!

So this RIE philosophy has me intrigued. Do you just let them stay on their back all the time until they choose to roll?

I have one dcb 8 months that is about to get a helmet for flat head syndrome. He does tons of tummy time & can roll back & forth. Their specialist said sometimes genetics plays a big role.

To get him off his head - bumbo seat, exersaucer, boppy pillow tummy time, mirrors & toys, help teach him to roll... And get his parentson board. This is their problem to be concerned about.

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They may very well be doing things at home too. I'm just surprised that a pediatrician hasn't said anything. She hasn't mentioned it and I haven't yet since he's new this week, but may mention something in a week or two after they are comfortable with him here. I don't want them to think I think there is something wrong with their kid. He doesnt appear to have stiff neck muscles.

I'll work on rolling with him and he seems to be okay on his tummy if he's in my lap, so we may start with that.

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Honestly, I'm a little more concerned that a 6 month old can't roll at all than the flat head thing. Most of mine are rolling at least one way by 3-4 months.

Another thing you can do is lay him on his tummy, then lay on yours across from him and jabber with him. That way, he has to look up to see you.

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I think he has weak arm strength because he doesn't push himself up. I'll ask Mom on Monday when she drops him off and ask if he rolls at all. He can roll on his side when he's on his back but that's about it. I was trying to work with him today to see what he could and couldn't do. I laid on my back and propped him up on my stomach with a toy on the side of me. He was okay for a little bit but then got upset. If I put him on his stomach, he'll cry right away and then for like 20 minutes after that because I made him so mad. I'm keeping my eye on him, but this is only the 3rd day I've had him.

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Thinking about this, I think 6 months is pretty late to be worried about tummy time. Leave him where he's happy, and he will do the rest. I don't think another 2 or 3 weeks of being on his back is going to make his head any flatter.

I have studied RIE a bit myself; even spent a bit of time working with a woman who was trained by Magda Gerber at the RIE institute. It has definately influenced my own caregiving style. I don't use a lot of equipment, never swings. Still, I work with real children all alone, and I know the real world isn't full of child-sized tables and places babies can explore freely. So, I try to take a blended approach.

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