![]() It's normal for a baby's fontanel to temporarily bulge while he's crying then return to normal once he's calm and sitting head-up. The larger fontanel is diamond-shaped at the front of the head the smaller fontanel is triangle-shaped at the back of the head.īoth soft spots will disappear as the skull bones fuse together - the front spot between 12-18 months, and the back soft spot at around six months. Fontanels ("Soft Spot")įontanels are two soft spots on your baby's head caused by the skull bones separating during birth. This is temporary and usually goes away a few days after birth. The skull bones in the soft spots havent yet grown together. Moulding might cause the top of your baby's head to look stretched out or pointed (cone head). Babies are born with soft areas on their heads called fontanels. Moulding happens when the bones in the skull shift as a baby's head squeezes through the birth canal. Once your baby has good head control, increase your baby's time in an upright position.įor more information and to see a picture of "flat head" visit About Kids Health.Change positions when feeding, carrying, holding and playing with your baby. ![]() Limit the amount of time that your baby spends in car seats, infant seats, swings and strollers (Babies should not be restrained for more than one hour at a time while awake).Change your baby's head position from side, to back, to side especially if she has one side she spends a lot of time on.Move mobiles and crib toys to different sides of the crib (Don't forget some household items make great inexpensive toys such as paper towel tubes and colourful plastic containers).Tummy time - doing this several times a day with your baby will not only prevent "flat head", but will help your baby develop (e.g.The idea is to give your baby a different view of the room and encourage your baby, while sleeping on his back, to turn his head to look at different things when he wakes up. Remember to change the position of your baby's head when you put him down to sleep on his back. This can happen when a baby spends too much time lying on their back, and can lead to a flattened appearance on one side of the head. There are ways you can help stop flat spots from happening. Flat head syndrome, also known as plagiocephaly, is a condition where an infant’s head is misshapen due to pressure on one side. sleeping) or if his head is resting against a flat surface (e.g. These flat spots won't affect your baby's brain development.įlat spots can happen if your baby is lying on his back in the same position (e.g. This is caused from regular pressure on one spot of a baby's head. If babies spend too much time in one position they can develop a flat spot on either side of their head or the back of their head. Plagiocephaly ("Flat Head")įor the first 12 months of life babies' skull bones are soft, thin and flexible and can be moulded very easily. Your newborn's head will likely be flaky or a little misshapen - definitely not the perfectly shaped head you've seen in baby books!īut don't worry - these characteristics are normal. If your baby's fontanels ("soft spots") are bulging when he's calm or sunken in all the time, call your doctor right away! What Your Newborn Will Look Like Head shape and appearance
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |