There are sometimes physical changes that occur when a baby is first born, such as the closing of fontanelle. Many people are unfamiliar with this terminology because these terms are not common in our lives and we only hear about them when they happen, which requires us to add more knowledge to these aspects. The fontanelle is actually the two places on the top of the baby’s head that have not yet had time to ossify, and whether the baby is normal or not depends on whether the fontanelle closes properly. When does a baby’s fontanelle close? Some people do not know some taboos about fontanelle, resulting in the baby’s failure to grow normally, and these examples happen quite a lot, which is also related to our lack of knowledge about this area of popularization, such as non-deliberate to study, simply do not know about these taboos. fontanel (xìn mén) refers to the two bony “skylights” at the top of a baby’s head at birth, medically known as “fontanelle”. The posterior fontanelle generally closes 3 months after birth, and the anterior fontanelle does not close until 1.5 years old. People often say “skylight” or “fontanel” mainly refers to the front fontanel. The human skull is made up of six bones. When babies are born, the skull is not yet fully developed, so there are gaps between the bones and the articulation of the bones, and two areas without bone coverage are formed at the top of the head and behind the occiput, which are called the fontanelle and the fontanelle respectively. When a normal baby is born, the size of the fontanelle is about 1.5 x 2 cm. Generally speaking, the fontanelle basically closes when the baby is 1 year to 1 year and 3 months old. The posterior fontanelle is generally less noticeable and is mostly closed at 2-3 months of age. The classification of baby’s fontanelle The front chimney: If you touch your baby along the midline of the top of the head, you will find an opening in the front and back of the baby’s skull, which is soft to the touch, and the front end is called the front chimney, which is diamond-shaped. It is the largest intersection of bones on the skull, because there is no bone block here, it is slightly concave and soft compared to other parts, and there will be a slight movement when you touch it. After the baby is born 6 months, the fontanelle becomes smaller with the gradual ossification of the cranial suture, and closes by 1 week of age, no later than 18 months, replaced by bone. Posterior chimney gate: located at the back of the baby’s brain, the intersection of the bone suture between the occipital bone and the two parietal bones, the size is smaller, sometimes not even too touchable. The posterior chimney gate is nearly closed at birth, or can only accommodate the fingertips, and closes about 2-4 months after birth. Although the fontanelle is not large, it is an important window that reflects the health of the baby. By observing this small window within the baby’s first year of life, a variety of diseases can be detected early so that the baby can be diagnosed and treated early. Therefore, moms should know more about the normal development process of their baby’s fontanelle and the abnormalities that tend to occur. The fontanelle can close too early and too late The early and late closure of the fontanelle is the main component of cranial development. Either too early or too late closure is a sign of abnormal growth. In Chinese medicine, the protrusion of fontanelle is called fontanelle filling, the depression of fontanelle is called fontanelle sinking, and the late closure of fontanelle is called uncranial. Late closure of fontanel is mostly seen in infants with rickets, hydrocephalus, cretinism and overgrowth. If the fontanelle is closed before 6 months, it means that the child may have small head deformity or incomplete brain development, and it is too late to close after 18 months, so the child may have hydrocephalus, rickets and cretinism; the bulge of the fontanelle indicates the increase of intracranial pressure, so the child may have meningitis, encephalitis and vitamin A poisoning; the bulge of the fontanelle means the increase of intracranial pressure, so the child may have meningitis, encephalitis and vitamin A poisoning, Children with sunken fontanelles may have dehydration and malnutrition. If the fontanelle closes early, there is no need to be anxious as long as the head circumference is still growing. If you find that the fontanelle is closing abnormally, you should take your child to the hospital immediately for further examination. Washing of baby’s fontanelle is the gap left by the fetus when the skull development is not completed at birth. The fontanelle generally closes within three months after birth, and the fontanelle closes at about 1 to 1-5 years of age after birth. Since there is no hard cranial bone covering the fontanelle, care should be taken to protect it to prevent damage to the brain. When washing the baby’s hair. The fontanelle can be washed, but the action should be gentle, not scratching with fingers. The water used to