When does the posterior fontanelle close?

Maybe many friends are not very familiar with the posterior fontanelle, so they don’t know when it closes. In fact, the posterior fontanelle refers to the two soft places on the head of our babies when they are just born. One is the anterior fontanelle, and the other is the posterior fontanelle. They usually close when the baby is six months old, which will affect the baby's brain and skull development. I hope you can pay attention to it.

Only when we know what the posterior fontanelle is, we will know when it will close. It can also help us better protect our baby's intellectual development and skull development in life. I hope you can pay attention to your baby's head when the posterior fontanelle closes.

There is a soft area on the baby's head that can sometimes be seen to move, which is medically called the fontanelle. There are two main fontanelles at birth. One is called the anterior fontanelle, which is located in the front part of the head and is formed by the connection of the anterior superior angles of the parietal bones on both sides and the frontal bone. It has an oblique diameter of 2.5 cm at birth and is generally closed at 1 to 1.5 years old. The other is called the posterior fontanelle, which is formed by the junction of the parietal bone and the occipital bone. It is located in the back of the head and is generally very small or closed at birth. It closes at the latest at 2 to 4 months.

If the anterior fontanelle closes within 6 months, it will affect the development of the brain and skull, and attention should be paid to whether it is microcephaly. Children with microcephaly will suffer from convulsions and intellectual disability. Therefore, if the anterior fontanelle closes prematurely, it is necessary to track the size of the head circumference to see if it meets the minimum limit of the head circumference for that age. In addition, we should pay attention to the child's intellectual development process. If he can keep up with the development of children of the same age, such closure is normal.

When a baby is born, the fontanelle is relatively small because the head is compressed and the skull bones overlap. Soon, due to the rapid growth of the brain, the sutures of the skull are separated by the pressure inside the brain, and the fontanelle also becomes larger. At the same time, each skull bone continues to add new bone above and below the cartilage at its respective edges. When the increase in new bone exceeds the growth of the brain, the skull sutures begin to close (about 3 months) and the fontanelle gradually shrinks.

Regarding the posterior closure of the baby's posterior fontanelle introduced in the article, I believe you all know when it closes now. Moreover, if you adopt the precautions for the closure of the posterior fontanelle introduced in the article in your life, it will be helpful for the development of your baby's brain and skull. I hope you can learn more about it in your life.