One of the most important rules of parenting now is to place the baby on its back while sleeping. The main reason for this is to help prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). SIDS related deaths have dropped 40% since 1992, when doctors first began advising new parents to place their baby on its back while it sleeps (O'Brien). The only problem with placing babies on their back is that it can eventually cause plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome). When a baby is born, its skull is not completely formed. There are three plates that eventually fuse together, which means that until this occurs, the skull is very malleable. Even though the cases of SIDS have decreased greatly, more and more cases of plagiocephaly have shown up.
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To prevent or fix plagiocephaly, helmets made out of hard plastic can be worn by the baby to prevent any further damage and to help the head form to the rounded shape that it should be in. Depending on where the helmets are purchased from, they can be very expensive averaging around $2500. Babies' heads may become deformed through more ways than just spending too much time on their backs. If a mother has a small pelvis, or if there are more than one babies in the womb, there may not have been enough room for the baby to move comfortably, so it could have affected cranial development. Also, since babies cannot move around by themselves, they are often placed in carriers or bouncy seats with their head always leaning against the back of it. This can have the same effects as when the baby sleeps on its back, which is why tummy time is so important. Tummy time can be during play time, or even when the baby is being held, but it should not occur while the baby is sleeping. The baby should always be monitored during tummy time. It is fine for a baby to have tummy time just laying on carpet or on a blanket, but there are mats that support the baby and have toys that may even help to support fine motor skills development.
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This particular mat is good for more than just tummy time; the colors are visually stimulating and the detachable toys aid in the development of fine motor skills. Also. there is a mat to help the baby support itself which ultimately leads to the development of gross motor skills. You wouldn't have to worry about your baby rolling all over the ground and potentially banging there head on on object that can cause harm. The baby would be safe on the cushy, soft pad for the babies to have tummy time. Remember If the child doesn't have enough tummy time, and spends most of their time lying on their back then chances are that the child's head will develop a flat surface on the back of their head, rather than having a nicely rounded head.