We were told no cap under the helmet!

[Henry'sMomGina]

Hi ladies,

Henry doesn't have his helmet yet but he is going to get in 2 weeks. When he was fitted on Monday I asked about the cap under and was told that he shouldn't have one because it could change his temperature and that it could cause wear that would harm the foam.

I don't think I agree, especially since many of you use caps! I can't imagine not having something between him and the helmet. I am wondering if any of your helmet people said anything about this?

And, what is the helmet "guy" anyway? He isn't a Dr. Is he an occupational therapist? He is a great guy though so we are lucky for that.

Thanks!
Gina

[Jenny]

Hi Gina! We never had a cap under the helmet.. it's really a nice foam that they use, so it's not rough on their skin. I think a lot of moms use the cap to absorb sweat.

The dr that fits the helmet is an orthotist.

[Abby'sMom]

I'm going to go out on a limb here but I'm willing to bet your orthotist hasn't treated any kids with cotton caps under their helmets so the idea probably just seems strange to him. My daughter developed contact dermatitis from her helmet rubbing on her skin so the cap was initially intended to protect her healing skin temporarily. Finding that it reduced sweat and smell was a pleasant surprise for both me and our orthotist. After my daughter's skin healed we did go back to using the helmet without a cap for a very short time and although her dermatitis didn't return the sweat and smell did so we have used the cap ever since without any detriment to the helmet or my daughter's treatment.

I don't know if your son's helmet will be the same type that we have... (hard clear plastic, foam pads in contact with skin and holes drilled in the top) So I can only share my experience with my daughter's type of helmet but the cap has indeed changed the temperature in there...her head is cooler and she is far more comfortable! As far as damage to the foam pad goes...before we used the cap my daughter's helmet got so sweaty and smelly that the pads had to be replaced because they were so scummy.(even though we wiped down the interior with rubbing alcohol daily as recommended) We are now nearly 7 months into helmet therapy and haven't needed to replace the pads for hygiene once since we've been using the caps. If anything the cap has reduced wear and tear on the helmet foam...not to mention that wear on our kids is a lot more important than wear on the foam anyway!

Just so you know...lots of kids (actually most kids) wear their helmets without caps and don't have the same problem we had with dermatitis so don't sweat it (pardon the pun) if your orthotist is a no go on the cap. But if you find that the sweat and smell is a problem and you want to give the cap a try then I would certainly press the issue. I'm sure the orthotist we use would be happy to give your orthotist some feedback...He may just need to hear from another professional that we haven't had any problems using a cap. If you decide you want to pursue it just send me a PM and I'll get you our orthotist's contact info.

Best of luck and I'm so happy that surgery is behind you!

[Tyler&Jakobsmommy]

Theres a few different types of helmets. Tyler had the foam lined kind and we did not use a cap ever. But Jakobs was hard plastic with no foam and we used a cap with that sometimes.