Re: when shaving foam out of band?

[Guest guest]

le,

It really depends upon the amount of growth and the type of band that you have. STARbands are made with more room to grow to begin with so it seems more common that it takes longer for them to need shaving. I was told by our ortho that she typically needs to see about 2 to 4 cm of circumferance growth before she needs to shave anything from the back (this was a brachy band). In fact, I could often stick my hand up the back of the helmet and feel that there was plenty of room for growth. probably could have worn the band for another few months before it needed shaving. And, she could have worn it for a couple of years before all of the foam was gone. It seems that the DOC bands are more closely fitted to the current head shape so the appointments are more frequent and shaving occurs more often.

I've heard that the Hanger band is similar to the STARband. I don't know anything about the other kinds of bands.

, mom to , 28 months

STARband grad May 2009

Chiro and CST

land

when shaving foam out of band?

this may be a dumb question but I am really curious about others experience with this. Should they be shaving lots of foam out or sometimes they just don't need to?? I was under the impression that the foam was shaved out where we needed growth...as the head grew..?? and maybe only in areas where there is too much pressure?....well it seems the only areas they shaved foam out was where there was too much pressure. While we have had great correction so far , it must be working fine, but still I am somewhat confused/concerned about how much room is needed for growth, I mean for the rest of the head? maybe I am over analyzing and worrying about nothing, but it just doesn't make sense to me :for example why there needs to be so much pressure at the base of the skull if is has evened out there, she shaved it down a bit but its still red back there, should I have more shaved out there? we don't go back for a month. it just seems weird to me to have the helmet so long(will be 10 weeks at next visit)and have hardly anything shaved out, does this sound normal/ideal perhaps??le 7mos

[Guest guest]

ONE THING I CAN OFFER ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DOC BAND AND THE STAR BAND IS THE WEIGHT BETWEEN THE TWO. THE STAR BAND IS MUCH HEAVIER THAN THE DOC BAND. PERSONALLY, I WOULD NOT PUT THE STAR BAND ON MY CHILD'S HEAD. I MEAN THEIR NECK IS ALSO DEVELOPING AT THIS CRUCIAL STAGE OF LIFE AND THE LAST THING THEY NEED IS A HEAVIER PIECE OF EQUIPMENT ON THEIR HEADS TO DEAL WITH. AFTER HOLDING BOTH HELMETS IN MY HAND AND FEELING THE WEIGHT OF EACH, I WOULD DEFINETELY GO WITH THE DOC BAND, HANDS DOWN!!!!

On Sun, Jan 10, 2010 at 9:30 PM, <melanie.watson@...> wrote:

le,

 

It really depends upon the amount of growth and the type of band that you have. STARbands are made with more room to grow to begin with so it seems more common that it takes longer for them to need shaving. I was told by our ortho that she typically needs to see about 2 to 4 cm of circumferance growth before she needs to shave anything from the back (this was a brachy band). In fact, I could often stick my hand up the back of the helmet and feel that there was plenty of room for growth. probably could have worn the band for another few months before it needed shaving. And, she could have worn it for a couple of years before all of the foam was gone. It seems that the DOC bands are more closely fitted to the current head shape so the appointments are more frequent and shaving occurs more often.

I've heard that the Hanger band is similar to the STARband. I don't know anything about the other kinds of bands.

 

, mom to , 28 months

STARband grad May 2009

Chiro and CST

land

  when shaving foam out of band? 

this may be a dumb question but I am really curious about others experience with this. Should they be shaving lots of foam out or sometimes they just don't need to?? I was under the impression that the foam was shaved out where we needed growth...as the head grew..?? and maybe only in areas where there is too much pressure?....well it seems the only areas they shaved foam out was where there was too much pressure. While we have had great correction so far , it must be working fine, but still I am somewhat confused/concerned about how much room is needed for growth, I mean for the rest of the head? maybe I am over analyzing and worrying about nothing, but it just doesn't make sense to me :for example why there needs to be so much pressure at the base of the skull if is has evened out there, she shaved it down a bit but its still red back there, should I have more shaved out there? we don't go back for a month. it just seems weird to me to have the helmet so long(will be 10 weeks at next visit)and have hardly anything shaved out, does this sound normal/ideal perhaps??

le 7mos

-- Dea Ann Higgins

[Guest guest]

You respond to my post as though I was somehow talking bad about the Docband. I was simply answering a person's question by responding with what I have learned through my own experience as well as what I have learned from others through over a year on this on other plagio message boards.

Your post makes it sounds as though people who have chosen STARbands are hurting their babies. That is not true at all. However, if you have a baby that is too young to hold their head up well, then perhaps it is too early to band. They recommend that babies have a certain amount of neck stregnth before getting a band anyway. Certainly, this is a nonissue for any baby with adequate neck strength. In fact, a baby's head is so much heavier than any band that it really doesn't make sense to make an issue out of a couple of ounces.

