Smiles for Kids Blog
Friday, June 13, 2008
Doctor sees more plagiocephaly, toticollis in babies
"I see it very commonly in my clinic," said Maples, a pediatric orthopedic specialist at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital and Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital.Read the rest here:
In fact, she has seen an increasing number of babies with plagiocephaly since 1992 when the American Academy of Pediatrics initiated its "back to sleep" campaign, urging parents to place newborns on their backs to avoid sudden infant death syndrome.
Maples said parents should continue following that advice, but they also should be aware that infants who spend too much time lying in one position can develop the misshapen skull characteristic of plagiocephaly. When awake, babies should be given more "tummy time," she said, allowing the skull to develop the more-typical symmetrical shape.