hi, i was at the doc yesterday with my little girl who is 5 months old, he was surprised to find that her front soft spot to be about 2 fingures wide, he said that it should be a lot smaller than that, and said that is a sign that she is lacking Calcium, so he perscribed her some and me as i breastfeed. i tried looking for info on the net but found very little! most of the info is about soft spots closing too soon, has anyone gone through the same thing? i would appriciate any info you can give me, im really worried about my daughter
Hmm, I don't know anyone from experience. Step up your calcium and not just with supplements, get the real thing from fat free milk, broccoli, beans and almonds.
Google 'fontanel' - that's the official name for the soft spots.
http://www.thefastertimes.com/pediatrics/2010/09/17/the-f...
I think you should not be worried about your daughter, I'd be worried about the credentials of your pediatrician!
Check this out: (http://www.cpnonline.org/CRS/CRS/pa_fontanel_hhg.htm)
What is the soft spot?
The soft spot is a diamond-shaped area on the top of the head in newborns. This area is also called the anterior fontanel. The soft spot is located where 2 growth lines (suture lines) for the skull cross. Babies have a soft spot to allow the bone of the skull to expand as the brain grows rapidly. The soft spot normally becomes larger over the first 2 or 3 months of life and then gradually closes. It normally looks flat or slightly depressed. The soft spot should not look full or bulging. If it is bulging, it means that the brain is under some pressure and your child needs to be seen by your healthcare provider.
When should it close?
A soft spot is closed when the opening can no longer be felt. The soft spot commonly closes at 18 months of age, but it could close any time between the ages of 5 and 26 months.
If your child reaches 27 months of age and the soft spot is not closed, your child needs to be checked by your healthcare provider. A soft spot that closes before a child reaches 5 months of age is very rare. This is called premature closure of the fontanel and may also need to be checked by your healthcare provider.
There is two soft spots. I am assuming the dr. was referring to the posterior (means back) and this closes at approx 2mo. The anterior (means front) closes at approx 18mo. Whenever I think of a soft spot I think of the anterior one, (directly on top nearer to front of head), but there is two. Don't worry, its good the dr. is watching!
I have a tiny two year old (she is 26 months) that wears 18 month clothes. Her fontanel is still there, slightly. I have brought it up several times at all of our well-child visits (including two different peds, because we moved). Neither ped. was concerned. In fact, it was suggested that because she was so little and grew just a little at a time, that it was the reason her's hasn't closed just yet. I've never heard the connection of calcium.
At 5 months, I wouldn't be concerned at all. Both of my daughter's had soft spots until at least 1 year, or a little after.
