The 2003 article, Infant Heads: Too Big, Too Small, Misshapen, by Joseph H. Piatt, Jr., MD explains the mechanics of skull flattening as follows,
The mechanical difference between an infant's head and a water balloon is only a matter of kinetics. A water balloon laid on a table conforms to the contour of the table instantly. The infant head laid on a firm mattress takes weeks to conform, but if the infant is sufficiently immobile, the result is the same. (p. 3)
You see a flattening of many infants heads for any number of reasons. Two of the most common reasons are the 'Back to Sleep' campaign and congenital torticollis. Another reason is the fact that we are a very mobile society, and as a result our infants are very immobile. This limits the amount of time they get to spend on their tummies and instead places them in their carseats, infant seats, bouncy seats, or swings-----on their backs for a large portion of the day. As parents, we need to take advantage of those wakeful moments and place our babies on the floor, on their bellies for some 'rolling around time'! If a child has torticollis, or a tightening of the muscles on one side of the neck, we must be even more diligent about giving our babies time off his or her back.
"Kama ilivyoelezwa katika makala ya "" Infant Heads: Too Big, Too Small, Misformed "" ya Joseph H. Pyat, Jr., MD, ""Makosa ya kichwa ya mtoto mchanga ni ya kinetics tu." Puto la maji lililowekwa juu ya meza huambatana na umbo la meza mara moja. Kichwa cha mtoto kikiwa juu ya godoro lenye nguvu huchukua majuma kadhaa ili kufanyizwa, lakini ikiwa mtoto hana uwezo wa kusonga, matokeo ni yaleyale. (Mstari wa 3) Unaona vichwa vya watoto wengi vya watoto wachanga vikipigwa kwa sababu mbalimbali. Sababu mbili za kawaida ni kampeni ya 'Kurudi Usingini' na torticollis ya kuzaliwa. Sababu nyingine ni kwamba sisi ni jamii ya kusafiri sana, na kwa sababu hiyo watoto wetu wachanga hawawezi kusafiri sana. Hii hupunguza muda wanaopaswa kutumia kwenye tumbo lao na badala yake huwaweka katika viti vyao vya gari, viti vya watoto wachanga, viti vya bouncy, au swing - kwenye migongo yao kwa sehemu kubwa ya siku. Kama wazazi, tunahitaji kutumia wakati huo wa kuamka na kuwaweka watoto wetu ardhini, kwenye tumbo lao kwa 'wakati wa kuzunguka'! Ikiwa mtoto ana torticollis, au misuli ya upande mmoja wa shingo, ni lazima tuwe na bidii zaidi juu ya kumpa mtoto wetu wakati wa kupumzika.