Fontanelles Baby Head
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.
Fontanelles baby head. The soft spots are known as fontanelles. During birth fontanelles enable the bony plates of the skull to flex allowing the child s head to pass through the birth canal. The number of soft spots on your baby s head depends on their age.
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 fontanelle is at the intersection of three different bones. This results in an abnormal head shape craniosynostosis.
The posterior fontanelle is on the upper rear part of the baby s head. The posterior fontanelle generally closes between 6 weeks and 3 months after birth. They are located mainly at the top back and sides of the head.
You may never be able to feel or see this one. The fontanelle on the top of her head is the anterior fontanelle. Like the sutures fontanelles harden over time and become closed solid bony areas.
There are two fontanelles on your baby s head and they may vary in size slightly. The soft spot on the back of your baby s head is called the posterior fontanelle. It s usually smaller than the other fontanelle and shaped like a triangle.
The sphenoidal and posterior fontanelles close during the first few months of life. This may force growth to occur in another area or direction resulting in an abnormal head shape. The head is the biggest part of a newborn baby.