It turns out that normally a newborn has not one fontanel, but as many as 6! At first, during the first week of life, four of them close, then the fifth grows - at the age of about two months. And only the sixth - the largest - remains open for quite a long period of time. When does a fontanel overgrow in a child? Let's try to find the answer to this question.
Why do we need a fontanel?
First, let's figure out why nature provided for the presence of this mechanism. It turns out that the fontanel performs several important functions:
- helps baby get through the birth canal;
- allows the brain to actively grow and develop in the first time after childbirth;
- prevents an increase in the temperature of the meninges, since its increase above 38 oC can lead to convulsions and swelling of the brain.
The overgrowth of the fontanel is a gradual process - the bones of the skull begin to grow together from four sides, which leads to the closure of the connective tissue in this place. Many moms are worried about how quickly this should happen. It turns out that it is impossible to unequivocally answer the question "what time does the fontanel grow in children". Normally, this can happen between the ages of 3 months and up to two years, so if your baby closes during this period, then you don’t have to worry. Sometimes the fontanel may not decrease, but increase - this is also associated with the active growth of the brain.
Early closure of the fontanel: should I be worried?
According to the observations of pediatricians, recently the closing of the “soft crown” in a child occurs quite early. It is assumed that the fontanel quickly overgrows in children whose mothers took vitamin and mineral complexes containing calcium during pregnancy. An overabundance of this microelement in the child's body can contribute to the early closure of the "soft crown".
The age of up to three months is the period when the fontanel prematurely overgrows in a child, but even in this case, pediatricians say that there is no need to sound the alarm. The baby should be monitored by a doctor who will monitor its development, and, in particular, such an indicator as the size of the head circumference, in order to exclude hydrocephalus.
But in most cases, even when a child's fontanel overgrows at the age of up to 3 months, this does not indicate the presence of any developmental abnormalities. According to statistics, toby the third month of life, it is already closed in 1-2% of children, up to a year this figure is 45%, and after two years the “soft crown” remains open in 5% of babies. And this, too, may not affect the he alth of the child.
Shape and size of the fontanelle
Another question parents usually worry about is the shape and size of the fontanel. In order to make sure that everything is normal, there is a certain indicator. It is calculated according to the following formula: the sum of the longitudinal and transverse dimensions of the fontanel is divided by 2. This value should be in the range of 0.6-3.6 cm. The shape of the pulsating “soft crown” resembles a convex or concave rhombus.
So, we can conclude that there are no clear terms when a child's fontanel overgrows. Therefore, you should not worry and worry about this, just visit the pediatrician regularly and enjoy the joyful moments of communication with your baby.
