STARband Wearing Guide

For the first several days, your baby may perspire excessively until his/her body becomes accustomed to the STARband. During this time, the STARband may be removed for a few minutes throughout the day to dry the baby’s head and the STARband using a towel or the cool setting on a hairdryer. The STARband should be reapplied as soon as the baby’s hair and the STARband are dry. You may want to dress your baby in cooler clothing as well.

If your baby has been diagnosed with torticollis, the torticollis must be treated in order to achieve head shape correction. If your therapist or physician has given you neck exercises for your baby, remove the STARband for the exercises, and replace the band as soon as the exercises are completed.

Each time you place the STARband on the baby’s head, check the chafe, strap, and stop-gap foam insert to make sure they are secure. Loose parts can be a choking hazard and can result in asphyxiation if the parts are swallowed.

Cleaning the STARband Helmet

At bath time each day, remove and clean the STARband. Use 91% unscented rubbing alcohol to clean the inside of the STARband. Other cleaners, such as soap, water, bleach, or perfume, can cause skin irritation and should not be used inside the STARband. You may use the alcohol in a spray bottle to spray the inside, and then vigorously rub with a textured washcloth. Set the STARband upside down to dry. Drying it in the sun can help alleviate any odor and speed up the drying process.

Caring For Your Baby's Skin

Shampoo the baby’s head daily. Reapply when both head and STARband are dry. Do not use powders, lotions, or wipes on the baby’s head or inside the STARband. These products may contain perfumes and ingredients that can lead to skin irritation. The STARband should always be kept dry and should be removed for swimming. After swimming, wash your child’s head with shampoo to remove chlorine, sunscreen, etc. Reapply the orthosis, making sure both your baby’s hair and the STARband are dry.

Skin checks should be performed every time the STARband is removed. Call your practitioner immediately if there is an area of deep redness that does not fade within one hour after removing the band, as this may indicate the need for an adjustment. If there is any skin breakdown, remove the band and contact your doctor. The STARband should not be worn until the skin has healed.

If the baby develops a rash, contact your orthotist immediately. Also, keep the baby as cool as possible. Towel or blow-dry the baby’s hair and inside the STARband throughout the day with a cool hair dryer to prevent moisture build-up. Replace the STARband as soon as the band and hair are dry. Time out of the band should be less than 10 minutes.

Haircuts

If you need to cut your baby’s hair during the cranial remolding treatment, do not shave the baby’s head. The contact of the band against the head may cause irritation when the hair starts to grow back in and the baby may develop skin irritation. Try to keep your baby’s hair the same length throughout treatment to prevent fitting problems that may result from a decrease or increase in the amount of hair.

Illness

Remove the STARband if your baby has a fever or the flu. Return to full-time wear as soon as possible. If the baby has not been able to wear the STARband for 48 hours, ramp up the wearing schedule slowly over a few days to help the baby adapt to wearing the STARband again.

Excessive time out of the STARband (more than 48 hours) may create problems with the fit of the STARband since the baby’s head is growing continuously. When the STARband is not on your baby’s head, keep it away from family pets. Dogs have been known to chew the plastic and foam liner.

The STARband must be worn as prescribed, 23 hours a day, to constrain further abnormal growth and encourage growth in the correct locations until the physician, practitioner, and caregiver agree that the desired correction has been achieved. Early discontinuation of treatment against medical advice may result in incomplete correction of the head shape.

Be sure to explain the purpose of the STARband to other caregivers, and train them in the proper application, removal, and wearing schedule. Training is important for family, friends, daycare personnel, and anyone else taking care of your baby.

If you have questions or concerns about your baby’s treatment, contact your practitioner so that any issues can be resolved quickly. Visit www.starbandkids.com for more information. Our team wishes you and your baby a most successful STARband experience!