Preferred Side and Flat Head

Exercise program for babies from four weeks of age who show signs of a preferred side. The program contains the same exercises as the program Tummy Time and Rolling and important additions and variations focusing on correcting a preferred side, the C-shape (banana shape), and a asymmetrical back of the head.

  • Prioritized, simple exercises
  • Designed for busy families
  • Illustrated with pictures & videos
  • Instant & perpetual access
  • Secure payment with QuickPay

on Trustpilot

Available languages

29.00 USD
26.10 USD

(inclusive of all taxes, VAT and fees)

Klarna
– 10%

Program description

A preferred side is usually a harmless one-sided muscular imbalance in babies that can challenge motor development and in some cases lead to a one-sided flat back of the head. A preferred side shows up through a number of characteristic signs (see the overview here). Some babies show only a few of these signs, others show almost all of them.

The signs of a preferred side develop gradually and typically begin with your baby preferring to look to one side and/or bending their body more to one side (banana shape). Over time, it feels less safe for your baby to turn their head the other way, because they simply have not practised sensing the world in that direction as much. The muscles that move the head and body toward this side are therefore used less, and over time a difference in strength and mobility develops between the two sides. To restore symmetry and good quality in the motor milestones when a preferred side is present, it is necessary to support your baby specifically in the movements that are difficult, for example with targeted one-sided exercises.

When a baby has a preferred side, tummy time is also more difficult, and rolling from back to tummy usually only succeeds toward one side. When a baby is lying correctly on their tummy, with weight on both arms and the head lifted in the middle against gravity, all the muscles of the body are gradually strengthened, on the front, the back, and both sides of the trunk. If, however, there is a clear difference in strength between right and left, and your baby tips over to one side, rolls away to the side, or can only look to one side in tummy time, it becomes hard to lie comfortably on their tummy.

In this program you will learn how to support your baby on the path toward symmetrical development, stable tummy time, and rolling from back to tummy to both sides. The exercises are a combination of those for strong tummy time, targeted one-sided strengthening exercises, and small, simple changes in the way you lift and carry your baby. You will also learn how to relieve pressure on the back of the head as effectively as possible if a one-sided flat back of the head (plagiocephaly) has already developed.

The exercises are described in detail and arranged in a logical order. There are pictures and videos for each exercise so you can clearly see how to do them. All texts, images, and videos are adapted to the side combination you choose, so make sure to choose the correct program version.

Note: If your child can already roll from back to tummy, please choose this program instead: Belly Crawling.

This program is one of several in the category Tummy Time and Rolling – read about the differences in the program overview. Please find answers to frequently asked questions below. If you are still unsure which program is the right one for your child, you are very welcome to send an email to maria@develobaby.com.

  • Efficient and effective; designed for busy parents

    […] Her program is designed in such a way that the most vital exercises are listed first. This makes it great for busy parents! It also has video demonstrations of the exercises.
    One and a half month have passed, and while I’ve only been able to practice some of the exercises, even my family has noticed the improvement of my baby’s head shape. I am so happy and relieved! I also notice that my baby chooses to sleep on both sides now.

    I definitely recommend this program. […]
    Yvonne, Trustpilot

Most common signs of a Preferred Side

  • Mostly turns their head to one side, both when awake and when asleep.
  • Tilts their head to one side.
  • Lies in a C-shape/banana shape toward one side.
  • Has a skewed/asymmetrical back of the head.
  • Rolls only/mostly to one side from back to tummy.
  • Pivots only/mostly in one direction.
  • Falls/rolls from tummy to back only/mostly to one side.
  • In tummy time, reaches for toys only/mostly with one hand.
  • When lying on the floor on their side, lies only/mostly on the same side.
Preferred Side and Flat Head FAQ

What is a Preferred Side?

A preferred side means that the baby prefers to use one side of the body more, both for motor and sensory tasks. This means that the muscles on the preferred side are easier for the brain to activate and that the baby’s sensory awareness is stronger on that side.

Once a preferred side is established, it will gradually amplify itself, because the other side remains more and more unused. This happens quickly because a baby will always choose the path of least resistance. They will not choose to turn their head to the left if there’s less resistance to the right and if smell, sound, light, etc. is easier to process to the right. It’s a simple “use it or lose it” situation!