wash the baby’s hair should not be too hot, but should be lukewarm. Some infants have some yellowish brown greasy scales on the fontanelle scalp, is the infant seborrheic dermatitis, can be sterilized cotton dip point paraffin oil or refining cooled vegetable oil coated in scales, to be softened and then gently wipe away with sterilized cotton, must not be forcibly uncovered. This disease can be self-healing, as long as it is not infected, there is no need to apply any medicine. When washing the hair, because the baby’s skin is delicate, it is advisable to use a neutral soap with little irritation. Baby fontanel six abnormal phenomena 1, fontanel bulge fontanel is originally flat, if suddenly bulge up, especially in the baby crying, and feel with your hands up there is a tight feeling, accompanied by fever, vomiting, and even a stroke, that the baby’s intracranial pressure increased. Usually, increased intracranial pressure is caused by intracranial infection, and the baby may be suffering from various diseases such as meningitis and encephalitis. If your baby’s fontanel gradually becomes full, there may be a tumor growing inside the skull, or there is fluid, pus or blood accumulation under the dura. Taking high doses of cod liver oil, vitamin A or tetracycline for a long time can make your baby’s fontanelle appear full. However, after stopping vitamin A and tetracycline, the fontanelle will also become gradually flattened. If epinephrine is given to the baby for some reason, if the drug is suddenly stopped, it can also make the baby’s fontanelle appear full. 2.Depressed fontanel The most common cause of depressed fontanel is the lack of water in the baby’s body, such as diarrhea, which is not replenished with water in time, and the resulting depressed fontanel. In this case, it is necessary to replenish the baby’s fluids immediately. In order to lower the intracranial pressure, high doses of dehydrating agents are used, thus causing the fontanelle to sink due to dehydration. The baby’s body should be hydrated promptly to prevent metabolic disorders in the body caused by excessive dehydration. Malnourished and thin babies often show a sunken fontanelle. 3, premature closure of fontanelle When the baby’s fontanelle is prematurely closed, the size of its head circumference must be measured. If the size of the head circumference is lower than the normal value, it may be a brain dysplasia. Some babies with normal body, at the age of 5-6 months, the fontanelle is only fingertip size and seems to be closing, but in fact it is not ossified, so you should ask your doctor to identify it. 4.Late closure of fontanelle The main point is that the baby has passed 18 months, but the fontanelle has not yet closed, mostly seen in rickets, cretinism. Late closure of fontanel, a few are caused by hydrocephalus or other causes of increased intracranial pressure, should go to the hospital for further examination. 5, fontanel too large fontanel too large, generally refers to the baby soon after birth, the fontanel reached 4-5 cm size. If the fontanelle is too large, the first possibility is that the baby has congenital hydrocephalus, and the second possibility is that it is caused by congenital rickets. In babies with congenital hydrocephalus, the fontanelle is not large at birth because the baby’s head is squeezed during the birth canal. However, a few days after birth, the fontanelle is usually gradually larger. After the birth of a baby with congenital rickets, not only is the fontanelle large, but the fontanelle is also large, and a bone suture (sagittal suture) in the middle is also wide, connecting the two fontanelles before and after. 6, fontanel is too small fontanel is too small, mainly refers to the fontanel is only fingertip size, such a baby is likely to have a small head deformity. Small fontanelle may also be caused by early closure of the skull, especially early closure of the sagittal suture, which will make the baby’s skull longer and narrower, forming a skull called navicular deformity, i.e. the occipital part is prominent, the forehead is wide, and the fontanelle is small or cannot be touched. When the baby’s fontanel is too small, the head circumference should be measured regularly, that is, to observe whether the head circumference is within the normal range before the full moon. The growth rate of head circumference should be checked every month or every two months and compared with normal babies to see if there is a significant lag. If the baby’s head circumference is still developing normally and continues to do so after 3-4 months of follow-up, even if the fontanelle is a little on the small side, it will not affect the development of the brain. The size of the fontanelle does not hinder the normal development of the baby, some people are too obsessed with this issue, but in fact it has a lot to do with the baby’s personal constitution. As long as the baby is well taken care of during this newborn period, and as long as care is taken, the baby will be able to pass the first hurdle faced by the newborn.