Explainer | Flat head syndrome – facts about the condition behind the helmet-wearing baby fad and how to prevent or fix it

Babies may develop flat spots on their heads, usually from lying in one position while they sleep. It’s a common condition, but one they usually outgrow

Parents can take steps to avoid or correct it; serious cases may require custom-fitted helmets to help guide the head’s growth, though

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Two photos, taken four months apart, show a baby with flat head syndrome and after treatment with a custom helmet.

Published: 5:15pm, 26 Nov 2021

To this day, Susanna Koh remembers the time a father walked into her clinic and asked staff to help treat his baby boy’s flat head syndrome. Before she could say anything, he said he didn’t need any information; he was ready for his son to have the treatment.

Surprised, Koh asked him why he was so eager. That’s when the father confessed that he’d had the syndrome himself as a baby.

His own face was not symmetrical, Koh said; one side was flatter than the other. He told her that glasses did not fit well on his face, resulting in a huge difference in the sight in his eyes. His teeth were a mess. When he talked with people, he tilted his head because he had sharper hearing on one side than the other.

He didn’t want his son to suffer any of this, he said.

When babies develop a flat spot on the back or side of their head, this is known as plagiocephaly, or flat head syndrome. Photo: Shutterstock

“He was the first adult that confessed to me that his flat head as a baby affected him so much,” said Koh, who co-founded Orthopaedia. The private practice with clinics in Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia is one of many that offers children’s orthotic services – aids, such as braces, that support, align, prevent or correct deformities or improve function.

Could a baby you know have flat head syndrome? Here’s what you need to know.

Phoebe Zhang

Phoebe Zhang is a senior reporter with the South China Morning Post. She has a master's degree in journalism. She likes to write human-interest stories and has written many about people living on the fringes of society. She believes there's no story or person that's too small.

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Explainer | Flat head syndrome – facts about the condition behind the helmet-wearing baby fad and how to prevent or fix it

Babies may develop flat spots on their heads, usually from lying in one position while they sleep. It’s a common condition, but one they usually outgrow

Parents can take steps to avoid or correct it; serious cases may require custom-fitted helmets to help guide the head’s growth, though

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Explainer | Flat head syndrome – facts about the condition behind the helmet-wearing baby fad and how to prevent or fix it

Babies may develop flat spots on their heads, usually from lying in one position while they sleep. It’s a common condition, but one they usually outgrow Parents can take steps to avoid or correct it; serious cases may require custom-fitted helmets to help guide the head’s growth, though

Opinion | Healthcare reforms overdue as ageing Hong Kong faces rising costs

New bone marrow test doubles AML blood cancer survival chances

Trial epilepsy drug’s success on son like winning the lottery, mum says

Babies may develop flat spots on their heads, usually from lying in one position while they sleep. It’s a common condition, but one they usually outgrow

Parents can take steps to avoid or correct it; serious cases may require custom-fitted helmets to help guide the head’s growth, though