Newborn Head Fontanelle
A fontanelle or fontanel colloquially soft spot is an anatomical feature of the infant human skull comprising any of the soft membranous gaps between the cranial bones that make up the calvaria of a fetus or an infant.
Newborn head fontanelle. You may never be able to feel or see this one. These soft spots are spaces between the bones of the skull where bone formation isn t complete. Fontanelles allow for rapid stretching and deformation of the neurocranium as the brain expands faster than the surrounding bone can grow.
The spaces between the skull bones leave room for the rapid expansion of the brain and head. The posterior fontanelle is often difficult to feel and usually closes at six weeks as your baby s head bones grow. If their soft spot is bulging that s a reason to seek care from.
The one on the top of the head remains present until your baby is. This allows the skull to be molded during birth. 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.
Fontanelles allow the bones of the skull to move so the baby s head can change shape during delivery the birth canal is narrow and the movement of the bones helps the baby s head to get through. The smaller spot at the back usually closes by age 2 to 3 months. What you should do.
Usually only the anterior fontanel which is on the top of the head toward the front can be seen and felt. 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. An infant is born with two major soft spots on the top of the head called fontanels.
Anterior fontanelle also called soft spot. The fontanel on the back of the head usually disappears by 1 to 2 months of age. This is the one.