Common symptoms, closing time and care of anterior fontanelle in infants

People who have been parents will know that after the baby is born, his anterior fontanelle will close naturally after a period of time. In fact, the baby's anterior fontanelle may be too large, too small, sunken or convex, which are all bad signs. There is also a certain limit to the closing time of the baby's anterior fontanelle. To ensure the health of the baby's anterior fontanelle, what should parents do in daily life?

Common symptoms:

When a baby is born, there is a boneless "skylight" on the top of his head, medically called the "anterior fontanelle". It feels soft to the touch and sometimes you can see it bouncing up and down. At birth, the line connecting the midpoints of the opposite sides of the anterior fontanelle is about 1-2 cm. In the first few months, the head circumference grows rapidly and the anterior fontanelle also grows larger, reaching a maximum of 2.5-3 cm at about 6 months. Later, as the skull gradually ossifies, the anterior fontanelle gradually becomes smaller.

A fontanelle that is too large is seen in congenital hydrocephalus or congenital rickets, while a fontanelle that is too small is seen in microcephaly caused by brain maldevelopment. A sunken fontanelle is seen in the baby's body due to dehydration, such as not replenishing water in time after diarrhea. A bulging anterior fontanelle indicates that the baby's intracranial pressure is increased, which is mostly due to intracranial infection, long-term use of large doses of cod liver oil, vitamin A or tetracycline, etc.

Closing time

As the baby grows and develops, the fontanelle will gradually be replaced by bone. Some babies' anterior fontanelle closes when they are one year old, and it should be closed at the latest when they are one and a half years old.

Care:

Since the anterior fontanelle is not covered by a hard skull, it is easily injured, so you should take care to protect it and avoid it being hit by hard objects to prevent brain damage. When washing your baby's hair, you should also clean the anterior fontanelle, but be gentle and do not scratch it with your fingers. The water for washing your hair should not be too hot, but warm water.

Well, the above is all the specific content about the baby's anterior fontanelle that I introduced to you. I believe that after reading it, you should have a good understanding of the baby's anterior fontanelle. In fact, mom and dad should take good care of every change in the baby's body after birth. I hope the above introduction is helpful to you.