Is it normal for babies to have a dip in their head?
Is it normal for babies to have a dip in their head?
It is normal for a fontanel to form an inward curve in infants while their skull is still hardening. But in some cases, it may become sunken, and the cause may need medical treatment. A sunken fontanel, when accompanied by other symptoms, can be a sign of dehydration or malnutrition.
When should I worry about a sunken fontanelle?
Sometimes it can bulge slightly (such as when baby cries), and less often, it can appear to be concave, or sunken. It’s okay if it curves inward slightly to the touch. But if the soft spot is significantly sunken, it’s usually a sign that your baby is dehydrated and needs to be given fluids immediately.
What age does a baby’s skull fuse together?
The spaces between a typical baby’s skull bones are filled with flexible material and called sutures. These sutures allow the skull to grow as the baby’s brain grows. Around two years of age, a child’s skull bones begin to join together because the sutures become bone.
How serious is craniosynostosis in babies?
Craniosynostosis can affect a child’s brain and development. The degree of the problems depends on the severity of the craniosynostosis, the number of sutures that are fused, and the presence of brain or other organ system problems that could affect the child.
What does a sunken fontanelle indicate?
The fontanelles should feel firm and very slightly concave to the touch. A noticeably sunken fontanelle is a sign that the infant does not have enough fluid in its body. The sutures or anatomical lines where the bony plates of the skull join together can be easily felt in the newborn infant.
How can I tell if my baby soft spot is sunken?
You may never be able to feel or see this one. The one on the top of the head remains present until your baby is between 7 and 19 months old. A baby’s soft spots should be relatively firm and curve ever so slightly inward. A soft spot with a noticeable inward curve is known as a sunken fontanel.
How long does it take for baby’s head to round out?
Your baby’s head should return to an adorable, round shape anywhere between 2 days and a few weeks after delivery.
What happens when baby’s skull fuses too early?
If a baby’s skull bones come together and fuse too soon, it can cause a condition called craniosynostosis. When a baby has craniosynostosis, one or more of the sutures closes too early, and the baby’s skull continues growing in an abnormal fashion.
Can a child have fused bones in their skull?
Most often the effects are just cosmetic, meaning your child’s head may be misshapen. But sometimes the bones fuse so tightly that they don’t leave enough space for the brain to continue growing, which is more serious and surgery is usually the preferred treatment to fix it.
Where are the soft spots on a baby’s head?
You’ll notice two soft areas at the top of your baby’s head where the skull bones haven’t yet grown together. These spots, called fontanels, allow a baby’s relatively large head to move through the narrow birth canal.
What causes an uneven head shape in babies?
Less commonly, an uneven head shape happens when the bones of the skull fuse together too soon. This rare condition, called craniosynostosis, may require surgery both to correct the head shape abnormality and in some cases to give the baby’s brain room it needs to grow.
