Hi everyone!  I am a new at home mother to a 4 month old boy.  We've recently noticed he is getting a flat spot on the left side of his head, he prefers to lay that way and we've tried just about everything to get him to lay his head the other way but he won't!  So, my doctor recomended a lot of tummy time, problem is he HATES tummy time, he screams and cries until i flip him over.  Anyone have any tips or advice?

We had the same problem with our son. He is now 6 months old, and although his flat spot has rounded out a bit, his head kind of pancaked in the process and is a little too wide. He is going to get an orthotic for his little noggin.

When he went for his 4 month checkup, we were referred to Cranial Technologies. Once he was evaluated, we stopped using his bouncey seat, and only used his infant carrier as his car seat vs putting the carrier in the stroller. We used his high chair more, and got a bumbo. The physical therapist also had us doing neck stretches with him.

To increase tummy time, try putting your son over your leg. Put toys or a mirror in front of him, sing to him, and try this for a few minutes. Then try the floor, get down with him and let him see you, be encouraging, and be patient. Also see http://www.cranialtech.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=39&Itemid=76 for some other ideas. We used a boppy too.

Best of luck to you,

Helene

Thanks so much.  And i'm sorry i've never heard of a bumbo, what is that?  I take him for his 4 month checkup tomarrow, so i'm anxious to see what the doctor says when she sees his flat spot.  I've never thought to try tummy time over my knees, thanks for the advice!!

A Bumbo is a chair made out of flexible, but firm material. It helps the little darlings sit upright until they are ready to do it on their own. We bought ours at Walmart for around $30. Our little girl loved it for about a month then quickly outgrew it.

My little one is 10 months now, but I can say that I held her A LOT when she was younger to help avoid the flat spot syndrome (also probably because I am an older mom who waited 10 years for my baby ;) ). I did not leave her in her car seat or infant seat for too long. She was not a fan of tummy time either, but I would put her down for 5-10 minutes numerous times per day. She tolerated short periods much better than me trying to force her to do one long period. The previous suggestions about toys and such also worked for me.

my son was born with quite a lump on his head! it was from squeezing through the birth canal before they decided to do an opisiitomy. a few months of heat (i warmed wet wash clothes in the microwave, put them in ziplock bags, then put a cloth on the outside) and massage (about an hour a day) made it look like rhere was NEVER an issue! (thank god b/c it was so noticible before i did it!) good luck and god bless!

In order to get my son to do some tummy time we had to entice him. They typically dont like it because it prevents them from being able to look around and be curious like they naturally are...

Until they get the neck strength to hold their head up and look around, their tummy time is going to be frustrating for them. 

What I found worked best for me was to prop him up have him on his tummy, but elevated on a boppy pillow, or a foam mat that has a slant. This requires supervision in case they get the strength to roll, or if their movements give them the momentum to roll. Place them at the edge of the pillow so that they are on their tummy but looking up or around. Find a way to hang toys slightly above their current eye level, but make sure it is at least noticeable. A toy that lights up and makes sounds is best for this. When arranging them in this situation, it engages their curiosity and encourages them to gain their neck strength by looking up at the toy...

I hope this helps