Babies should be laid to sleep on their backs at all times. Having “tummy time” when your baby is awake and supervised may prevent flat spots on the baby’s head and will facilitate the development of upper body strength. Most deformational plagiocephaly (“flat head syndrome”) can be prevented by alternating which end of the cot your baby sleeps on.

Babies should spend minimal amounts of time in car seats (when not a passenger in a vehicle) or other seating that maintains supine positioning. If you have already started to notice signs of plagiocephaly, improvement is usually noticed once the infant is old enough to sit, crawl and spend less time on his or her back – from around six months.

The Scottish Cot Death Trust is receiving an increasing number of phonecalls about the use of “special” pillows which are designed to prevent plagiocephaly. However, whilst these pillows may have been approved for preventing plagiocephaly, the Scottish Cot Death Trust cannot recommend ANY pillows for babies under 12 months because of the increased risks of cot death.

For further information about plagiocephaly please visit the Scottish Government’s website article.