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Baby Soft Spot: How to Care for Your Baby’s Head

As you spend hours gazing at your newborn and stroking his face, you’ll no doubt notice a couple of soft spots on his head. These soft spots, called fontanelles, are perfectly normal and actually play an important role in your baby’s development.

Learn more about these soft spots, including how to protect them, when the bones of the skull will harden, and which warning signs to look out for by reading on.

What Are Baby Soft Spots and Where Are They?

All babies are born with two soft spots (fontanelles) on their heads: The larger soft spot (anterior fontanelle) is toward the front of the head, and the smaller soft spot (posterior fontanelle) is toward the back.

These softer areas are made up of immature skull bones that are still forming and expanding as your baby’s brain grows.

Why Do Babies Have Soft Spots?

The soft spots on babies' heads have two main functions:

  1. They make it possible for the bony plates of the skull to compress and overlap as the head passes through the narrow birth canal during a vaginal delivery

  2. They allow a baby’s skull to expand, making room for the rapid brain growth that happens in the first year.

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When Does a Baby's Soft Spot Close or Go Away?

In your baby’s first few months, both soft spots should be open and flat. At about 2 to 3 months of age the soft spot at the back of your baby’s head may close. The soft spot at the front may close around the time your toddler turns 18 months old.

What Happens If You Touch the Soft Spot on Your Baby's Head?

As long as you touch your baby’s soft spots gently — for example, when you’re holding your baby and supporting his head and neck or when you’re washing your baby’s hair — you shouldn’t be afraid of hurting him.

There is a thick and durable membrane just under your baby’s scalp that protects her brain, so gently touching the fontanelles won’t hurt her.

To help ensure your baby’s head is protected, it’s a good idea to remind friends, family members, and caregivers to be careful and gentle with your baby’s head.

What Does It Mean When a Baby's Soft Spot Is Pulsating?

Sometimes it may appear that your baby’s soft spot is pulsating. This is completely normal — blood is pulsing through your baby’s body, and this movement can sometimes be visible where the soft spot is. There’s no need to worry if you see your baby’s soft spot pulsing.

What Causes a Sunken Soft Spot on Your Baby’s Head?

A sunken soft spot may be due to dehydration, which can happen if your baby does not get enough breast milk or formula. Your baby may also be more likely to be dehydrated if she has a fever, has been vomiting, or has diarrhea.

Beyond a sunken soft spot, these are some of the other signs of dehydration:

  • Fewer wet diapers

  • Sunken eyes

  • A dry mouth

  • Cool skin

  • Drowsiness

  • Irritability.

Contact your baby’s healthcare provider right away if you’re concerned your newborn may be dehydrated.

Keep in mind, a sunken soft spot can sometimes occur in babies who are not dehydrated. It’s safest for your baby’s healthcare provider to make a diagnosis.

What Should You Do If Your Baby Hits His Soft Spot?

Contact your baby’s healthcare provider if your baby hits his soft spot.

If you notice swelling/bulging of the soft spot and/or bruising around her eyes or behind her ears, it may be due to a concussion. Call 911 immediately.

Other signs of a head injury or trauma requiring immediate medical attention include:

  • Nonstop crying

  • Your baby being unwilling to feed

  • Vomiting

  • Seizures

  • Discharge or blood from ears or nose

  • Difficulty waking after sleep.

When Should You Be Concerned About Your Baby's Soft Spot?

The lack of soft spots on your baby’s head may be a sign of very rare condition called craniosynostosis, a birth defect in which your baby’s skull bones fuse together earlier than normal, resulting in a misshapen head. Contact your baby’s healthcare provider if

  • your baby seems to lack soft spots

  • there are raised, firm edges where the skull plates meet

  • your baby’s skull shape seems misshapen and is not growing over time.

The Bottom Line

Although it might seem a little odd that your baby would have soft spots on her head, they actually serve two important purposes: to make it easier for your baby to pass through the birth canal during a vaginal delivery, and to ensure your baby’s skull can expand to make room for her growing brain.

By around 18 months, your baby’s fontanelles will have closed. In the meantime, be gentle with your baby’s head when holding her.

If your baby accidentally bumps or hits a soft spot, or if you’re concerned that one of the soft spots may be sunken or injured, contact your child’s healthcare provider right away.

When it comes to the shape of your little one’s head, if you’ve noticed flatter spots, it could be because your little one is spending too much time lying on his back looking the same way. Prolonged pressure on the softer skull bones can flatten out the area. Find out more about flat head syndrome and what you can do to treat or prevent it.


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What is a fontanelle?

A fontanelle is a ‘soft spot’ of a newborn baby’s skull. It is a unique feature that is important for the normal growth and development of your baby’s brain and skull. Your health team will check your baby’s fontanelles during routine visits.

If you touch the top of your baby’s head you can feel a soft spot in between the bones — this is a fontanelle.

A newborn baby’s skull is made up of sections of bone known as plates that are joined together by fibrous joints called sutures. The sutures provide some flexibility and allow your baby’s head to narrow slightly as it travels through the birth canal. The sutures also enable your baby’s head to grow in the first years of life.

There are 2 fontanelles on your baby’s skull. These are the skin-covered gaps where the skull plates meet. The anterior fontanelle is at the top of your baby’s head, and the posterior fontanelle is located at the back of your baby’s head.

Illustration showing the anterior and posterior (front and back) fontanelles of a baby's skull.

When will my baby’s fontanelles close?

The posterior fontanelle usually closes by the time your baby is 2 months old. The anterior fontanelle can close any time between 4 and 26 months of age. Around 1 in every 2 babies will have a closed fontanelle by the time they are 14 months old.

Can I touch my baby’s fontanelles?

Yes, you can gently touch your baby’s fontanelles. If you run your fingers softly along your baby’s head you are can probably feel them. Your doctor will touch your baby’s fontanelles as part of their routine medical examination. There is no need to be concerned or worried about touching your baby’s fontanelles as long as you are gentle.

What does a normal fontanelle look like?

Your baby’s fontanelle should feel soft and flat. If you softly touch a fontanelle, you may at times feel a slight pulsation — this is normal. If a fontanelle changes, or feels different to how it usually does, show your doctor or midwife as it may be a sign that your baby’s health may need to be checked.

Sunken fontanelle

If you notice that your baby’s fontanelles are low or sunken, your baby may be dehydrated.

However, you may notice other signs of dehydration in your baby before their fontanelles becomes sunken.

Other signs of dehydration include:

  • having fewer wet nappies
  • not feeding well
  • loosing fluids from vomiting or diarrhoea
  • perspiration (or sweating) in very hot weather
  • being less alert or floppy

Bulging fontanelle

A bulging or swollen fontanelle may be a sign of a number of serious but rare conditions including meningitis or encephalitis (infections in the brain), cerebral haemorrhage (bleeding in the brain), hydrocephalus, an abscess or another cause of increased pressure in the brain.

If you think that your baby’s fontanelles are bulging or sunken, seek medical advice immediately.

What if a fontanelle closes too soon?

Your baby’s fontanelles may close early. This can happen for several reasons. Your baby may have hyperthyroidism (high levels of the thyroid hormone) or hyperparathyroidism (high levels of parathyroid hormone). Another cause of early fontanelle closure is a condition known as craniosynostosis. Craniosynostosis occurs when one or more of the fibrous joints (sutures) between the bone plates in a baby’s skull fuse too early, before the brain has finished growing. As the brain continues to grow, it pushes on the skull from the inside but cannot expand into the closed over area. This causes the skull to have an unusual shape.

If you notice that your baby’s fontanelles seem to have closed early, if you can feel a ridge along your baby’s skull, or if you think that your baby’s head has an unusual shape, take your baby to see their GP or paediatrician.

What if a fontanelle doesn’t close?

Your baby’s fontanelles may not close on time for several reasons. Common reasons for delayed fontanelle closure include congenital hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormones from birth), Down syndrome, increased pressure inside the brain, rickets and familial macrocephaly (a genetic tendency to have a large head).

If one or both of your baby’s fontanelles haves not closed by the time they are 2 years old, speak to your GP or paediatrician.

If you have any concerns about your baby’s fontanelles you should make an appointment to see your child health nurse, GP or paediatrician.

Speak to a maternal child health nurse

Call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby to speak to a maternal child health nurse on 1800 882 436 or video call. Available 7am to midnight (AET), 7 days a week.

Sources:
Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service (Craniosynostosis), American Family Physician (The Abnormal Fontanel), Australian Family Physician (The 6 week check - An opportunity for continuity of care), WA Health (Bulging Anterior Fontanelle), The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne (Clinical Practice Guidelines: Dehydration)

Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.

Last reviewed: February 2022


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