The treatment for a preferred side is to strengthen the muscles and senses to the difficult side. This is done over time through daily exercises, all of which you find in this program. It is therefore important that you select the program in the correct version, i.e. choose:

  • to the left for babies with favorite side to the left, i.e. babies who turn their head towards their left shoulder.
  • to the right for babies with favorite side to the right, i.e. babies who turn their head towards their right shoulder.
Preferred Side and Flat Head FAQ

What is a banana shape?

Many babies tilt their head to one side and sometimes also bend their whole body that way. They have what’s often called a “Banana shape”. Some people also call it a C-shape or a one-sided fixed lateral flexion. The side on which the body is shorter determines the baby’s banana shape direction, left or right. There is an entire section in this program with the relevant exercises for treating Banana shape.

Preferred Side and Flat Head FAQ Banana Shape

What is plagiocephaly?

Plagiocephaly is an asymmetrical flattening of the back of the head, which is a very common side effect of preferred side, because the baby lies with the head mostly to one side. The degree to which the skull is flattened varies from baby to baby. Some babies have larger fontanelles (soft spots) and therefore a more malleable skull, while others can have a significant preferred side but not become flat.

If a baby has a preferred side and thus gets more pressure on one side of the skull, it is important to take measures to prevent plagiocephaly. The program also includes exercises and advice both on how to prevent and treat plagiocephaly.

Preferred Side and Flat Head FAQ Plagiocephaly Flat Head

What is Torticollis?

Torticollis is a more pronounced form of a preferred side in which the muscle on the side of the neck (sternocleidomastoid muscle) is injured. This occurs almost exclusively in babies who are born with a lot of traction (suction cup, cesarean etc.), but it can also occur in breech babies or in babies who had too little space in the womb (big baby, small mum). Torticollis is characterized by a strong tendency to turn the head to one side and tilt it to the opposite side.

The program Preferred Side and Flat Head is very relevant for babies with torticollis because torticollis always results in a preferred side in combination with a banana shape on the opposite side and, as a very frequent consequence of the favorite side, plagiocephaly. Also with torticollis, you should choose the program version according to side your baby prefers to look to (see section What is a prefered side?).

Note: If your baby has severe torticollis, I would recommend that you work with a skilled physical therapist alongside the home exercises in this program. Treating a preferred side with torticollis will take substantially longer than without. Therefore, professional support can be critical for both monitoring and motivational purposes along the way.

Preferred Side and Flat Head FAQ Torticollis

Frequently asked questions to Preferred Side and Flat Head

Treatment for a preferred side consists of strengthening the baby’s muscles and sensory skills to the difficult side. This is done through daily exercises over time. Unfortunately, there’s no quick fix for a preferred side. It is simply not possible to increase muscle strength and sensory awareness with passive treatments alone or with just a couple of hours effort. The exercises need to be done over time (from a week to a few months, depending on the severity).

Before buying the program, make sure you know which side, your baby prefers to look to. This is what determines which side you should buy. Always look from your baby’s perspective when assessing whether your baby’s preferred side is right or left. If your baby prefers to sleep with their head to:

  • their right side, then your baby’s preferred side is right and you should choose right when purchasing the program.
  • their left side, then your baby’s preferred side is left and you should choose left when purchasing the program.

If your baby does not have a preferred side to look to but only has a so-called Banana shape, where the body is bent to one side, you can choose either of the preferred side programs. In both programs you will find two sections for banana shape – one for the right side and one for the left. In the beginning of each of these two sections, you will see a video that shows babies with the particular banana shape of the section.

No, the exercises are general strengthening exercises, but it is important that you order the correct version of the program. If you do exercises every day for the side that is already the strongest, you will obviously make the problem worse. Ask me if you have read the info here and are still not sure which side to choose.

Because I know that many people find it overwhelming to do the exercises in their daily lives, I have organized the exercises in order of priority. The most important exercises are at the top. With targeted exercises that you do as part of all the little things you do with your baby during the day anyway, you can usually break the preferred side pretty quickly and get your baby back on track.

The program is about strength and sensory training that will reteach your baby to use the non-preferred side. The exercises are based on evidence and best practice in the Danish Health care system which is one of the best in the world. However, there are some babies who will need individualized adjustments in addition to the exercise program. This is usually the case if the preferred side is particularly pronounced or if there are special circumstances surrounding the baby. However, strength training for the difficult side is always relevant and will work in the vast majority of cases.

