Re: Having a hard time with the STARband

[Guest guest]

Hi

My 6 month old daughter got her STARBand on Friday. I don't want to

make you feel bad - but we have had no trouble with it. wore

it a few hours at a time on Sat. and Sun. will no hassle. When we

took it off after 2-3 and then 4-5 hours she had red marks on her

head (where the " clamping " effect was happening) but they went away

in the alloted hour. She does not complain and hardly touches her

head. She touches the band when laying my my arms sometimes; but as

she would normally do if she was touching her head prior to the band.

My orthotist told me that the band she never fall below her

eyebrows. He said that sometimes it will look like a wrinkle of skin

across the bridge of her nose but that depends on her position. He

told me that it is ok that I can move it up and down in the back but

it shouldn't move side to side. Does that make sense? slept

in it for the first time last night and did better then I expected.

She is a great sleeper. She did get up 3x last night but she was

trying to get comfortable. She has tort and normally sleeps with her

right cheeck almost flush on the mattress and with the band she

cannot do that.

So, please do not second guess your decision on the STARBand you just

may need to have it adjusted to fit. I went back 2 days after I got

it. My orthotist told me some people go back several times the first

week.

I do know he said that the band fits differently depending on the

shape of the baby's head.

GOOD LUCK & PLEASE ASK ME ANYTHING YOU WANT!! I hope I can help. We

are at the same point.

Dina and (7/18)

> Hi--my son is 6 1/2 mos. old and we received his STARband on Monday

> afternoon. So far we have had nothing but trouble. I think the

band

> is too loose and told the orthotist so; he added a little padding

at

> the base around the back of the nack but it still shifts. He told

> me, and I confirmed this talking to Orthomerica today, that it

should

> be somewhat loose so he will have room to grow. But I don't see

how

> they can classify this as active remolding if it's not actually

> pressing on (molding) his head, and we're just waiting for the head

> to grow? Plus the cutout for the face seems too small, it's a

squared

> shape and keeps slipping over his eyes.

>

> But my biggest concerns are that my son is not tolerating the

band.

> Yesterday we did one hour on, one off; today it's 2 hours on, 1

off.

> He fusses and cries and thumps on the band. He's short tempered

and

> seems to have a hard time doing his regular activities. When I lay

> him on his back in the band I think it may be hurting bis neck. I

> can barely feed him in the band, because it makes his chin touch

his

> chest when he has it on in his high chair, so it's hard to get food

> in his mouth. He's not eating or drinking as much as usual, and

has

> been spitting up a lot, which he does when he is upset. Tomorrow

he

> is supposed to begin sleeping and napping in the band. I don't

know

> what to do or where to turn. We have an appointment next week with

> the orthotist for adjustment but by then he is supposed to be

wearing

> the band 23 hours a day.

>

> I'm afraid I've made a really poor decision here. We decided on

the

> STAR over the DOC because of distance--4 1/2 hours each way driving

> if we had gotten the DOC, plus it cost three times as much. But

> maybe we would have had the same problems with that as well. I

also

> feel like I am giving up the rest of my son's babyhood, since he'll

> likely be walking by the time he comes out of the band. I can't

> snuggle him anymore because he keeps bopping me in the face with

the

> helmet.

>

> Any words of advice, anyone? Please?

>

> mom to Asher 7/15/01, banded 1/28/02

[Guest guest]

Hi Chris:

I am so sorry to hear of the rough start you're having. Let me start

by saying that it is quite common for bands to be quite loose on the

baby's head for the first week or two. Most bands do shift a lot

during that time. As Orthomerica told you, it is to allow room for

the baby's head to grow into. My daughter's DOCband did the same

thing, after 2 wks I think, it fit her just fine. That is a big

concern many of our members have after they first receive their

child's band but it is normal & common.

For the cut out around his face, if it's really bothering him &

slipping beneath his eyes, I would request they trim so of the

plastic over his eyes. My daughter's STARband also did that to the

point it would " smoosh " one of her eyes. Her orthotist trimmed the

area a bit & that problem was corrected. It drove me crazy!

For Asher not tolerating it well, it is uncommon for that to happen.

There have been a few members of our group whose child did not

tolerate the band well. It has just been 2 days thus far, maybe

Asher just needs some more time to adjust to it. Make sure he starts

eating better again though, that would be a big concern of mine as

well.

If Asher isn't tolerating it better by Friday, I suggest calling your

orhtotist again for another appt before the weekend. Does your

orthotist have good experience in treating plagio babies with the

STARband?

