Tina Davies, 23, and Carl King, 34, from Soothill, discovered their son Liam had plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome) after reading about it on the internet.

They claimed they were told treatment was not available on the NHS because it was considered to be cosmetic.

Tina said they first noticed Liam's head was flat when he was about four weeks' old.

"I took him to the doctors at five weeks for a cold and mentioned it but they said it was normal," said Tina.

But by his six week check-up, Tina and Carl noticed it seemed to be getting worse, not better.

"I mentioned it to my health visitor and she said to ring the doctor again if it was still there when he got to four or five months. But it started getting worse and caving in at the back," said Tina.

Tina took him back to the doctor. Again she was told his head was not a problem and if she was concerned to 'grow his hair'.

Tina and Carl looked on the internet and found information about plagiocephaly.

They booked an appointment at a private clinic in Leeds.

Measurements were taken of Liam's head and there was a 19mm difference to what his head shape should have been. Between 6mm and 12mm is considered to be severe.

They were told if the condition was left untreated Liam's head would stay flat for the rest of his life and it could lead to problems with his jaw, teeth, ears and eyes.

Treatment for plagiocephaly is a helmet which Liam has to wear 23 hours a day for the next six to eight months.

As he grows the helmet can be altered so that his head should fill out to the correct shape by the time he is 18 months.

The helmet cost £2,000 and Tina and Carl had to organise a fundraising evening featuring mediums Yasmin Croft, Tina Martin and Sue Baker at the Frontier to get the money.

Tina was a nursery nurse before having Liam and now works part-time at the nightclub, where partner Carl is general manager.

"The helmet is adjustable so we should only need to outlay the money once," said Tina.

"But already there has been a big improvement. In about five weeks his head measurement has gone down to 13mm. I can't understand why they would say it was cosmetic, and obviously the treatment does work."

Tina said they would not want other parents to go through what they had to.

"There is no feeling like it in the world, knowing there is something wrong with your child but being sent on your way," said Tina.

"No one seemed to know anything about it. If the treatment is there it should be available to anyone."

Lynne Hall-Bentley, assistant director of children, young people and maternity services at Kirklees Primary Care Trust (PCT), said: "We are concerned to hear that Ms Davies did not feel reassured by the specialist advice given by her GP and health visitor.

"Although it was the family's personal choice to seek private treatment, it is not uncommon for babies to develop flat-head syndrome and in most cases this is a result of sleeping on their back, as safety guidelines recommend.

"The condition is not harmful to babies and resolves itself as they grow. Specialists would only recommend the use of cranial remoulding helmets as a last resort, when a child is slightly older. If a child did need specialist head care, they would be referred for cranial and facial treatment.

"If Ms Davies has any concerns about Liam's treatment then we would encourage her to contact the PCT."