Doc Band Questions Answered

When my son was 4 months old, his doctor, my H, and I decided it was best for him to get a Doc Band.  For those who don't know the doc band, it's the helmet that makes your baby's head more round.  Jax was born 4 weeks early, so he was very susceptible to having a misshaped skull.  His skull was softer than a baby's skull who went the full 40 weeks, so, we had made a good effort to try and prevent his head from flattening in spots.

To prevent it, you need to rotate the side of the crib your baby faces, so he/she isn't putting excess pressure on one side.  For those who know us, you know my H and I are extremely stubborn, so naturally, Jax is too.  We would move him, and he would move back to his favorite position immediately.  So, my stubborn baby eventually needed the Doc Band.

We were lucky that we started so early, he was 4 months old, but his skull was at the hardness level of a 3 month old because he was 4 weeks early.  It only took 7 weeks, and the process was completely done.  Below you'll find the most common Doc Band questions, answered from a mommy who went through it.

Q:  What's the process for getting the Doc Band made?

A:  The doctor's office takes a 3D scan of your baby's head.  It's kind of sad looking.  Jax wore a stocking over his head, and had to sit in the center of these weird cameras while they took the pictures.  They use those images to make a custom shaped cement model and that is used to make the doc band.

Q:  How long did it take to start working?

A:  We started noticing a difference within the first 2 weeks, and it only took 7 weeks to be completely adjusted.

Q:  How often do you need to get the Doc Band adjusted?

A:  Weekly, it's really annoying.

Q:  How did you decorate the Doc Band?

A:  This was the fun part!  We painted it, and then cut out pictures from Where the Wild Things Are and mod podged them onto the Doc Band.  There are also vinyl places (like car wrap companies) that will make a custom design for Doc Bands.  I also found artists that created beautiful pieces of art of out the Doc Band.

Q:  How do you clean it?

A:  Rub it down with rubbing alcohol every day.

Q:  How long does my baby have to wear the Doc Band in a day?

A:  23 hours

Q:  Does it affect how the baby sleeps?

A:  Jax slept great with it on.  No problems.

Q:  Did your baby get hot?

A:  His head was a little sweaty, we sometimes had to wipe it down.

Q:  Did your baby get the Doc Band dirty?

A:  I would recommend taking it off when you feed him or her because Jax would get food on it when I'd forget to take it off.

Do you have any questions about Doc Bands?  I'd be happy to answer them for you!  Obviously, every baby is different, but these answers are based on my experience.

What I listened to while writing:

Morning radio!