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L U L L AB Y L YR I C S

Lyrics to Deck The

Halls
Sing this as a family while you spruce up
your home for the holidays.
BY LIZ SHANNON
UPDATED DEC 06, 2023

PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO

Deck the Halls lyrics

Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa la la la
la, la la la la.
Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la, la la la
la.
Don we now our gay apparel, Fa la la la la, la
la la la.
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, Fa la la la la,
la la la la.
See the blazing Yule before us, Fa la la la la, la
la la la.
Strike the harp and join the chorus. Fa la la la
la, la la la la.
Follow me in merry measure, Fa la la la la, la
la la la.
While I tell of Yuletide treasure, Fa la la la la,
la la la la.
Fast away the old year passes, Fa la la la la, la
la la la.
Hail the new, ye lads and lasses, Fa la la la la,
la la la la.
Sing we joyous, all together, Fa la la la la, la la
la la.
Heedless of the wind and weather, Fa la la la
la, la la la la.

iStock

This article was originally published on Jul 08, 2019

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SONG LYRICS
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F AC E B O O K I N S T AN T AR T I C L E S

What you need to

know about flat
head syndrome—
including how to
treat it
It’s not uncommon for babies to have a flat
spot on their heads. The good news is
plagiocephaly is very treatable.
BY BONNIE SCHIEDEL
OCT 11, 2018

Photo: iStockPhoto

Lots of babies have asymmetrical or pointy

heads—and it’s totally normal. Newborns are
born with fairly thin, flexible bony plates
instead of hard skulls, which makes them all
the easier to squueeeze through the birth
canal. But a softer skull means your baby may
end up with a flat spot on their head in the
first few months of life, simply from the
pressure of lying on a mattress, or in a car
seat or baby swing.

That’s what Cloey Bradcliff* discovered at

her son Henry’s* two-month checkup. “The
paediatrician noticed Henry had a tendency
to lean his head to the left, which can be a
symptom of tight neck muscles from always
keeping his head turned to the right when he
was on his back. He also had a small flat spot
on the right side of his head,” says the
Toronto mom. She was surprised. “I had no
idea that this was a thing.”

Plagiocephaly, or flat head syndrome as it’s

commonly known, is when a baby’s head has
a flat spot or is misshapen. The number of
babies with the condition has soared in the
past 15 years or so, because babies are put to
sleep on their backs, which is the safest and
only recommended sleeping position. A 2013
study in Calgary found that almost of half of
babies between the ages of seven and 12
weeks had a flat spot. Flat head syndrome is
not dangerous and doesn’t affect brain
development, and as long as they're doing
tummy time, most little ones grow out of it
on their own by around six months, when
they’re rolling over and starting to sit up.

But if they don’t grow out of it, they end up

with a permanently misshapen head, so some
simple early intervention is the route that
many families take. “I tell parents that this is
super-common and it’s very fixable,
especially if we catch it early,” says Jennifer
Halfin, a paediatric physiotherapist in
Toronto.

Here’s what you need to know about flat head

syndrome.

What are the signs of flat

head syndrome?
Either your doctor will notice your baby’s flat
head at one of your regular well child visits or
you might recognize some of the common
symptoms. Halfin sees babies as young as five
weeks old for an assessment, although she
usually first sees them around the two- to
four-month mark.

There are three types of flat head syndrome.

The most common is positional
plagiocephaly, which means there is a flat
spot on the left or right side of the head
because the baby keeps their head turned to
that side. One ear may be further forward
than the other; one eye may appear smaller
than the other; and one cheek may be fuller
than the other.

Brachycephaly means there is a flat spot at

the back of the baby’s head. The head may be
wider or taller than usual, and the tips of the
ears may stick out.

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Finally, positional scaphocephaly is a

flattening of both sides of the head. This is
quite common in babies who are in the NICU
and spend time lying on their side. It can also
be caused by the early fusion of the plates of
the skull.

What causes flat head

syndrome?
A few different situations can lead to flat
head syndrome. In addition to being caused
by the repeated pressure from a mattress or
car seat on one side of the head, it can also
develop during pregnancy if the baby is
positioned in a way that puts pressure on
their head (for example, if they’re pressed up
against the pubic bone), or if you have
multiples. It’s also common in preemies who
spend a lot of time in the NICU lying on their
back or side.

Some babies, like Henry, have tight neck

muscles on one side, which is called
torticollis, and that can contribute to a flat
spot. Torticollis can develop during
pregnancy or delivery, or the muscles may
tighten simply because your stubborn kiddo
prefers to keep their head to the left or right.

There are a few rare conditions that can

cause an asymmetrical skull as well, such as
scaphocephaly or craniosynostosis, where
the skull’s bony plates start to harden and
fuse together earlier than they ought to, so
schedule a doctor’s appointment to assess
the situation.

Treatments for flat head

syndrome
If your baby has a flat spot, your doctor will
refer you to a physiotherapist, or you can
schedule an assessment with a physio
yourself. Your doctor may also refer you to a
neurosurgery clinic or craniofacial centre.

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It typically takes about two to four months to

get a rounded, more symmetrical head shape
through physiotherapy. Your physiotherapist
will not only give you some activities to do
with your baby, but also suggest some simple
lifestyle changes to treat the flat spot.

