Child's fontanelle is sunken

When the baby is just born, there will be a little problem with the fontanelle, which will first show up after a few months and cannot be discovered at the beginning. In addition, many parents nowadays are young new parents. Although they have no experience in this area, since the bones are not complete at birth, there will be an unclosed prismatic bump on the top of the head. This is very normal and usually occurs in different stages. When the baby is almost one year old, the part will begin to close and become hard.

Are you scared by your baby's sunken fontanelle?

Some babies will have some problems with their fontanelle when they are just born, while for others, the problems may not show up until a few months later. Many parents are particularly worried about this, because after all, no one wants anything to happen to their child.

Due to incomplete ossification when the baby is born, there is a diamond-shaped unclosed depression on the top of the forehead, like a "skylight" without bone, which is medically called the "fontanelle", also called the anterior fontanelle. Under normal circumstances, the baby's anterior fontanelle is approximately 1.5×2 cm in size, and appears flat or slightly concave on the surface. In the first few months after birth, the anterior fontanelle will enlarge slightly as the head circumference gradually increases.

After the baby is 6 months old, the fontanelle will gradually become smaller due to the gradual ossification of the skull. When the baby is 1 to 1 and a half years old, the anterior fontanelle will basically be closed. The surface of the fontanelle is the scalp, underneath it is the meninges, and then the brain and cerebrospinal fluid.

Place your finger gently on the fontanelle and you can feel the beating. This is the pulsation of the baby's cerebrospinal fluid pressure as the heartbeat and blood pressure change, consistent with the pulse. When a normal baby is sitting, the fontanelle is slightly sunken. There is a posterior fontanelle along the cranial suture. When a normally developed child is born, the posterior fontanelle is basically closed. Even if it is not closed, it will close automatically three months after birth.

Symptoms of abnormal baby fontanelle

1. Bulging fontanelle

If the baby's anterior fontanelle suddenly bulges, especially when the baby is crying, and you touch it and it feels tight, and the baby also has a fever, vomiting, or even convulsions, it indicates that the baby's intracranial pressure has increased. Increased intracranial pressure should not be taken lightly. It may be caused by intracranial infection, or it may be symptoms caused by various diseases such as meningitis and encephalitis. You need to seek medical attention as soon as possible for early diagnosis and early treatment.

2. Full fontanelle

If you find that your baby's anterior fontanelle is gradually becoming fuller, you should be alert to the possibility of a tumor growing in the brain, or fluid, pus, or blood accumulation under the dura mater. You must go to an authoritative hospital for diagnosis, timely treatment, and control the development of the disease.

3. Sunken fontanelle

(1) If the baby's fontanelle sinks in a short period of time, the most common reason is that the baby's body is dehydrated. For example, if the baby fails to replenish water in time after diarrhea, the anterior fontanelle will sink. If this happens, you need to ask a pediatrician as soon as possible to replenish your baby's fluids to prevent dehydration.

(2) Due to improper feeding or illness, the baby may be malnourished and thin, and the baby's anterior fontanelle will often appear sunken. Under the guidance of a doctor, if you eat a reasonable diet and treat diseases in a timely manner, your baby's nutrition will be adequate and this phenomenon will disappear.