A BRIDGWATER family are appealing for help to help their baby get specialist treatment to reshape his head.

Spencer Redding, who is just three months old, has been diagnosed with severe plagiocephaly - also known as flat head syndrome.

Spencer's mum Katrina says she is hoping to fund private treatment in Cardiff which is unavailable on the NHS.

Katrina said: "Spencer is a lovely, happy baby boy who has thrived since he has been born.

"Spencer was referred to a specialist who diagnosed him with flat head syndrome, which is not funded on the NHS as it is considered a cosmetic procedure.

"My only option to prevent future surgery to reshape Spencer's head is to have a private treatment."

A clinic in Cardiff called Align Clinic provides specialist treatment which involves 3D scans to help make a bespoke helmet, measurement charts and monthly consultations.

Katrina added: "The clinic feel they can get Spencer's head shape from the severe category into the moderate to mild category within five to six months with the treatment."

The treatment costs £2,000 and the family are trying to raise money to support the treatment.

"The treatment needs to be carried out as soon as possible as you are unlikely to see significant results after is child is 14 months old, and Spencer would need to wear the helmet for five to six months," Mrs Redding said.

Plagiocephaly is the medical term used to describe a common condition in which one side of an infant’s skull is significantly flatter than the other

Babies are born with soft, impressionable skulls to aid passage through the birth canal and accommodate the rapid growth that occurs in the brain during the first few years of life.

When infants spend a lot of time sleeping with their heads in the same position, a positional plagiocephaly can develop as a result of the external pressures being exerted on the skull.

Helmet therapy works by applying a gentle, continuous pressure to the baby’s developing skull throughout the day to promote even growth.