What is a Fontanelle?
A fontanelle, or fontanel, is what is commonly referred to as a soft spot on an infant’s head. We most often think of the area just above the forehead as being a baby’s soft spot. Actually humans have several fontanelles, one in the front, one in the back, and several on the sides of the skull. The purpose of these fontanelles is to facilitate easier passage of the infant’s large head through the birth canal. Instead of being completely made of bone, there are large areas of thick connective tissue covered by a membrane that will eventually close as the skull forms more bone. They help the baby’s head conform to the size of the birth canal by being much more flexible than bone would be. Once a baby is born, theses fontanelles take several months to several years to close completely, though you may notice the frontal one closing after the first few months of life. The presence of the frontal and occipital fontanelle membranes (front and back) accounts for why babies may sometimes be bor
