What do I need to Expect?

October 22, 2009

Our process to finally get my 8 month old her helmet has been quite a headache.

When I first noticed my daughters " flatness " I was concerned, and I decided to

have her evaluated and to get her set up with exercises and other things that we

could do to help the issue. It's continued and at 6 months we got a referral to

Hanger in Topeka, KS. There we found out that the insurance my daughter was on

would not cover the helmet so we applied to get assistance. This month we

finally got approved on the assistance applications and yesterday was her

casting, it was a nightmare, she screamed from beginning to end. I know that in

the end everything will be better, but it's the entire process that I am unsure

of. I am glad that I got to pick out the design of her helmet as opposed to it

being plain and boring. We have an appointment on October 30th to pick up her

helmet, what am I to expect from this point on?

October 23, 2009

Hi! My now 8 month old son is in a Hanger helmet, and was fitted back when he

was 6 1/2 months. So he's only really been in it for 4 weeks +. I don't know if

every orthotist does it differently, but when he was fitted for his helmet I was

surprised to learn that he wasn't going to be wearing it full time right away.

Rather, over the course of 5-6 days he was on a gradual schedule (i.e. 1 hour

the first day, 2 hours the 2nd, 4 hours on the 3rd, etc.). They did that to help

ease them into wearing it all the time, and more importantly I suppose, to keep

a monitor on how it fits. Maybe this is common practice. Then there was a follow

up apt one week after he got his helmet, and we did have to make some

adjustments. It happened to be the last hot week of the summer when he started

and he ended up getting a heat rash. So the first couple of weeks were rough for

that reason. Beyond the skin issues, he really adjusted to wearing it well. So I

feel like I was very lucky in that regard. We're going today for the first time

since that last apt.

I feel like I had to adjust to it too, and went through a stage of major

preoccupation with it for the first week and a half. I was so worried he

wouldn't be able to adjust to it, and then I was paranoid that they made the

helmet wrong. All sorts of irrational thoughts were twirling around. I gotta

think that is somewhat normal. So if you're feeling similarly, don't be too

surprised. Ultimately, I think most kids adjust to it just fine, but you should

prepare yourself that the first week or so might be a little rough. That's where

this group really helped me. So definitely take advantage of it.

Beyond this, I would say just keep a close eye on any red spots that don't go

away after the hour break you give your daughter. Don't be afraid to decide not

to put the helmet back on in that case, and call your othotist right away. Our

orthotist reccommended using California Baby Tea Tree Oil body wash/shampoo to

help with any skin sensitivities. Also, from the sounds of it, I don't believe

this is common, but it happened to be helpful in our case. Our orthotist

reccommended using moleskin on the helmet to keep the redness down. This was

for the areas that weren't bad enough to need adjusting, but persistently caused

a little redness when I took the helmet off. I thought it was a weird

suggestion, but it has actually help. Again, I think this is if your daughter

happens to have sensitive skin.

These are just some things to keep in mind. I hope they help! Good luck and let

us know how it's going!

Ann

>

> Our process to finally get my 8 month old her helmet has been quite a

headache. When I first noticed my daughters " flatness " I was concerned, and I

decided to have her evaluated and to get her set up with exercises and other

things that we could do to help the issue. It's continued and at 6 months we

got a referral to Hanger in Topeka, KS. There we found out that the insurance

my daughter was on would not cover the helmet so we applied to get assistance.

This month we finally got approved on the assistance applications and yesterday

was her casting, it was a nightmare, she screamed from beginning to end. I know

that in the end everything will be better, but it's the entire process that I am

unsure of. I am glad that I got to pick out the design of her helmet as opposed

to it being plain and boring. We have an appointment on October 30th to pick up

her helmet, what am I to expect from this point on?

>

October 26, 2009

I went through the same thing when my daughter had her casting-- which was all

electronically done by scan. She still freaked. Part of it was my not knowing

what to expect and how to prepare her and instruct the orthosist on how to best

approach her. (Like, not putting his hands over her eyes when he placed the cap

on her head, duh. What baby likes everything suddenly going dark? It scares

them.) So, you learn from the first experience what was uncomfortable for your

little one and then adjust the process as best as possible. Now, if the

orthosist needs to put his hands on her head, I ask when he will do this so I

can distract my baby with her favorite toy. I always have milk ready on hand to

feed her afterward as a comfort, which helps a lot. It'll go more smoothly from

now on if you think a few steps ahead. Good luck!

, new mom of 7 month old, Hanger banded girl

Sacramento, CA