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Baby Head Growth
baby head growth | One of the measurements taken during your baby’s checkups is baby head growth or head circumference. Like height and weight, head circumference is recorded on its own chart. Your baby's brain growth is reflected in the size of his skull. The skull of a baby is made up of six bones that are not fully joined to allow for this growth. These 6 bones include: the frontal bone, the occipital bone, two parietal bones, and two temporal bones. The bones are attached by connective tissue called sutures. Your doctor will be concerned if your baby’s head is growing too slowly or too quickly. It is important to have your baby's head circumference measured regularly. The rate of head growth is what you want to focus on, rather than the actual size itself so that either the slowing down or acceleration of head growth can be treated if needed. The flexible spacing between the bones of the skull allows the brain to grow quickly and freely without being confined by a fully formed skull. As the baby grows and develops, the space between the bones gets smaller until the spots between the bones (soft spots) disappear - at around 18 months after birth. The medical term for soft spot is, fontanelle. Measurements are always adjusted for babies who were born prematurely. To measure your baby's head, a flexible measuring tape is placed around the area just above your baby's eyebrows and ears which is the part of the head that has the largest circumference. Baby Head Circumference Chart for Breastfed Babies| Age of Baby | Growth per month (inches ~ cm.s) | | Birth to 6 months | 1/2 inch ~ 1.25 cm.s | | 6 to 12 months | 1/4 inch ~ .625 cm.s |
Breastfed baby head growth and height and weight charts
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