Should you worry about baby’s head shape? That means that baby’s head shape may become more asymmetrical over time if your baby usually sleeps or rests with his head facing his preferred side. Tight conditions in the womb, like if your baby is in the breech position, can affect the way the neck muscles develop.īabies with torticollis have a difficult time moving their head to one side. Sometimes an asymmetrical baby head shape (flattening on one side of the head) is due to congenital torticollis, a normally mild condition characterized by limited neck mobility.
Spending lots of time lying flat in a car seat, stroller or rocker can similarly lead to a flat spot on part of the head. And babies who experienced extra cramped conditions in the womb (often twins or multiples) may be born with a flat spot on the head too. What Does It Mean if My Baby Has a Sunken Fontanelle? The not-so-nice by-product of the “back to sleep” campaign: flat spots that appear on baby’s head if he always rests in the same position - a condition known as positional plagiocephaly, to get technical. Placing babies on their backs to sleep is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). It’ll start to close when your baby is about 6 months old and close completely (forming a solid skull) by the time he reaches 18 months. The largest soft spot is on top of your newborn’s head, called the anterior fontanelle, can measure up to 2 inches across. The fontanelles also give your baby’s brain room to grow (very!) rapidly during his first year. And if you’ve had a vaginal delivery - especially one in which you had to push for a long time - that head may appear pointy or cone-shaped, thanks to the time spent squeezing through. They helped your infant’s head to shift and mold so it could fit through the birth canal. (Imagine that ratio on a grown-up!) So how does a baby’s huge noggin make it through the birth canal? You can thank the fontanelles, or soft spots, on your newborn’s head.įontanelles are the membrane-covered gaps between several bony plates making up the skull. Several different factors can affect your baby’s head shape, which may appear cone-shaped, asymmetrical or have a flat spot on one side: BirthĪt birth, a baby’s head has an average circumference of 13.8 inches and makes up about a quarter of the length of his body. What causes changes to a baby’s head shape?
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