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 overgrows - at the age of about two months. And only the sixth - the largest - remains open for a fairly 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, we will understand why nature has provided for this mechanism. It turns out that the fontanel performs several important functions:
- helps the baby to pass through the birth canal;
- allows the brain in the first time after childbirth to actively grow and develop;
- prevents the increase in the temperature of the meninges, since its increase above 38 ° C can lead to seizures and cerebral edema.
The fontanel overgrowth is a gradual process - the bones of the skull begin to fuse on four sides, which leads to the closure of connective tissue in this place. Many mothers care how quickly this should happen. It turns out that it is impossible to unequivocally answer the question "what time does the fontanel in children grow?" Normally, this can happen between the ages of 3 months and two years, so if your baby closes during this period, then you can not worry. Sometimes the fontanel may not decrease, but increase - this is also associated with active brain growth.
Early fontanel closure: is it worth worrying?
According to the observations of pediatricians, in recent years, the closure of the "soft vertex" in a child occurs quite early. It is assumed that the fontanel quickly overgrows in children, whose mothers during pregnancy took complexes of vitamins and minerals containing calcium. An excess of this microelement in the child’s body can contribute to the early closure of the “soft crown”.
Age up to three months is a period when a fontanel overgrows prematurely in a child, but even in this case, pediatricians say that you do not need to sound the alarm. The baby should be watched 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 fontanel under the age of 3 months overgrows in a child, this does not indicate the presence of any developmental abnormalities. According to statistics, by 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 top” remains open in 5% of babies. And this, too, may not affect the
health of the child.The shape and size of the fontanel
Another question usually worries parents 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 by 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 dates when a fontanel overgrows in a child. Therefore, do not worry and worry about this, just visit the pediatrician regularly and enjoy the joyful moments of communication with your baby.