What is the cause of the baby's bulging fontanelle?

The fontanelle is a part of the baby's skull. Under normal circumstances, the baby's fontanelle is flat, but sometimes due to various reasons, the baby's fontanelle will bulge. It may be because the baby is crying, it may be because the baby lacks trace elements, or even because the baby has a tumor in the brain. In short, parents need to pay special attention to it. The following is a detailed introduction to what is going on with the bulging baby's fontanelle.

What is the cause of bulging fontanelle?

Bulging fontanelle caused by intracranial infection is common in various diseases such as meningitis and encephalitis, because the intracranial infection leads to increased intracranial pressure.

If the baby's fontanelle suddenly bulges, especially when crying, and feels tight to the touch, and is accompanied by symptoms such as fever, vomiting, neck stiffness, and convulsions, parents should take the child to the hospital for emergency treatment as soon as possible.

1. If the baby pushes hard and cries, the anterior fontanelle will bulge out, and it will be more prominent when lying flat than when standing. Because the baby is moving and lying flat when taking a bath, the mother can try to touch the baby more when holding him quietly. If the baby is always protruding, go to the hospital immediately.

2. Regarding the child’s condition, you can check the trace elements to see if there is any calcium deficiency and supplement the child in time. At the same time, nutrition should be strengthened. Children over one year old can eat some beans appropriately and eat less spicy foods.

3. It is possible that the subcutaneous bulge is caused by extravasation of the drug solution during infusion. You can apply local heat.

4. A bulging fontanelle indicates increased intracranial pressure. The child may have meningitis, encephalitis and vitamin A poisoning. A child with a sunken fontanelle may be suffering from dehydration and malnutrition.

5. If the baby's anterior fontanelle gradually becomes fuller, it may be that there is a tumor in the brain, or there is fluid, pus, blood, etc. under the dura mater. Taking large doses of cod liver oil, vitamin A or tetracycline for a long time can make the baby's anterior fontanelle appear full. However, after stopping the use of vitamin A and tetracycline, the anterior fontanelle will gradually become flat. If a baby is given epinephrine for some reason and the medication is suddenly stopped, the baby's anterior fontanelle may appear full.

Dietary considerations for baby during fontanelle closure period

As we all know, the baby's fontanelle closes at about 1-1.5 years old. At this time, the baby's deciduous teeth have gradually grown, and his chewing and digestive abilities have gradually matured, so his diet should be more abundant. Moreover, babies at this age grow and develop quickly and are full of curiosity about the outside world. Appropriate outdoor exercise can promote the baby's absorption of calcium while also exercising the skin and respiratory mucosa.

1. With the maturity of chewing and digestion abilities, the baby's food after one year old gradually changes from liquid to solid, and from milk to cereals. However, the food should be fine, soft, and crushed, and the protein should be high-quality protein, such as milk, chicken blood, fish, lean meat puree, etc.

2. Supplement calcium and vitamin D in appropriate amounts. Vitamin D supplementation should not be excessive, as excessive supplementation will cause hypercalciuria, vitamin D poisoning, etc.

3. Insist on outdoor activities and get moderate sunlight exposure to promote calcium absorption. It is well known that reasonable sunlight exposure can promote the synthesis of trypsin D in the body, which is beneficial for calcium absorption. However, if the baby is exposed to strong light before the fontanelle closes, it will damage the baby's eyes. Therefore, when the baby is exposed to light during outdoor activities, we must also pay attention to protecting the baby's eyes.