What it means
Babies are born with gaps between the skull bones, covered by tough membrane, so the head can mold during birth and the brain can grow. The anterior fontanel, on top of the head, is diamond-shaped and closes at about 12 to 18 months. The posterior fontanel, at the back, is triangle-shaped and closes by about 2 to 3 months. A normal fontanel is flat and soft.
For the nurse
Feel the fontanels with the baby calm and upright. A sunken fontanel can mean dehydration; a bulging one, when the baby is not crying, can mean raised pressure in the skull. Report either.
At a glance
| Spanish | fontanela |
|---|---|
| Also written | fontanelle, fontanels, fontanelles |
Related terms
dehydration
A state in which the body has lost more water than it has taken in.
intracranial pressure
The pressure inside the skull, made by the brain, the blood and the fluid around the brain.
newborn
A baby in the first 28 days of life.