A cranial remolding orthosis, CRO, (often called a cranial remolding helmet or cranial band) is used for moderate to severe cases of cranial deformity and is designed to guide your baby’s head growth into a more symmetrical shape. The rapid head growth between birth and 18 months (at age 18 months a baby’s head size is 70% of its adult head size) allows us to utilize this guided growth principle to create a more symmetrical head shape while wearing the helmet. We utilize a the newest technologys and scanning systems to make sure you baby is getting the best treatment possible.

Babies between the ages of 3-18 months can utilize a CRO to correct a misshapen head. Most commonly we see Plagiocephaly and Brachycephaly head shapes, but we also treat Scaphocepahly and post-surgical Craniosynostosis. The head shape can be a result of inter uterine positioning, birth trauma, neck tightness, or early sustained positioning. Regardless of the cause, when conservative therapies and repositioning efforts just aren’t enough (let face it… repositioning a sleeping baby is harder than it sounds) we have CROs as a safe and conservative option to treat head deformities. There are several studies that have shown a correlation between secondary medical issues and head deformities. Whether or not a helmet is required for medical necessity can be debated throughout the medical field and requires additional research to get a full understanding. We believe that every baby will achieve some level of self-correction, however, this amount of correction is often not enough to get a baby’s head shape from a severe range to a mild or normal range. This is when a helmet can be an extremely effective tool.

Babies who are over the age of 4 months and have moderate to severe head deformity are ideal candidates for a CRO. The sooner we start cranial remolding treatment, the quicker we get results. The typical treatment length for babies who start treatment before 6 moths is 8-12 weeks.. This is largely due to the rate of head growth a baby has between 4-6 months. Babies older than 6 months can still get great correction, however treatment will likely be 4-6 months, which is nearly double the treatment length. Helmets are recommended by the FDA to be worn no longer than 18 months of age, however after 12 months of age growth is significantly slowed and see we lesser results. Babies younger than 3 months can often benefit from our repositioning program, simply called: Head Shape Program, which was developed for families who notice flatness very early on, but helmet treatment is not yet an option.

A cranial remolding helmet WILL work as long as two things happen:

1.) You are compliant. This means you have to wear the helmet the full prescribed time- that being 22-23 hours per day.  Cranial helmets work by redirecting growth and the helmet is built to a corrected head shape. Because your baby’s head is growing 24 hours a day, we need to capture all of this growth to guide the head shape into a symmetrical shape. If you are not compliant, not only will the helmet fit poorly because the head will grow outside of the designed head, but you will also prolong the length of treatment.

2.) Your baby’s head grows. We have to get growth to get head shape correction. Remember we do not correction through forcing the head into a different shape, we get correction through growth and filling in the void areas of the helmet.

See some our amazing before and after results HERE.

The head and brain are still growing, so brain development is not impacted by helmet use. Helmets simply adjust where external forces contact the head, with built-in space to allow for brain growth.

Regular follow-up appointments help us monitor growth and ensure the helmet continues to fit properly, leaving room for development.

In some cases, helmets may briefly affect gross motor skills, while in others, they actually aid development, particularly with rolling. Babies with flat spots often struggle to roll, but the helmet’s round surface can help them roll more easily. Occasionally, babies who were rolling before wearing the helmet may experience a brief setback, but they typically catch up within 3-4 weeks as they adjust.

Typically 3-6 months. The major factors include compliance, age the treatment began (the older the baby the longer it takes to get correction) and severity. We recommend you begin your journey between 2-4 months of age to ensure time for early diagnosis and repositioning therapies. Your baby will likely not get fit with a helmet until closer to 4 months, but early detection is vital for optimal treatment success. Our goals when treating with a helmet are to achieve cranial symmetry or asymmetries within the normal to mild categories. It is not recommended that babies wear a CRO beyond 18 months per FDA regulations.

At Baby Bear Cranial Clinic we like to start treatment as early as possible to render the best results in the shortest amount of time which often means forgoing insurance authorization. For that reason, we offer significant private pay discounts and payment plans to make helmet treatment affordable to those who want to begin treatment right away or those who may not have appropriate coverage (Insurance authorization may add on an additional 3-5 weeks until treatment can begin).

Many families prefer to process through insurance when possible. When processed through insurance, helmets can cost anywhere between $2000-5000.00 - depending on the insurance contract/deductibles/co-pays etc. Many insurance companies will cover some or all of the cost if certain criteria are met. We are continually increasing the number of insurance companies we are in contract with, check to see if we are in-network: INSURANCE LIST.

There are additional funding options, such as charities and grant opportunities when neither Private Pay nor Insurance are options: FUNDING OPTIONS. Other financial questions can be answered on our Financial FAQ page.

Good news, you’re already half way there! At Baby Bear Clinic we encourage your first step being education and awareness. Look around our website- there is so much useful information on our site.

We offer  Free Consultations when you are not sure if your baby will require a helmet, but would like to learn more about prevention, tummy time, and the cranial remolding process.  This appointment takes approximately 45-60 minutes, depending on how many questions you may have. We will often refer you to a physical therapist or chiropractic professional if you have not already participated in structured repositioning efforts. At the consultation, we take a series of measurements and get a baseline scan with our safe 3D scanner. If we are not processing through insurance a helmet can be ordered the same day as the evaluation and fit 14 days later. If it is determined that your baby requires a cranial remolding helmet and you would like to process through insurance we will submit all the objective information from your evaluation, as well as any supporting documentation from the pediatrician or PT, to your insurance company. Depending on the insurance type, we may Scan at the evaluation or set up a separate appointment to re-scan. A Delivery Appointment where we will fit the helmet to your baby’s head, will be scheduled 14 days after the scanning appointment. This appointment consists of fitting and fine-tuning the custom helmet to your baby. We will also go over wear and care (check it out ahead of time here) break-in schedule, allow practice putting on and taking off the helmet and make sure all of your questions are answered. This appointment takes 60 minutes. Regular 30-minute Follow-Up Appointments will be scheduled every 2-4 weeks to monitor progress and growth.