Ever since I had my baby, I noticed that many Pakistani’s are very concerned about the shape of her head. What is the “ideal” head shape for babies? I get the impression that some people think flat at the back is better, and others like a rounder look, and use a ghol takiya.. which if someone has a picture of can they please post it. After many people making comments, I am curious to know more about this. Anyone know more about this… please share.
Re: Head Shaping for Infants
i think its more about flattening from back .....but my head shaping skills are poor so i just wouldn't know much!!
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ive heard of this and was horrified
dont babies heads return to a normal shape after some time.
indians do the nose pinching thing too, the keep pinching the babies(usually girls) nose so it is grows into a small petite nose
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Oh God, my mil was militant about head shaping on my first daughter. She made a small pillowcase and filled it with rice and tried to keep my daughter's head on it. She wouldn't take more than 5 seconds of that. Then she used all sorts of pillows stuffed under, over and around her head to keep it straight. Then a teacup saucer was tucked under her head to flatten the back. The poor thing hated that too. Then later a dhuputta was rolled into a donut shape and her head was placed in the hollow of it. She would occasionally tolerate that. But after all that her head naturally has grown to a very nice shape with no odd lumps or crevices.
Personally I wouldn't want a child with a flat head. A natural rounded shape is much more appealing. With my second daughter I've done absolutely no head shaping. She's 3 months old and it's absolutely perfect. Our people are overly preoccupied with this odd tradition. Pediatricians these days insist on 'back to sleep' and then roll the child on their side occasionally. This should be enough to result in a head that pleases everyone.
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doesnt’ this seem a bit harmful? it’s sort of like how thei chinese bind their girls feet… my head is very lumpy and odd, ti’s like my bro must have poked fingers into my skull when i was a baby (he was 5-6 at th etime) 
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I think its more of concern for ending up with an asymmetrical head shape for the child. We have seen several cases even in our families where parents weren't careful and the child's head ended up slanted from one side. Unfortunately there is no way to fix it later on.
We tried many kinds of pillows, and most of them are uncomfortable for the baby. The best way is to make sure the child sleeps on both sides alternatively, and not just on one side. The most common culprit is when the mother is feeding the child and constantly keeps the baby on one side. Since baby's head shape is being formed, to be excessively sleeping on one side will press that one side of the head more than the other. And this results in an asymmetrical head shape. Not good.
Personally we didn't like flat heads for our kids and were careful to develop them in rounded heads. A few friends preferred flat heads and thats how their babies' heads turned out. Its a personal choice.
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Sara, that’s exactly how I viewed it, as footbinding. My mil was creating all these contraptions that didn’t work because they were so uncomfortable. I think it’s true that not alternating sides does cause slanted head shapes. But keeping a baby on it’s back can create a syndrome called Flat Head Syndrome. It’s a real thing. I’m not making it up.
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but western people dont do this and as far as i can see their kids have "normal" shaped heads
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So it seems this practice is a little outdated.. good..
I have been turning my daughters head to alternate sides to keep it looking even, and I figured it was enough, but on a recent trip a few aunty types made comments which made me wonder if I wasn't doing something I was supposed to do.
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I didn't think that a humans head could be that 'soft' that the skull would need shaping
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I guess flat headed people would find it easier to lean against a wall!
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They probably wouldn't need a pillow on their bed either.
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They also turn out to be flat thinkers.
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Also, all those parents who are into shaping their child's head need their head examined.
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Funguy and Britchick...you have trashed the seriousness of this thread with your childish comical remarks
I on the other hand was making a valid observation.