Question

My 3-month-old baby can only stand up with support and has a tendency to shake her head. She often has diarrhea and drinks milk. The main concern is the baby’s soft head. She usually kicks her feet around, sometimes forming an arch while sleeping at night. She reacts to laughter and can hear sounds, and she is also learning to talk. She knows how to hold toys and put them in her mouth. We’ve seen a pediatrician who said she is developing slowly. I’m worried it might be cretinism or cerebral palsy. Should I take her to a specialized hospital for a check-up, or is it enough to keep exercising her regularly?

Answer

The baby’s head tilting to the right now may be due to her sleeping position. It’s suggested to sleep on the left side for a while recently, and then switch to other positions after the head shape has been corrected, or use a shaping pillow. This situation might be caused by head shape deformation due to sleeping position. A baby’s skull is relatively soft, and long-term sleeping on one side can cause head shape deformation. It’s recommended to let the baby sleep on her side after she falls asleep and frequently change her positions. If there’s light while the baby is sleeping, pay attention to whether the light is always on the same side as the baby’s sleeping position. If so, change the location because the baby will turn her eyes towards where the light is. Alternatively, you can change the pillow and buy a specialized shaping pillow for the baby.