Texas Family Wears Helmets in Solidarity With Their Baby’s Head-Shaping Gear and Photos Go Viral
Babies wearing helmets is not the newest fashion statement. It’s a solution to a very common problem with newborns called plagiocephaly, which is also known as “flattened head syndrome.” The helmets are usually made of plastic and look a lot like a kid’s bicycle helmet. Most doctors will instruct you to leave the helmet on for 23 hours each day for three to six months to correct the issue, removing it only for bath time. This San Antonio family did just that but also decided to wear their own bicycle helmets in solidarity with four-month-old Jonas who was recently diagnosed.
It all began the morning of July 26th over breakfast when Jonas’ little sister Camila decided to wear her helmet to match her baby brother. Their father Gary Gutierrez — a landscaper in San Antonio and an avid bike rider — was encouraged by Camila to wear his as well. His wife Shayna captured her family donning their protective head gear, and one of the pictures was shared by Gary’s cousin, Shea Serrano, staff writer at The New York Times.
Serrano tweeted this photo of the helmet-clad family, which started a viral wave with over 29,000 retweets and over 116,000 likes. He wrote, “my cousin’s baby wears a head-shaping helmet so he’s got the whole family wearing helmets now this is the realest sh*t i ever seen.”
my cousin's baby wears a head-shaping helmet so he's got the whole family wearing helmets now this is the realest shit i ever seen pic.twitter.com/hrsj4tMA6d
— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) July 29, 2017
The photo prompted other Twitter users to post their babies rocking helmets.
Helmet babies are the absolute cutest. pic.twitter.com/jdFdaudbvd
— KristinMiller (@KristinMiller) July 29, 2017
us too pic.twitter.com/tuIfkhmoIf
— Cinnamon. (@iLoveMYKELL) July 30, 2017
Shayna Gutierrez lessened the fanfare over the family wearing helmets, admitting the gesture was done simply to appease their daughter’s request. “I love that Camila can be exposed to something valuable like inclusion for those who are ‘different.’ But the truth is we were just being our normal selves on a normal Saturday morning at home, and just give in to the requests of our 3-year-old who asks us to wear helmets,” she told Kens5 news in San Antonio.
Baby Jonas may not be old enough to appreciate the inclusive gesture but it’s made for some adorable photos and sibling bonding.