Try to keep your chin up about this. I cried for the first week or

even 2 while my daughter was in her band. I was very upset about the

whole thing, and my daughter didn't even mind her band so I'm sure

it's VERY hard on you. While Asher is out of his band, do extra

snuggling with him. It is a bummer you can't cuddle with his head as

much as before he was banded. Keep us updated on his progress. Best

of luck & hang in there.

Debbie Abby's mom DOCgrad

MI

> Hi--my son is 6 1/2 mos. old and we received his STARband on Monday

> afternoon. So far we have had nothing but trouble. I think the

band

> is too loose and told the orthotist so; he added a little padding

at

> the base around the back of the nack but it still shifts. He told

> me, and I confirmed this talking to Orthomerica today, that it

should

> be somewhat loose so he will have room to grow. But I don't see

how

> they can classify this as active remolding if it's not actually

> pressing on (molding) his head, and we're just waiting for the head

> to grow? Plus the cutout for the face seems too small, it's a

squared

> shape and keeps slipping over his eyes.

>

> But my biggest concerns are that my son is not tolerating the

band.

> Yesterday we did one hour on, one off; today it's 2 hours on, 1

off.

> He fusses and cries and thumps on the band. He's short tempered

and

> seems to have a hard time doing his regular activities. When I lay

> him on his back in the band I think it may be hurting bis neck. I

> can barely feed him in the band, because it makes his chin touch

his

> chest when he has it on in his high chair, so it's hard to get food

> in his mouth. He's not eating or drinking as much as usual, and

has

> been spitting up a lot, which he does when he is upset. Tomorrow

he

> is supposed to begin sleeping and napping in the band. I don't

know

> what to do or where to turn. We have an appointment next week with

> the orthotist for adjustment but by then he is supposed to be

wearing

> the band 23 hours a day.

>

> I'm afraid I've made a really poor decision here. We decided on

the

> STAR over the DOC because of distance--4 1/2 hours each way driving

> if we had gotten the DOC, plus it cost three times as much. But

> maybe we would have had the same problems with that as well. I

also

> feel like I am giving up the rest of my son's babyhood, since he'll

> likely be walking by the time he comes out of the band. I can't

> snuggle him anymore because he keeps bopping me in the face with

the

> helmet.

>

> Any words of advice, anyone? Please?

>

> mom to Asher 7/15/01, banded 1/28/02

[Guest guest]

Thanks for all your replies and kind words of advice. My situation

is a little weird. I live in Huntsville, Alabama, and we are using a

local orthotist here in town for the band. He is the senior

pediatric orthotist at the firm and has worked with kids for over 20

years, but this is the first STARband he has ever done. He has done

other types of helmets, and even made helmets before DOC and STAR

came along. So there really are no references to check. The reason

I went with this place is because I couldn't find anyone within a 200

mile radius that had any better experience. There was one place in

Birmingham and one place in Chattanooga, TN that had done one band

apiece--hardly worth the drive for that little bit of experience, and

neither one was recent ot had any documentation/photos. I had a

terrible time trying to find anyone who would even consider doing the

band for us--most orthotics firms told me " we don't handle that type

of thing " or told us to call Cranial Technology in Atlanta. Our

pediatric neurosurgeon who diagnosed Asher (located in B'ham) was not

even familiar with STARbands--I had to do all the research on the net

and phone conversations with Orthomerica, and convince him to write

us a prescription for it. He has only ever referred people to

Cranial Tech., and said ours was a borderline case (called it

moderate brachycepahly) and said it was up to us whether to band or

not. So I have this huge burden on me that I picked something other

than what the dr. recomended, and that my son is a human guinea pig

for this orthotist. He is very nice and seems to know what he is

doing--he even went in and called Orthomerica to ask them about

placing the padding at the base of the helmet. But I'd feel a lot

more confident if he could tell me he'd done 50 kids before mine. I

guess that is what you are paying all the extra for at Cranial T.

But I was also told that the people at CT don't necessarily have a

degree in orthotics, that they have just been thru CT's training on

DOC bands, so that concerned me a bit too. I figured better to have

an orthotist over a technician, even if he hasn't done this exact

band before.

He's doing a little better later today--he actually dozed off in his

bouncy seat with the band on and I just let him nap.

> Hi--my son is 6 1/2 mos. old and we received his STARband on Monday

> afternoon. So far we have had nothing but trouble. I think the

band

> is too loose and told the orthotist so; he added a little padding

at

> the base around the back of the nack but it still shifts. He told

> me, and I confirmed this talking to Orthomerica today, that it

should

> be somewhat loose so he will have room to grow. But I don't see

how

> they can classify this as active remolding if it's not actually

> pressing on (molding) his head, and we're just waiting for the head

> to grow? Plus the cutout for the face seems too small, it's a

squared

> shape and keeps slipping over his eyes.