“It’s really important to figure out the

underlying cause of plagiocephaly or
brachycephaly and then use that information
for treatment,” Halfin says.

A physiotherapist will do head measurements

to see your baby’s current head shape and
check your baby’s active and passive neck
range of motion (for example, their ability to
turn their head side-to-side on their own,
and with gentle guidance).

Halfin’s biggest tip for parents is to take

pictures once a week to check your baby’s
progress. “Take a bird’s-eye view of your
baby’s head, with your baby lying flat. Then
use an app to make a little photo collage so
you can notice changes from one week to the
next, because it can be tough to see a
difference when you see your baby all the
time.”

To help Henry’s tight neck muscles, his

physiotherapist showed his mom how to
gently and safely stretch Henry's neck while
he was lying on his back, which Bradcliff did
daily at home. While she was a bit nervous at
first—a baby’s head is terrifyingly wobbly—
Henry is fortunately a mellow kid who didn’t
fuss during the stretches.

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One common treatment for flat head

syndrome is lots of tummy time to get the
pressure off the skull, which use muscles in
different ways and develops baby’s neck
strength so they can turn their head on their
own. (Yes, babies often have a white-hot hate
for tummy time, but it really is crucial!)

How to help your baby enjoy tu…

Halfin also goes over a baby’s home

environment with parents. “Sometimes you
don’t even realize that everything in your
baby’s life is on, say, the left side of their
world—if you walk into their room, they have
to turn their head to left; if they’re in a car
seat, you’re sitting on their left; they’re in a
baby chair and you’re on their left. They
develop a preference for one direction,” she
says.

If that’s the case, it’s time to switch

everything to the other side to get baby’s
range of motion back—this can be as simple
as moving the mobile to the other side of the
crib. She may work with parents and babies
to achieve motor-skill milestones—like rolling
over—a tiny bit earlier, again to encourage
movement and muscle development.

While these low-intervention approaches are

usually enough to correct a mild flat spot,
sometimes a doctor or physio will
recommend an appointment with an
orthotist to see if a custom-made cranial
moulding helmet is required to help shape
the skull. This generally happens around the
four- to six-month mark if your baby’s
plagiocephaly has gotten more severe, or if
corrective progress isn’t happening as quickly
as it could be. The helmet gently corrects the
shape of the baby’s skull, giving space for the
flat spot to grow properly as the brain grows,
says Mike Hall, a certified orthotist at the
prosthetics and orthotics department of the
Ron Joyce Children’s Health Centre, which is
part of McMaster Children's Hospital in
Hamilton, Ont.

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Hall says the best time to begin helmet

treatment is when your baby has good head
and neck control, which is usually around the
four-month mark.

How to get a cranial

helmet
An orthotist uses a handheld scanner to take
digital measurements and create a 3-D model
of the head, or sometimes creates a plaster
or foam model of the head, from which a
foam liner and a laminated or plastic shell is
fabricated (which can feature cool patterns
or colours). There are also companies that
use a 3-D printer and more of a rigid
headband style than a full helmet.

Your baby will have to wear the helmet for 23

hours a day, for usually six months or more.
One of the first questions parents ask is: “Will
my baby hate wearing the helmet?” Hall's
answer: “The kids are fine—I usually have
more trouble with the parents!”

Every few weeks, an orthotist takes

measurements to make sure growth is on
track and the helmet isn’t irritating the skin.
Your baby will likely continue physio if
torticollis is present while they’re wearing
the helmet.

Be aware that the helmets aren't cheap—

around $2,000 to $3,000—and they generally
aren’t covered by provincial health plans.
Your private insurance company may pick up
part or all of the cost though.

Can I prevent flat head

syndrome?
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Like many kid conditions, awareness is key.

“The feedback I get from a lot of parents is: ‘I
wish someone had told me about this right
when my baby was born,’” says Halfin.

To help prevent flat head syndrome, gently

turn your baby’s head from one side to the
other every hour or so when they’re in the
stroller or car seat, and change their position
in the crib or bassinet (if baby’s head is at the
top of the crib one day, switch to the foot of
the crib the following day). Do 10 to 15
minutes of supervised tummy time three
times a day. Halfin also encourages baby-
wearing with a wrap or carrier to get the
pressure off your baby’s head.

You can also ask your doctor or

physiotherapist about special anti-flat head
gear to be used during playtime, like a
breathable pillow to help support the head,
or a hat with a foam bar that stops baby from
putting their head to one side all the time.
Henry’s now six and a half months old, and it
only took about 10 weeks to get to the point
where his head shape and neck movements
were completely normal, his mom says.

“The combination of physio, stretches,

regular tummy time and baby-wearing
worked,” she says. “I’m glad they caught it
early so we were able to take action.”

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*Names have been changed

Read more:
How to get your baby more comfortable
with tummy time
What you need to know about baby's first
year milestones

Weekly Newsletter
Keep up with your baby's development, get the latest
parenting content and receive special offers from our
partners

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Enter your child's due date or birth date

DD MM YYYY

I'm trying to conceive

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time.

FILED UNDER:

BABY DEVELOPMENT FLAT HEAD SYNDROME

TUMMY TIME
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