Tips for Cleaning/Odor Management?

[Guest guest]

Hi! My son Zachary has been in his helmet 1 week today- the first several days

it didn't

smell & he didn't sweat too much, and I was hoping that would continue. Now

that he's on

23 hour a day helmet wear, he does sweat at times, and it is getting smelly. I

have a

sensitive nose, so- it stands out to me.

I clean with alcohol 91%, and I've used cotton pads to apply. My orthotist told

me not to

scrub too hard because that would take away from one of the markers (the soil

marks) that

show her how he's wearing the helmet. This morning, I poured alcohol on the

inside of

the helmet, hoping it absorbs into the foam and kills some of the smell .

Anyway, the odor could just be " par for the course " , but if anyone has any good

ideas, I'd

love to hear them!

Thank you!

-Maritza

Pleasant Hill, CA (currently in Anaheim, CA on vacation)

mom to Zachary, 6 months, brachycephaly- Starband started 11/17/06

and Nate, 3.5 years, toddlercrazyphaly

p.s. I posted pics of Zachary under the folder " Zachary " , I think it's the last

folder of the

photo postings.

[Guest guest]

Hi Maritza! I have a 7 months old daughter too with brachycephaly,her

head looks similar to Zachary in the pictures that you have posted.

She got her starband 2 weeks ago, and as for cleaning the helmet, I

wipe off the sweat from the helmet first using a dry kitchen paper

towel ,then I wipe it again this time with a wet kitchen towel, to

help remove the sweat. And then after that, using a wet kitchen towel

again, I added a little bit of 's baby bath to it and wipe it

all around inside.Make sure you remove the baby bath by wiping it off

again with a wet kitchen towel followed by a dry one. Then I applied

91% alcohol to it before I blow dry it.I hope it helps.

Riza

[Guest guest]

Hi,

although some orthos say water and baby shampoo are okay, most say to

use only alcohol. You might want to check. I don't know why they all

have different rules, but it is better to be on the safe side.

-christine

mom to sydney/ 10.5 mo/ starband grad 10-06

>

> Hi Maritza! I have a 7 months old daughter too with brachycephaly,her

> head looks similar to Zachary in the pictures that you have posted.

> She got her starband 2 weeks ago, and as for cleaning the helmet, I

> wipe off the sweat from the helmet first using a dry kitchen paper

> towel ,then I wipe it again this time with a wet kitchen towel, to

> help remove the sweat. And then after that, using a wet kitchen towel

> again, I added a little bit of 's baby bath to it and wipe it

> all around inside.Make sure you remove the baby bath by wiping it off

> again with a wet kitchen towel followed by a dry one. Then I applied

> 91% alcohol to it before I blow dry it.I hope it helps.

>

> Riza

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Maritza:

I recommend to my parents to use rubbing alcohol to clean the inside of

the band numerous times throughout the day. I explain to the parents

to 'scrub' the inside of the band with alcohol using a washcloth. I do

not like the individual 'alcohol wipes' for the cleaning procedure

because you cannot get aggressive enough to work the alcohol down into

the porous foam liner. Always let the alcohol dry completely before

reapplication on the child's head.

If the band still continues to smell try using a shampoo

that has a scent (ie: strayberry or avocado) to cleanse the band, but

be sure to rinse it thoroughly and let it dry afterwards.

I hope this helps,

Dan

[Guest guest]

Hi, it has been a while since our son graduated but I just happened

to read your post and our son used to have the same problem where

alcohol cleaning and sun alone didn't seem to help.

Here's what worked for us: use " anti-bacterial " dish soap (any name

brand & scent will work), extra-soft toothbrush & 90% alcohol. Scrub

the helmet well with soap and brush (leave soap on for at least 2

minutes), rinse well and dry with paper towel, scrub with generous

amount of alcohol as usual (this also serves the purpose of taking

out the moisture), then you can dry in the sun in front of a fan (or

most of the times we just put it in front of a fan).

As far as rubbing away the " markers " , I wouldn't worry too much about

it. Our ortho used lipstick on the prominent parts of the head during

adjustment sessions and marks were left when the helmet was taken

off, and she would know where to trim & adjust.. maybe you can

suggest to your ortho to do the same.

Anyway, I didn't mean to ramble but I hope it helps you a little.

Just hang in there.. it will all pass! Good luck!

> >

> > Hi! My son Zachary has been in his helmet 1 week today- the

first

> > several days it didn't

> > smell & he didn't sweat too much, and I was hoping that would

continue.

> > Now that he's on

> > 23 hour a day helmet wear, he does sweat at times, and it is

getting

> > smelly. I have a

> > sensitive nose, so- it stands out to me.

> > I clean with alcohol 91%, and I've used cotton pads to apply. My

orthotist

> > told me not to

> > scrub too hard because that would take away from one of the

markers (the

> > soil marks) that

> > show her how he's wearing the helmet. This morning, I poured

alcohol on

> > the inside of

> > the helmet, hoping it absorbs into the foam and kills some of the

smell

> > .

> > Anyway, the odor could just be " par for the course " , but if

anyone has any

> > good ideas, I'd

> > love to hear them!

> > Thank you!

> > -Maritza

> > Pleasant Hill, CA (currently in Anaheim, CA on vacation)

> > mom to Zachary, 6 months, brachycephaly- Starband started 11/17/06

> > and Nate, 3.5 years, toddlercrazyphaly

> >

> > p.s. I posted pics of Zachary under the folder " Zachary " , I think

it's the

> > last folder of the

> > photo postings.

> >

> >

> >

>

>

>

> --

>

[Guest guest]

The instructions from Cranial Therapies was 91% alcohol on a rough

towel and scrub well. Let dry 45 mins before putting back on. We do

it when she gets up in the am and before bathtime at night. So far,

so good...but, she has a lot of hair so it may work as a barrier (?).