Re: Baby about to get banded, have some questions

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I would ask for the diagonal measurements. Did they tell you the severity?

Usually CT tell you mild, moderate, severe etc. but doesn't always measure. If

it is borderline she will likely be finished in a shorter time than you've

mentioned, but babies grow at different rates.

CT will give you advice on cleaning. It is just cleaned with alcohol and not

complicated. It does tend to get a bit smelly, especially since at first they

sweat a lot. Dress your daughter lightly to help her adjust to the new " hat " .The

first week or two some babies have trouble sleeping, but some don't notice the

band at all. Time flies by, and hopefully if you start to see changes quickly

the process will be much easier than you expect right now.

Keep us posted on your baby's progress.

-christine

sydney, 4.5 yrs, starband grad

>

> Hi there,

>

> Am brand new to this community as we are about to start treatment for our 10

month old. She has plagio and is going to receive her band on Friday from

Cranial Technologies. Some questions....

>

> - Some of you refer to measurements " diagonal to diagonal " . Did your

evaluators share this info with you? We didn't get any info from our evaluator

regarding measurements. I am worried that I should have pressed for all of this

information prior to us going forth w/ ordering the band (esp. since I think

she's a very borderline case, her plagio is very subtle). They said she will

only need it for 3-4 months and I do hope this is the case.

>

> - What should we expect when she starts wearing the band? Any helpful advice

on keeping her comfortable? How about keeping the band clean?

>

> Thanks for any input and advice you can provide. This nervous mama very much

appreciates it =)

>

[Guest guest]

I asked for my son's measurements. If you ask, they will give them to you. There

are several measurements, and when people say " my baby has 12 mm, " they are

usually talking about whichever measurement had the most asymmetry (difference

between the right and left side of the head). So, the 12 mm example would be a

difference of 12 mm from right to left. I believe there still isn't an exact

standard for mild, moderate, and severe, and the ranges will vary depending on

who you ask. But generally, around 6-9mm is mild, 10-15 is moderate, and 16+ is

severe. But, these ranges don't tell the whole story because the

typical/atypical amount of asymmetry varies depending on which part of the head

is being measured. For example, here are the guidelines my insurance company

goes by for what is considered treatable. I thought they were fairly reasonable.

Skull Base: 6mm+ right/left discrepancy OR

Cranial Vault: 8mm+ OR

Orbitotragial Distance: 4mm+

So, for example, having a 8mm orbitotragial is worse than having 8mm cranial

vault asymmetry because the baby will look more abnormal.

Those measurements are to diagnose plagiocephaly. There is also a measurement

that compares the head back to front vs ear to ear for brachycephaly. This

measurement is a percentage, and the higher the number, the flatter the back of

the head and the wider the bulging around the ears. I don't know as much about

brachy, but I believe below 85% is ideal. A baby can have plagio, brachy, or

both.

As far us suggestions for starting the helmet, my son is an " older baby " also,

and I found that hyping up hats beforehand helped. He was happy I was buying him

a gift - a new hat - because we heaped on the attention whenever he wore his

baseball cap leading up to the appointment. We basically trained him to like

hats.

Also, with the cleaning, just make sure you don't miss a cleaning or forget to

shampoo one day or it will get really nasty. My husband forgot once, and my son

was covered in a rash by morning. I always take a sniff in the morning and do an

extra cleaning with alcohol while I'm doing his torticollis stretches if the

band is smelly. You can also wipe out any sweat periodically if necessary. Just

make sure she wears it according to the guidelines and put it right back on!

> >

> > Hi there,

> >

> > Am brand new to this community as we are about to start treatment for our 10

month old. She has plagio and is going to receive her band on Friday from

Cranial Technologies. Some questions....

> >

> > - Some of you refer to measurements " diagonal to diagonal " . Did your

evaluators share this info with you? We didn't get any info from our evaluator

regarding measurements. I am worried that I should have pressed for all of this

information prior to us going forth w/ ordering the band (esp. since I think

she's a very borderline case, her plagio is very subtle). They said she will

only need it for 3-4 months and I do hope this is the case.

> >

> > - What should we expect when she starts wearing the band? Any helpful

advice on keeping her comfortable? How about keeping the band clean?

> >

> > Thanks for any input and advice you can provide. This nervous mama very much

appreciates it =)

> >

>