If your baby does not have a preferred side to look to but only has a so-called Banana shape, where the body is bent to one side, you can choose either of the preferred side programs. In both programs you will find two sections for banana shape – one for the right side and one for the left. In the beginning of each of these two sections, you will see a video that shows babies with the particular banana shape of the section.

The skull is malleable as long as the fontanelles are open. For some, they are almost closed by 7-8 months of age, while others still see a clear difference in skull shape with exercises and positioning by 1.5 years of age. It is very difficult to find statistics on this in studies, so there is a lot of different opinions out there. But the fact is that it varies. In my experience, it’s worth working on as long as you start treatment before the age of 9 months. The sooner you start, the more likely it is that the head shape will be completely corrected. As the pressure is removed from the flat side, the body will gradually return to its starting point. But it won’t happen in a day or a week. It takes time.

Unfortunately, it’s a common myth that the shape of the head will eventually correct itself and become round without exercises and positioning. This is only true if there is no longer a preferred side. As long as the preferred side persists, the head will in fact NOT correct itself. Therefore, you must work with the preferred side exercises in conjunction with the positioning advice to be successful.

Yes, there is a section in the program with specific exercises and measures if your baby has plagiocephaly.

Frequently asked questions to exercise programs

After completing the purchase process successfully, you can access your exercise program here on the develobaby.com. During payment, enter your email address and password. After successful payment, you will see an additional heading in the menu called “My Programs”, including links to all the exercise programs you have purchased access to. You could be reading your first program in under 60 seconds from purchasing. When you come back to DeveloBaby.com after a few days, the system will have logged you out automatically. Then simply log in again with your email address as your username and the password you chose during the checkout process.

My exercise programs are accessible online here on DeveloBaby.com. As the programs contain video clips that couldn’t be played in PDF or other types of print, there is no downloadable or hard copy version. That said, using a PC/Mac you can in fact print the exercise programs you have purchased by pressing Ctrl+P on Windows and Command+P on MacOS when you are on the exercise program page. However, the programs are not specifically set up for this purpose, so it’s much nicer and more user-friendly to view it directly on your mobile, tablet or computer.

You have perpetual access. However, I am obliged to adhere to certain privacy data regulations (such as GDPR), which state that I cannot store customer data longer than necessary. Therefore, the system limits your access to one year at a time. When a year is about to expire, the system will automatically send you an email so you can easily extend your access if you want to keep it.

No, this would be against the terms & conditions. You purchase access for yourself and the people living in your household. If you, however, buy an exercise program as a grandparent, you can of course share the access with the person you bought it for. In contrast, if you are a manager in an institution and want to procure access to one or more exercise programs for your employees, please write to me so we can work out an agreement on multiple licenses. For contact details and more, please see my Terms and Conditions.

Current legislation states that the usual 14-day right of withdrawal does not apply to digital products. The reason for this is that it is virtually impossible to argue that you haven’t used digital products once you’ve logged in. Therefore, I do not generally offer refunds. Please read more about my return policy under Terms and Conditions.

Yes, I’ve gone to great lengths to explain each exercise in layman’s terms so that everyone can follow. There are also pictures and videos to accompany the exercises, where I perform the exercises on a real baby.

No, certainly not. In my exercise programs, I have put the exercises in prioritized order. There are a lot of exercises in each program, so in principle you can spend your whole day doing exercises if you find it enjoyable, but you can also choose to do the top three or top five, and therefore the most important ones. This makes the exercise programs suitable for everyone, no matter how much time and energy you have to spare.

The exercises are basically just strength training, just like when you go to the gym. They are designed to strengthen your child muscles wrt the exercise programs’ purpose, e.g. addressing back arching. Therefore, exercises will always make your child stronger. Whether your child achieves each milestone with good quality using the exercises depends, of course, on the starting conditions and whether there are any special conditions that would require a individually tailored approach. But no matter what, helping your child build a stronger body will never be in vain. For the vast majority, standardized exercises, as presented in my exercise programs, will help the child move on to the next milestone well and strongly.

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Disclaimer

All content on DeveloBaby.com is based on recognized professional standards in Denmark, and you can expect them to be in line with the advice you receive in the public health system. If you find that your child has pronounced sleep or motor challenges, or that there is a lack of effect from the general exercises, I recommend that you make an appointment with me, either in person or online, so that I can customize the program for your child. If your child is unwell, please always contact your health care provider or physician. Read full disclaimer…