The FDA recommends parents against using infant head shaping pillows
3 min read
The FDA stated that head shaping pillows are unsafe for babies and can increase their "risk of asphyxia and death."
The Food and Drug Administration advised parents on Thursday not to use infant head shaping pillows to affect a baby’s head shape or symmetry.
The FDA stated that head shaping pillows are unsafe for babies and can increase their “risk of suffocation and death.”
According to the government, these goods can create a “unsafe sleep environment” for babies and increase their “risk of suffocation and death,” as well as sudden infant death syndrome. According to the FDA, no such products have been approved.
Head shaping pillows are often shaped like a tiny mat that dips downward in the centre to cradle the back of an infant’s head. They are frequently formed like a distorted donut but can also be hearts or ovals with animal-like ears.
Some of these pillows are referred to as “infant head support pillows,” “head cushions,” “flat head pillows,” or “anti-flat head pillows.”
The FDA recommends parents against using infant head shaping pillows
Infants should sleep without any cushions, toys, loose bedding, or soft things nearby, according to the National Institutes of Health and the American Academy of Pediatrics. They should instead be placed on their backs in a naked crib on a flat surface.
According to the FDA, marketing claims for head shaping pillows frequently state that they can improve an infant’s head shape and symmetry, as well as prevent or treat flat head syndrome. However, the FDA stated that it is unaware of any “demonstrated benefit” of the goods for “any medical reason.”
Flat head syndrome, also known as positional plagiocephaly, occurs when a baby sleeps on the same side of the head for the first few months of life. According to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, this can result in a flat patch on one side or the rear of the head.
According to the FDA, flat head syndrome usually resolves on its own as the infant develops and does not cause any developmental problems.
Parents who are concerned about this, according to Johns Hopkins, should practise more supervised tummy time with their babies, change the direction their infant faces in the crib, or hold their baby more frequently.
“If you have an infant head shaping pillow, throw it away; do not donate or give it to anyone else,” the FDA said.
“The use of newborn head shape pillows may postpone the necessary examination and care of innocuous diseases, such as flat head syndrome, or more serious conditions, such as craniosynostosis,” the report continued. (Craniosynostosis is a condition in which the bones of a baby’s skull fuse together too soon.)
The FDA also encouraged doctors to discourage the use of infant head shaping pillows and to educate parents about the dangers they pose.
