Flat Head and Clingy

Ok, that sounds pretty awful doesnt it?!

Anyone else had probs with flat heads? I dont think Hannah spends an excessive amount of time on her back. I try to get her to sleep on her side but she doesnt really like it and she spends a lot of her awake time sitting now or in jolly jumper, but doesnt seem to be getting better. Makes me feel like a bad mum... I wasnt really too worried about it but everyone else seems to comment.

And Hannah seems to be very attached to me. If shes quite upset she only calms down with me, not so good with her dad. This makes me feel bad too Shes also cries when she sees older men - including her grandads. At plunket group yesterday, we had a man talk to us about baby massage and Hannah would drop her lip and howl every time she saw him - rather embarrassing. I know I cant really do anything about this, but anyone else had this problem?

my cousins baby had a really flat head ( but i didn't coment on it). I'm pretty sure she just left it alone, aside from turning bubs onto various sides while sleeping (right for night, left for day....maybe) and her little girl looks fine now.

as for bubs and strangers - sorry can't help. jake has always had a "thing" for men and will virtually throw himself into the arms of strangers. I worry about him and stranger-danger.

Yeah I agree with Nikki about the flat head thing. We did the right at night, other way during day thing and it worked for us by my friends wee girl has a really flat head. Plunket will tell you if it becomes a problem and I think its not till a bit later they are wary of it when the head starts hardening if you know what I mean.
As for the clingyness, what do you do when she does it? I ask this because my sister always used to cuddle and calm her daughter when she was like this which was basically the reward for baby to scream and cry when someone else came near and was basically telling my sister what to do in her own way. Plunket told her to stop rewarding her for these tantrums and she would learn that is not the way to behave which she did. This may not be whats happening with you but just an idea.

I had the same prob with Paris and was really conscious about it. there are little pillows you can get called peanut pillows but apparently they cost a fair few $$, you can get them through plunket for free if you go through the developmental therapist - HOWEVER - you must be refered to her before baby is 6 weeks old - lolol, by six weeks most babies heads aren't even getting flat! so i suppose that just means that it has to be pretty bad before they will help - other than that, if their ears are aligned and their neck etc, then it is left to come right by itself.

my plunket nurse did suggest rolling up a cloth nappy very thinly and making it into a donut shape - it shouldn't be too high up, quite flat and soft, (i did it with nappy folded in half in a triangle shape - then rolled from the point to get a long thing roll that i then just made into a circle, and stuck a small stitch to hold the end together), and then stick that under neath their head while they sleep - it should be just enough so that their head rests on that and the back of the head isn't actually touching the matress, just supported around the edge. it shouldn't change how their neck rests of anything like that. hope that makes sense. we did that with paris and it helped a little but then she got bigger quite quickly at the same time and started sitting so that could have done it too. I also used to sleep her on her sides during the day by using a sleep wedge so that, at night her head was never touching the matress, and during the day the sides of her head were moulding instead so it all rounded out in the end. with Ayja i just used the wedge religiously and her head shape is pretty good despite all the knocks to it she's had.

Paris still has a bit of a flat spot on the back of her head - which you can't really notice too much - however i can't really do her hair any other way than piggy tails - a pony tail sits right on her flat spot, and makes her head look square - you might not have noticed when we went to that teddy's day out and all got together - but that was the first time i had ever stuck her hair in a pony tail and i thought it just looked a bit wrong really, but hey - i know it's there so it's probably just perception.

With the clingy thing - paris is terrible with men - i don't think it helps that her male role model is not really the tall gruff, hairy scary kinda guy that most men are. she is petrified of guys that are taller and built up more than mike (so pretty much all of them!) and especially men with facial hair for a while there - hence why she is a bit scared of both santa, and her great grandad. it will pass, paris is slowly getting over her shyness, but she will always be the quiet one i think (in front of others at least,- at home you can't shut her up!)

Edited by mum2paris

some poeple just seem to be "baby" people. My friends little girl is super shy and won't go to any men but her father....but she LOVED Lewis. My friend was so surprised. Wouldn't have a bar of me though!! I told Lewis it's because she thought he was a woman.

lol james is like that with a uncle he has facil perichings and hes bo##dy terrifed of him i tell him its his make up that scares james

kewl! - just stick a tri-pillow behind her and she'll soon learn to sit without falling too often, but the pillow will stop her donking her noggin - apart from if she face dives.

Ayja decided after my last placement - that dad is the most wonderful person in the world. when he gets home at night he now gets Paris running towards him yelling "daddy!" and Ayja crawling at top speed, then she pulls at his pant legs and climb until he picks her up. - if he puts her down again boy is he in trouble.
i spose in a way, me having to be away so often has helped him bond with the girls

Yay for Hannah sitting up! And don't worry Roksana, five mths is young to be sitting unsupported, I'm sure Zaara will get there soon!

Maya has a funny shaped head, but she was born that way and I think it's the same as Willie's - very flat on both sides. It looked funny when she didn't have much hair but now you can't even tell.

And she also did the whole screaming thing. She was an absolute witch for ages, wouldn't let Willie pick her up, cuddle her etc. It made things so hard for me, as we were separated and I was trying to force him to spend time with her, and all she would do was scream - not very helpful! She did get over it with much perseverance!

LOL the other day tho, we passed a guy at Pak n Save with black spiky hair, tattoos and piercings and Maya was staring at him. He kind of stared back at me like "What is she looking at?" then Maya pipes up "That man looks like Uncle Paul (my brother)". Even the guy cracked up laughing at that - he thought she was staring to be rude!

lol Liz! Hannah is trying to crawl now too I know she is still a little way off yet, but on her tummy she goes right up onto her arms and is trying to get her knees under her, but just gets grumpy!! ha ha!

my older sister religiously slept her boy from side to side only, constatnly - and i mean SIDE to SIDE - he was right over on each side. for a while, his head slightly resembled a football shape from a side on profile - very long, and the back was pointy - but it's all rounded out -

with the moulding thing Roksana - usually the back fontanelle closes anywhere between 4 - 6 months so USUALLY it won't get tooooo much worse after that point.