The End of the Helmet

The helmet became part of our lives back in September. We knew Theo had a flat head from all his sleeping (good boy!!) but it was pretty bad - his profile was starting to look like that of Stewie from Family Guy. Ok, maybe not quite that bad, but he clearly had plagiocephaly (flat head) and his head was measuring in at 103%.  Our pediatrician confirmed we should get an appointment with the Dr. at Children's Hospital and he too recommended a helmet as course of action. While considered cosmetic, the biggest impact was in the future if Theo decides to play sports that require a helmet. Because of the way his head was shaped, he'd need a helmet in a bigger size to accommodate the width of his head, but it would be loose front to back, thus not offering protection from contact. 

For reference, 100% is a round head - which isn't actually the ideal - most people  have somewhere in between 90-92%. So 103% was far off from where we needed to be. The folks at Nopco said we'd be good if we hit 92% but that it would be tough to get it all filled back out. He had to wear the helmet 22 - 23 hours a day. He would get a break in the morning and one again in the evening. 

In September, Theo was fitted and measured for his helmet. Here he is getting fitted for his helmet. The prosthetists at Nopco Burlington (and at Children's) were awesome. We had such a great experience. 

We were a little uncertain how the 23 hours/day were going to work for him. The time off was really for wiping down the helmet with alcohol cotton balls & sanitizer and letting it air out a bit. (By the end, despite our diligence, it really did smell like hockey equipment & his hair had an interesting tinge to it.) Because of the length and amount of hair Theo has, we had to wash it every night and make sure it was dried before popping the helmet back on. 

But he was a trooper. It became the new normal for him with in a matter of days. It was actually great - as he learned to sit and crawl, we didn't have to worry about the nasty falls on the hard wood floors that were inevitable. 

It also provided extra warmth on those chilly days! Best of all, it was the ultimate protection from cranky big sisters. :) 

We had check ups with our rockstar prosthetist Katie every two weeks. This was a bit of a pain, but because he was growing so much during this time, we had to make sure the helmet had all of the proper adjustments to give him a good chance to round out. Dave and I divided and conquered on the appointments, which made it doable. Katie could predict his upcoming growth spurts as well, which was awesome knowledge to have.                            

I was initially worried about what other people would think or say. But throughout the entire time, people were nice, inquisitive (but very respectfully so), and commiserated. The best was when an older person mentioned their grandchild had one too!

Sophia would often wear her bike helmet in solidarity with him, which was adorable. She liked to point out the animals on the helmet (we actually got it more for her to like it because, well, Theo certainly couldn't see it!)

There was one time we were in Trader Joe's that Sophia mentioned in her loud toddler voice, "Mama - that baby has a helmet...Just Like THEO!" I saw the mom react to the first part of the statement and then smile when she heard the end and saw Theo and I close behind. 

Finally, after 5 months of wearing the helmet religiously, Katie, gave us the green light for removal. Theo's head measured out at 90.2% - far beyond our expectations.  There is a still the tiniest "dent" on his back left that basically only Dave & I can feel/notice because we're hyper-aware of where he started and how it changed. Overall, we are so thrilled with how it turned out. We got scans comparing the before & after that are in his baby book and are fascinating to see. Here's our happy, helmet free man! 

Seven Months of Theo

I'm averaging about one post a month of real topic. I actually bought Theo a baby book at the end of the summer and am making an attempt to fill in the really important stuff, but I still find logging most everything here works even better.

Summer has ended which results in us being around Somerville a bit more than usual, though we seem to always be on the move. As Theo is still napping 2x each day (one morning, for about 90 minutes and one afternoon for 2-3 hours) coupled with Sophia's afternoon nap, we have limited get out time on the weekends. Often, we'll divide and conquer between Dave & I with one taking one child out while the other is home cleaning/napping. And I am much more relaxed about Theo missing a morning nap or catching it in the car then I was with Sophia. Ahh, the second child.

Theo is growing leaps and bounds. He is loving his solid foods, eating a whole variety of things. I've also thrown in the towel on making all his food for him. I just don't have the time and frankly, he is getting far better variety with the yummy Happy baby pouches I'm getting. I can't wait for the "Gobble Gobble" pouch at Thanksgiving!

His new acquisition this month was a helmet to help reshape his flat head. Being such a great sleeper, he managed to squish the back of his head flat. So, for the next 4-6 months, he'll be done a dapper, green, animal looking helmet!

I have to say, the transition has been fairly painless. He accommodated to it in no time. Occasionally, I'll hear him play with the velcro on the side at night, but it hasn't affected any of his sleep or growth. And it merely directs his growing head painlessly, rather than the concept of orthodontics (which is all I could relate to) by moving bones already in place. 

We have a great therapist who we see for checkups every 10 days or so. She's confident he'll do great and go from 102% (where he started - think shaped like a football, longer side to side) to around 92% (meaning front to back is longer than side to side.) As of our 1 month check-in, he was at 99%. 

Other excitement - he sits up on his like a champ now. The helmet is great for those occasional times he topples over, though the sound might be a bit more disturbing...

He is also quite comfy standing while holding on to his Zany Zoo and even let his hands go this week briefly. He definitely is not pulling up yet. 

On the crawling front, he is motoring around doing 360's and backing himself into corners. He's definitely working on putting it all together to go forward. It's really great to watch. I'm not sure if Sophia will know what hit her when it does happen! For now, she's happy to help him with Tummy time (whether he wants it or not :) 

For now, the two of them are good buddies, with him laughing at her shenanigans. I'm so screwed when they're teenagers!

Sleep is still good - he goes down like a champ around 7:15p and sleeps (generally) till at least 5:30a. The days he sleeps till 6a are godsends and 6:30a is a dream that happens every week-10days. I really have no complaints though. My little man is getting so big!

Six Months of Baby Theo

Baby Theo, as Sophia likes to call him, is officially (and about 10 days past) being 6 months old.

Time has really flown - he's such an amazing little boy. Happy, content, loves attention when he gets it all to himself but happy to be entertained by the antics of his big sister.



He's starting to scoot around on his belly, pushing himself backwards and around in 360's. While he doesn't go very far, he does do well for himself.

He's currently enjoying a menu of foods including breastmilk, cereal, pears and whatever other purees I can drum up the time to make (or pouches to buy!) Since we began pulling him up to the table to sit in his high chair, mealtimes have become a blast. Even if he's not eating, he's content to play and chew on two spoons and Sophia, ever the helper, loves being able to get them for him when he drops them (often!)

This big news is due to his flat head, called plagiocephaly, Theo will be getting a helmet next week. This helmet, which he'll wear about 23 hours/day, will help to re-shape his head into a proportional, roundish head. There is no medical danger to plagiocephaly in his case. Due to all his time spent lying on his back sleeping, his skull & brain have just found other places with less resistance, to grow.

The estimate is that he'll have the helmet for 4-6 months. We go for measurements every two weeks and we'll see progress quite rapidly. Here he is being fitted for his helmet: 

He was a trooper. I know he'll do great with this and, in the end, have a head that is appropriately shaped, thus allowing him to wear sports helmets (or even just hats) that fit his head correctly and safely. Pictures to follow of the helmet!

Finally, here are some shots from the 6 month birthday: