Why did the ancient egyptians bind their babies heads?

Question

I am assuming they bound their heads because they have oblong heads in the hieroglyphs but why?

Answer 1

I saw something on this a while ago.  They did it to change the shape of the head as a baby's head is soft and it definitely worked, but I can't remember what shape was the 'in' thing.  It may be about the shape of the gods' heads that they worshipped.

Answer 2

The only period in which this may have been done was during the Amarna period in the 18th Dynasty, under the reign of King Akhenaten, father of Tutankhamun.  According to Egyptologist, Bob Brier, there is circumstantial evidence to suggest that he suffered from a genetic disorder called Marfans Syndrome which causes elongation of the skeletal system.  There are suggestions that Abraham Lincoln had a similar disorder.  It causes long tapered fingers and toes, as well as extended chin and oblong heads.  As such, the skulls of King Akhenaten and his family may not have actually been bound, but have been attributable to this disorder.  Others, however, may have bound their childrens heads in imitation of their pharaoh.  Most of the claims for binding come from artistic representations of the royal family which display them in the manner suggested.  Any Google search for Amarna Art will reveal these type of images.  Unlike certain South American cultures where head binding was widely practiced among the elites, there is little to suggest that the binding of heads was widely practiced in ancient Egypt.

Answer 3

For ancient Egyptians, this was a mark of royalty.