>

> But my biggest concerns are that my son is not tolerating the

band.

> Yesterday we did one hour on, one off; today it's 2 hours on, 1

off.

> He fusses and cries and thumps on the band. He's short tempered

and

> seems to have a hard time doing his regular activities. When I lay

> him on his back in the band I think it may be hurting bis neck. I

> can barely feed him in the band, because it makes his chin touch

his

> chest when he has it on in his high chair, so it's hard to get food

> in his mouth. He's not eating or drinking as much as usual, and

has

> been spitting up a lot, which he does when he is upset. Tomorrow

he

> is supposed to begin sleeping and napping in the band. I don't

know

> what to do or where to turn. We have an appointment next week with

> the orthotist for adjustment but by then he is supposed to be

wearing

> the band 23 hours a day.

>

> I'm afraid I've made a really poor decision here. We decided on

the

> STAR over the DOC because of distance--4 1/2 hours each way driving

> if we had gotten the DOC, plus it cost three times as much. But

> maybe we would have had the same problems with that as well. I

also

> feel like I am giving up the rest of my son's babyhood, since he'll

> likely be walking by the time he comes out of the band. I can't

> snuggle him anymore because he keeps bopping me in the face with

the

> helmet.

>

> Any words of advice, anyone? Please?

>

> mom to Asher 7/15/01, banded 1/28/02

[Guest guest]

Chris:

I'm glad to hear Asher was a little better while in his band for you

today. Hopefully, he tolerates it better each day. I'm surprised

more babies don't have a harder time adjusting to the bands (but

happy they do adjust so well).

It sounds like your orthotist is at least familiar with treating

plagio babies with helmets. The STARband is of course different than

the old passive style helmets he probably treated babies with before,

but at least he is well experienced with helmets. I suggest keeping

a close eye on Asher's head and any red marks. If at any time you

feel uncomfortable with anything your orhtotist is doing or not

doing, address those questions with Orthomerica or another

orthotist. My daughter wore a STARband unsuccessfully for nearly 3

mos - you don't want to lose time like we did. You defintiely sound

very knowledgable regarding plagio - my goodness, you had to do all

this on your own. My hats off to you.

Best of luck - and please keep us updated. Let us know how the

weekend goes with Asher in his band. Good luck again.

Debbie Abby's mom DOCGrad

MI

> > Hi--my son is 6 1/2 mos. old and we received his STARband on

Monday

> > afternoon. So far we have had nothing but trouble. I think the

> band

> > is too loose and told the orthotist so; he added a little padding

> at

> > the base around the back of the nack but it still shifts. He

told

> > me, and I confirmed this talking to Orthomerica today, that it

> should

> > be somewhat loose so he will have room to grow. But I don't see

> how

> > they can classify this as active remolding if it's not actually

> > pressing on (molding) his head, and we're just waiting for the

head

> > to grow? Plus the cutout for the face seems too small, it's a

> squared

> > shape and keeps slipping over his eyes.

> >

> > But my biggest concerns are that my son is not tolerating the

> band.

> > Yesterday we did one hour on, one off; today it's 2 hours on, 1

> off.

> > He fusses and cries and thumps on the band. He's short tempered

> and

> > seems to have a hard time doing his regular activities. When I

lay

> > him on his back in the band I think it may be hurting bis neck.

I

> > can barely feed him in the band, because it makes his chin touch

> his

> > chest when he has it on in his high chair, so it's hard to get

food

> > in his mouth. He's not eating or drinking as much as usual, and

> has

> > been spitting up a lot, which he does when he is upset. Tomorrow

> he

> > is supposed to begin sleeping and napping in the band. I don't

> know

> > what to do or where to turn. We have an appointment next week

with

> > the orthotist for adjustment but by then he is supposed to be

> wearing

> > the band 23 hours a day.

> >

> > I'm afraid I've made a really poor decision here. We decided on

> the

> > STAR over the DOC because of distance--4 1/2 hours each way

driving

> > if we had gotten the DOC, plus it cost three times as much. But

> > maybe we would have had the same problems with that as well. I

> also

> > feel like I am giving up the rest of my son's babyhood, since

he'll

> > likely be walking by the time he comes out of the band. I can't

> > snuggle him anymore because he keeps bopping me in the face with

> the

> > helmet.

> >

> > Any words of advice, anyone? Please?

> >

> > mom to Asher 7/15/01, banded 1/28/02