Newborn Head Fontanelle
The fontanel on the back of the head usually disappears by 1 to 2 months of age.
Newborn head fontanelle. You may never be able to feel or see this one. There are 2 fontanelles the space between the bones of an infant s skull where the sutures intersect that are covered by tough membranes that protect the underlying soft tissues and brain. The posterior fontanelle usually closes by around two to four months of age however the anterior fontanelle may still be felt up until 18 months to 2 years of age forster marron 2018.
This results in an abnormal head shape craniosynostosis. A bulging fontanelle also might signal internal bleeding or a tumor or mass causing pressure in the head. The sphenoid fontanelle is found on the side of the baby s head a short distance behind the eye and the mastoid fontanelle is located behind the baby s ear.
Eventually your baby s head bones will meet and fuse and the soft spots will close. Fontanelles allow for rapid stretching and deformation of the neurocranium as the brain expands faster than the surrounding bone can grow. In spite of that the baby can pass through the birth canal during delivery.
The spaces between the skull bones leave room for the rapid expansion of the brain and head. What allows this smooth passage is a process called moulding during which the fontanelles or the soft spots on the baby s head get moulded to reduce the size of the baby s head. This is the one.
This allows the skull to be molded during birth. An infant is born with two major soft spots on the top of the head called fontanels. A newborn has fontanels on the top back and sides of their head.
The posterior fontanelle is often difficult to feel and usually closes at six weeks as your baby s head bones grow. What you should do. Your baby s head is the largest part of her so moulding is nature s clever way of temporarily making it smaller.