I just weighed our STARband and it is 8.2 ounces. That's only 2.2 ounces more than what a DOCband is supposed to be. I hardly would call that MUCH HEAVIER. Yes, it covers more of her head and that 2 extra ounces is probably from the extra plastic and foam. However, that weight is distributed more because it covers more of the head. Therefore, I'm guessing it wouldn't cause more difficulty with the neck. In fact, most people who held 's band were amazed at how light it was.

I have held both bands and could not tell a difference between the weight of the two.

There are many reasons that people choose one band over the other (or even another band). As long as they are working with someone who knows what they are doing and end up with results, that is all that counts. A little research answers that question.

I just hope that your post doesn't scare away any moms from getting a STARband or any other kind of band. Not everyone has the option of a DOC band and some who do have other compelling reasons not to go with them, such as cost, distance, insurance coverage, etc. For some people, it is a better choice not to go to CT.

By the way, I've yet to hear of a baby having problems with a band because it was too heavy on their head.

, mom to , 28 months

STARband grad May 2009

Chiro and CST

land

when shaving foam out of band?

this may be a dumb question but I am really curious about others experience with this. Should they be shaving lots of foam out or sometimes they just don't need to?? I was under the impression that the foam was shaved out where we needed growth...as the head grew..?? and maybe only in areas where there is too much pressure?....well it seems the only areas they shaved foam out was where there was too much pressure. While we have had great correction so far , it must be working fine, but still I am somewhat confused/concerned about how much room is needed for growth, I mean for the rest of the head? maybe I am over analyzing and worrying about nothing, but it just doesn't make sense to me :for example why there needs to be so much pressure at the base of the skull if is has evened out there, she shaved it down a bit but its still red back there, should I have more shaved out there? we don't go back for a month. it just seems weird to me to have the helmet so long(will be 10 weeks at next visit)and have hardly anything shaved out, does this sound normal/ideal perhaps??le 7mos

-- Dea Ann Higgins

[Guest guest]

,Thank you for this post. It was a thoughtful and educated response. My son is in a STARband and it was the best decision we ever made. I agree with you that the band weight does not negatively affect the child. Our son has learned to crawl and pull to standing while wearing it. He doesn't seem hampered or weighed down in any way. We have also seen wonderful correctio as his asymmetry has gone from 10 to 4.8. I think every experience with different bands is unique and other people's oppinions don't apply. I hope no one who is currently working with a STARband provider will be anxious from the post. We all have enough anxiety from dealing with plagio, drs, insurance, etc. Diane Mother to 11 month oldSTARband since Oct. Sent from my iPhoneOn Jan 12, 2010, at 4:29 AM, <melanie.watson@...> wrote:

You respond to my post as though I was somehow talking bad about the Docband. I was simply answering a person's question by responding with what I have learned through my own experience as well as what I have learned from others through over a year on this on other plagio message boards.

Your post makes it sounds as though people who have chosen STARbands are hurting their babies. That is not true at all. However, if you have a baby that is too young to hold their head up well, then perhaps it is too early to band. They recommend that babies have a certain amount of neck stregnth before getting a band anyway. Certainly, this is a nonissue for any baby with adequate neck strength. In fact, a baby's head is so much heavier than any band that it really doesn't make sense to make an issue out of a couple of ounces.

I just weighed our STARband and it is 8.2 ounces. That's only 2.2 ounces more than what a DOCband is supposed to be. I hardly would call that MUCH HEAVIER. Yes, it covers more of her head and that 2 extra ounces is probably from the extra plastic and foam. However, that weight is distributed more because it covers more of the head. Therefore, I'm guessing it wouldn't cause more difficulty with the neck. In fact, most people who held 's band were amazed at how light it was.

I have held both bands and could not tell a difference between the weight of the two.

There are many reasons that people choose one band over the other (or even another band). As long as they are working with someone who knows what they are doing and end up with results, that is all that counts. A little research answers that question.

I just hope that your post doesn't scare away any moms from getting a STARband or any other kind of band. Not everyone has the option of a DOC band and some who do have other compelling reasons not to go with them, such as cost, distance, insurance coverage, etc. For some people, it is a better choice not to go to CT.

By the way, I've yet to hear of a baby having problems with a band because it was too heavy on their head.

, mom to , 28 months

STARband grad May 2009

Chiro and CST

land

when shaving foam out of band?

this may be a dumb question but I am really curious about others experience with this. Should they be shaving lots of foam out or sometimes they just don't need to?? I was under the impression that the foam was shaved out where we needed growth...as the head grew..?? and maybe only in areas where there is too much pressure?....well it seems the only areas they shaved foam out was where there was too much pressure. While we have had great correction so far , it must be working fine, but still I am somewhat confused/concerned about how much room is needed for growth, I mean for the rest of the head? maybe I am over analyzing and worrying about nothing, but it just doesn't make sense to me :for example why there needs to be so much pressure at the base of the skull if is has evened out there, she shaved it down a bit but its still red back there, should I have more shaved out there? we don't go back for a month. it just seems weird to me to have the helmet so long(will be 10

weeks at next visit)and have hardly anything shaved out, does this sound normal/ideal perhaps??le 7mos

-- Dea Ann Higgins