More than 1 hour break possible?

June 2, 2009

I'm new to this forum and just settling into the reality of having my 7 month

old daughter fitted for a DOC band. I'm sure you all know the emotions I'm

going through! I'm wondering if you can take more than an hour break from the

band from time to time. For instance, if I take my little girl to the beach a 3

or 4 times this summer (with SPF 50, of course) could I have the band off for

3-4 hours at a time? Does it hurt the little ones to put the band back on after

a break like this? I'm assuming the head wouldn't grow too much in 3-4 hours - I

just wondered if anyone tried little breaks like this.

Thank you!

Jocelyn

ton, Illinois

June 3, 2009

We take little breaks when we take her in the pool.. but I figure that it all evens out because most days, she doesn't even have her band off for a full hour when she has a bath. I think that as long as you do it in moderation, it should be fine.

KimOn Tue, Jun 2, 2009 at 3:08 PM, happyphantom27 <happyphantom27@...> wrote:

I'm new to this forum and just settling into the reality of having my 7 month old daughter fitted for a DOC band. I'm sure you all know the emotions I'm going through! I'm wondering if you can take more than an hour break from the band from time to time. For instance, if I take my little girl to the beach a 3 or 4 times this summer (with SPF 50, of course) could I have the band off for 3-4 hours at a time? Does it hurt the little ones to put the band back on after a break like this? I'm assuming the head wouldn't grow too much in 3-4 hours - I just wondered if anyone tried little breaks like this.

Thank you!

Jocelyn

ton, Illinois

June 3, 2009

It shouldn't hurt (painwise) to put it back on after a longer break. We've only had our helmet two weeks, and already I've found myself in a couple places where it gets so hot that I've had to take the helmet off for an hour or two--the botanical gardens, my older sons' tball games, etc. Those days, he still wore it 21-22 hours altogether and the other 10 days or so, he's had it on 23.

BUT I need to be better about planning our outings so that I don't have to remove his helmet--the impression I got from the orthotic place was that occasionally doing that is okay--once every few weeks, losing a couple of hours for a pool day or outdoor day. But the majority of days, 23 hours.

What has everyone else been told?

Betsy

From: happyphantom27 <happyphantom27@...>Subject: More than 1 hour break possible?Plagiocephaly Date: Tuesday, June 2, 2009, 3:08 PM

I'm new to this forum and just settling into the reality of having my 7 month old daughter fitted for a DOC band. I'm sure you all know the emotions I'm going through! I'm wondering if you can take more than an hour break from the band from time to time. For instance, if I take my little girl to the beach a 3 or 4 times this summer (with SPF 50, of course) could I have the band off for 3-4 hours at a time? Does it hurt the little ones to put the band back on after a break like this? I'm assuming the head wouldn't grow too much in 3-4 hours - I just wondered if anyone tried little breaks like this.Thank you!Jocelyn ton, Illinois

June 3, 2009

When my son was in the Starband he ended up pretty sick with a high temp. The doctors said to take the helmet off until he was feeling a bit better...it was off 3 days and it went right back on with no problems..he actually hated not having his helmet on and was one happy lil camper to have it back..I have read of other parents taking it off for swimming and such too.

, Mom to Justice--recently removed from helmet for medical reasons

From: happyphantom27 <happyphantom27@...>Subject: More than 1 hour break possible?Plagiocephaly Date: Tuesday, June 2, 2009, 8:08 PM

I'm new to this forum and just settling into the reality of having my 7 month old daughter fitted for a DOC band. I'm sure you all know the emotions I'm going through! I'm wondering if you can take more than an hour break from the band from time to time. For instance, if I take my little girl to the beach a 3 or 4 times this summer (with SPF 50, of course) could I have the band off for 3-4 hours at a time? Does it hurt the little ones to put the band back on after a break like this? I'm assuming the head wouldn't grow too much in 3-4 hours - I just wondered if anyone tried little breaks like this.Thank you!Jocelyn ton, Illinois

June 3, 2009

Hi Jocelyn!

I was totally thinking the same thing. It sucks that our little ones have to

wear their helmets through the summer. I live out in the mojave desert in Cali

and it's about 115 degrees on a daily basis during the summer sometimes hotter!

The specialist I took her to at UCLA didn't even agree with the schedule to ramp

up to her wearing it for 23 hours a day so I don't think he would approve of it

(but he's a jerk...good Dr...but a huge jerk) Her orthotist however, said it

was ok here and there to give her a little longer break.

Every once in a while I will have her helmet free for about 2 hours so we can

enjoy a good swim or beach time. My daughter is almost 11 months and has had

her helmet for almost 6 weeks. We just had a rescan of her head last monday and

her radial symmetry Index went from a 67.5 to a 45.1. Her head is looking

amazing!!! So the few longer breaks I sneak in here and there obviously haven't

hurt too bad. Just be careful not to be too tempted to do it all the time.

I understand how hard it is though!

Kelsi

>

> I'm new to this forum and just settling into the reality of having my 7 month

old daughter fitted for a DOC band. I'm sure you all know the emotions I'm

going through! I'm wondering if you can take more than an hour break from the

band from time to time. For instance, if I take my little girl to the beach a 3

or 4 times this summer (with SPF 50, of course) could I have the band off for

3-4 hours at a time? Does it hurt the little ones to put the band back on after

a break like this? I'm assuming the head wouldn't grow too much in 3-4 hours - I

just wondered if anyone tried little breaks like this.

>

> Thank you!

> Jocelyn

> ton, Illinois

>

June 3, 2009

Hi,

You could take the band off for more than 1 hour for a special occasion, but I

doubt it would be necessary for that length of time at the beach. If she was

just playing in the sand I see no reason why she couldn't leave it on and take

it off when you go in the water. As long as you keep her body cool she shouldn't

overheat.

I think the dangerous thing about wanting to take it off for long stretches is

it becoming a habit. To get the most effectiveness out of the band it should

really be on as much as possible.

I do understand how you feel - my little guy was in a helmet when he was a

baby. He's five now and those days are long gone - they pass quicker than you

might think. Hang in there!

-Laurie Becker (mom of Tommy; Plagio resolved; tort resolved)

June 3, 2009

We kept the band on at the beach as well (the water was too cold for him to

go in). My son wasn't crawling so he just sat on a blanket under the

umbrella. The only thing I didn't do that I should have was take the band

off before we left to check for sand. Somehow sand managed to make its way

into the band and my son woke up from his nap later that day screaming and

really irritated; ends up it was the sand in the band bothering him.

Molly

Novato, California