Written question asked by John McDonnell (Labour) on Thursday, 8 December 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 December 2005. It was answered by Liam Byrne (Labour) on Monday, 6 February 2006 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Plagiocephaly

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice her Department has provided to parents on positional plagiocephaly.

Answer: The Department's guidance to parents on the first five years of their child's life, ‘Birth to five' advises parents to enable their babies to experience a range of positions during waking hours. This is good for their development. Positional plagiocephaly is caused by consistent pressure applied to one part of a baby's skull over a period of time, typically while sleeping in one position. This is commonly remedied by encouraging the baby to adopt different postures while awake.

Secondary information