What should I do if my baby's fontanelle closes too early? What are the dangers of premature closure of my baby's fontanelle?

There are certain disadvantages if the baby's fontanelle closes too early or too late. So, what should we do if the baby's fontanelle closes too early?

What to do if closure is premature

1. Consider craniosynostosis. If the baby's fontanelle closes too early, it may affect the shape of the skull. The fontanelle is the gap between adjacent skull bones, and the suture is the joint where adjacent skull bones are tightly connected. If the suture fuses too early, the baby's head shape will also be seriously affected. This situation is usually called craniosynostosis. If the fontanelle closes too early and the suture is normal, the baby's head can still maintain a normal posture.

Second, monitor whether the sutures are closed and whether the head circumference grows normally. If the head circumference grows normally, there is generally no problem. If a mild thyroid cyst is accompanied by hyperthyroidism, it will affect growth and development and requires timely treatment. If it is not accompanied by hyperthyroidism, the impact is not great, but regular follow-up is required.

3. It may be related to calcium deficiency. It is recommended to take the baby to the hospital for trace element testing and formulate a treatment plan based on the results. In addition, the calcium supplement may not be absorbed or used well by the baby, which will affect the effect. Another factor is the season. If the sunlight is not sufficient, it will affect the absorption and utilization of calcium.

The dangers of premature fontanelle closure

A very small number of babies have small heads due to maternal infection or other diseases that cause brain maldevelopment. They have small head circumference at birth, and the fontanelle closes prematurely 5-6 months after birth, resulting in microcephaly; small and pointed head, narrow forehead, sunken nose, small and retracted lower jaw, and mental retardation.

The existence of the fontanelle has extremely important physiological significance. The fontanelle can not only change the shape of the fetus's head when it is born through the birth canal to avoid intracranial damage, but also ensure that the skull continues to expand with the development of the brain.

The anterior fontanelle is usually closed at 12-18 months. There are also a few normal babies whose anterior fontanelle closes prematurely at 5-6 months, but this does not mean that the head will no longer grow. The skull bones are loosely connected in a canine-like manner. As the brain grows, the skull bones can still relax and expand, and the brain can still develop fully. The brain development of children basically stops at the age of 13-14, and the joints between the bone sutures are fused and fixed.

Researchers have shown that the intelligence of these children is at a normal level. A very small number of infants and young children have premature closure of the fontanelle due to poor brain development. This is medically known as congenital microcephaly. Such infants not only have a significantly lower head circumference than normal, but also have significantly lower overall development than normal. For example, they cannot lift their heads at 4 months and cannot sit at 8 months. This is relatively easy to identify.

The development of fontanelle

The skull is composed of 6 bones. After the baby is born, the skull has not yet fully developed, so there are gaps between the bones, and two areas without bone coverage are formed on the top of the head and the back of the occipital bone, which are called the anterior fontanelle and posterior fontanelle respectively.

The anterior fontanelle of some infants will physiologically increase as the head circumference gradually increases before 6 months, reaching a maximum of 2.5 to 3 cm, and then begin to shrink at 6 months.

Six months after the baby is born, the anterior fontanelle becomes smaller as the skull sutures gradually ossify. It closes and is replaced by bone by the baby's one year old, or no later than 18 months.

The average oblique diameter of the anterior fontanelle of a newborn baby at birth is 2.5 cm. Although there are individual differences among babies, if the oblique diameter of the anterior fontanelle is less than 1 cm or greater than 3 cm at birth, it should be taken seriously.

Precautions

The anterior fontanelle is like a window, through which you can observe some abnormalities of the baby. The fontanelle of the baby lacks the protection of the skull, so before closing, you should prevent collision with hard objects, and wear a hat when going out. Do not use pillows that are too hard for the baby, such as mung bean pillows and sand pillows, otherwise it is easy to cause the baby's head and fontanelle to deform. When cleaning, place your fingers flat on the fontanelle and rub it gently. Do not press or scratch it hard, and do not scrape it with sharp objects.