Positional plagiocephaly affects 48% of infants during the first 2-4 months of life, which is why every mum and dad wonders if a positional plagiocephaly pillow is useful. Today we explain how they work and why a newborn flat head syndrome pillow plays a vital role in the prevention and treatment of the condition.
What are the benefits of using an anti flat head pillow?
Plagiocephaly (commonly known as Flat Head Syndrome) refers to an abnormality of a baby’s head shape which affects about fifty percent of newborns. Why has it been so prevalent in recent years?
Infants’ skulls are delicate and malleable, their bones are not yet welded together (that's why they have the famous 'soft spots' on their head) in order to facilitate the passage of a baby through the uterine canal during labour, and also to allow their small brain room to increase in size substantially during those first few months of life. This makes newborn head shape more prone to deformity.
The Ministry of Health regulations to prevent SIDS (or cot death) recommend keeping an infant in a supine position at all times (lying on their back). It is vital new parents follow this recommendation as cases of SIDS (cot death) have fallen sharply since it was issued.
However, this does result in one consequence: young babies spending a great deal of time with their little head resting in the same position over a period of 24 hours.
This localised pressure on what is still a very malleable skull may cause a flat spot on the head of a newborn.
So, what exactly does a pillow for plagiocephaly do? A head shaping pillow distributes localised pressure evenly over the entire back of a baby’s head, preventing flat spots from developing.
What features should a good baby flat head pillow for plagiocephaly have?
An antiplagiocephaly pillow must, first and foremost, be soft and comfortable, yet also slim and compact. This is extremely important in ensuring your baby maintains correct neck and back posture and to keep their airway open at all times.
Flat head baby pillows have a central indent so that pressure across the skull is distributed evenly.
The indent helps babies to keep their tiny head straight, preventing any lateral flattening. In fact, many infants develop a favourite side to turn to and rest their head on when lying on their back. This may lead to lateral plagiocephaly, as well as positional torticollis. Often, these two newborn head shape disorders are closely linked.
It is also important that the baby pillow for flat head has been designed and developed by both healthcare professionals and field experts and is certified by the Ministry of Health.
Koala Perfect Head flat head baby pillow
Now that we have clarified the key characteristics a good baby pillow flat head should have, let's move on to discover the features Koala Perfect Head range for newborns offer.
As a brief outline, we can tell you that our flat head pillow for babies is classified as a medical device certified by the Italian Ministry of Health to prevent or treat, if the condition is already present, Positional Plagiocephaly.
It has been designed in collaboration with Doctors and early childhood experts to protect babies’ soft malleable little heads in everyday situations, in a simple yet effective way: Koala Perfect Head is ideal for bouncers and carrycots, Koala Perfect Head Maxi is perfect for use in the cot and on the play mat, and Koala Perfect Head Breastfeeding whilst nursing.
German Memory Foam
Koala baby pillows are made of high-quality German memory foam, with differentiated levels of thickness depending on the area.
All three pillows in the Koala Perfect Head range have a central indent, where the memory foam is slimmer.
This allows pressure around the skull to be evenly distributed over the entire back of an infant’s head, avoiding any localised stress which would lead to flattening, and thus to plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome).
A baby pillow for wherever you are
Koala Perfect Head newborn pillows have a unique feature that sets them apart from others: there’s not just one single type, but three different pillows – each one purposely designed for a specific use.
Koala Perfect Head is ideal for cribs, carrycots, prams, pushchairs, and all other mobile supports.
The longer Koala Perfect Head Maxi is ideal for cots, co-sleeping cribs and play mats.
Koala Perfect Head Breastfeeding, on the other hand, supports a baby's head during nursing and each time they are held.
This way the baby's little head is protected whatever the situation with maximum comfort.
Easy-to-wash
The infant pillows in the Koala Perfect Head range have a removable case that slips off in a flash and is machine washable.
This is a very important feature when you consider how easily babies get dirty. There’s no doubt that we need to be able to take advantage of the convenience of machine washing!
You can also purchase a spare pillowcase, so that your baby pillow is always on hand ready for use.
Certification
Koala Perfect Head pillows have been tested and certified by various bodies and professional field experts: as well as being classified as medical devices, certified by the Italian Ministry of Health, they have also been awarded with Hypoallergenic Material, Oeko Tex and REACH certification, which all officially recognise the quality of the fabric used.
Vergleich.org recognised them as the 'Best Baby Pillow 2021' and the German midwives of Hebammen-testen.de recommend their use with 100% of votes.
In addition to using a pillow for flat head syndrome, there are several other measures you can take to help with prevention and treatment of plagiocephaly. For example, alternate the arm you use to hold your baby or limit the amount of time your newborn spends lying down. A baby carrier is a great help for this, as it allows you to keep your baby close by whilst keeping your hands free!
