What should I do if my baby is losing hair or has a bald spot?
This is common, and usually fixes itself. Babies who tend to keep their head in the same position, rub it against the mattress, or bang it against the side of their crib may have more hair loss. This stops as your baby grows and replaces old habits with new, exciting behaviors. Babies born with lots of hair often lose it as hormone levels drop. It's very rare for a baby younger than 6 months to have other causes of hair loss, such as ringworm or the autoimmune disorder alopecia areata.
When will my baby's hair grow in?
That's hard to predict. Most babies will have two separate crops of hair before their first birthday, but the timing for hair loss and regrowth varies greatly. Some babies have new hair grow in
soon after the old is lost, while for others it seems to take longer. The color and texture of this new hair may be significantly different from the hair your baby was born with.
What should I do if my baby's head looks flat?
If your baby has developed a flat spot on his or her head (a condition known as positional plagiocephaly), it may be the result of sleeping too much in the same position. Babies are born with a soft, pliable skull, and when they sleep on their back every night, their head can develop a flat spot where it presses against the mattress.
In many cases, even a serious-looking flat area will round out on its own as a baby starts crawling and sitting up. But to be safe, get a referral to a pediatric neurosurgeon or craniofacial specialist, who can determine whether your baby's situation is severe enough to warrant treatment.
If your baby's case isn't severe, the doctor will probably tell you to try several things at home, such as making sure your child spends plenty of time on his or her tummy (while supervised and awake) to strengthen his or her neck muscles. This will allow your baby to move his or her head around more during sleep, so it doesn't always rest in the same position.
If your child's plagiocephaly is severe, he or she may have to wear a special custom-fitted headband (called a cranial orthotic) for a few months to correct the shape of his or her skull. The success rates for this kind of therapy are high when it's started early, so get the referral as soon as you notice flattening.