{"id":10716,"date":"2019-05-16T05:56:34","date_gmt":"2019-05-16T09:56:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.oviahealth.com\/guide\/10716\/why-does-baby-have-a-soft-spot\/"},"modified":"2022-04-01T15:50:51","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T19:50:51","slug":"why-does-baby-have-a-soft-spot","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.oviahealth.com\/guide\/10716\/why-does-baby-have-a-soft-spot\/","title":{"rendered":"Why does my newborn have a soft spot?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you\u2019re gently feeling around Baby<\/span>\u2019s body or shampooing their<\/span> hair, don\u2019t panic if you feel two soft spots on the front and back of Baby<\/span>\u2019s head. These are called fontanelles, which are the natural gaps between the bones<\/a> of their<\/span> skull.<\/p>\n

Your newborn and their bald spot(s), here are the details<\/h2>\n

Fontanelles play an important role in giving Baby<\/span>\u2019s head the flexibility it needs to get through your narrow birth canal and are necessary to allow their<\/span> head and brain room to grow and develop. Many parents are afraid of touching these spots, but you don\u2019t have to be: there\u2019s a strong membrane that protects Baby<\/span>\u2019s skull, so don’t worry if you touch them, just be gentle.<\/p>\n

Eventually, the bones in Baby<\/span>\u2019s head will fuse together and these tiny gaps will close. The fontanelle on the back of their<\/span> head will close within the first 3 or 4 months, and the one in the front will fuse when they is<\/span> somewhere between about a year and year and a half old. You might notice their<\/span> fontanelles slightly bulging when they strains<\/span> during a bowel movement, or sometimes even coinciding with their<\/span> heartbeats. Notify a doctor if Baby<\/span> has soft spots that are very caved in or bulging out significantly, since this could signal dehydration or excess pressure, but otherwise, just be gentle, and all should be well.<\/p>\n

\n
Sources<\/h5>\n
    \n
  • Mayo Clinic Staff. \u201cBaby\u2019s head shape: What\u2019s normal?\u201d <\/span>Mayo Clinic<\/span><\/em>. Mayo Clinic, January 29 2015. Web.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • \u201cYour Baby\u2019s Head.\u201d <\/span>HealthyChildren<\/span><\/em>. American Academy of Pediatrics, June 1 2010. Web.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    You probably have a soft spot for {{ PRONOUN_BABY }}, and {{ PRONOUN_HE_SHE_LOWER }} definitely has a soft spot for you! A couple, even.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":234791,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ovia_author_name":"","ovia_author_prefix":"","ovia_author_image":"","ovia_content_type_id":"177","ovia_product_mode":"13","ovia_days_from_signup":"","ovia_days_from_lmp":"","ovia_days_from_baby_birth":"24","ovia_days_from_enroll":"","ovia_health_module_days_from":"","ovia_article_for_email_days_from":"24","ovia_health_module":"","ovia_legacy_id2":"","ovia_ttc":"","ovia_article_subtype":"","ovia_health_symptom":"","ovia_partner_id":"","ovia_partner_custom_group":"","ovia_legacy_category":"1","ovia_legacy_category2":"190","ovia_content_url_id":"10716","ovia_include_share_buttons":"","ovia_fertility_goal":"","ovia_secondary_module":"","ovia_trimester":"","ovia_child_age":"","ovia_share_image":"","ovia_more_menu_image":"","ovia_button1_url":"","ovia_days_from_postpartum":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"fert-category":[],"preg-category":[],"parent-category":[111,121,112,105,129,114,119],"fert-tag":[],"preg-tag":[],"parent-tag":[346,347,348,349,442,459],"class_list":["post-10716","article","type-article","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","parent-category-baby-injuries","parent-category-baby-safety","parent-category-babys-development-and-growth","parent-category-babys-health-and-wellness","parent-category-life-as-a-new-parent","parent-category-physical-development","parent-category-raising-baby","parent-tag-1-month-old-baby","parent-tag-2-month-old-baby","parent-tag-3-month-old-baby","parent-tag-4-month-old-baby","parent-tag-baby-outdoor-safety","parent-tag-postpartum-check-up"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy does my newborn have a soft spot? 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