Small head circumference

[houseof3boys]

Well we went for his one month check up yesterday (he is 6 weeks) and I am starting to stress out over this so thought you guys could give insight. Ryan is in the 75% percentile for length (23 inches) and the 50% for wieght (10 lbs even) but his head measurement is only in the 10th. The ped said we would check again in a month and that she remembered my husband having a small head so not to be alarmed but to just know that she will be keeping a close eye on it. Well of course the minute I get home I start doing research on it and now I am looking at the causes for his small head (14.5" and was 13.5" at birth). Microcephaly is the one that keeps coming up and it can be a pretty severe neurological condition. DH and I "tested" his motor skills last night and we don't know what is normal and what is not. Do 6 week old babies stare at you in the eyes for long periods of time? Do they respond to lights and sounds in their toys? Ryan seems very disinterested in the lights on his Kick n Play bouncer and we figured it was just too much stimulation for him. He looks at us but can't follow our face if we move. I am trying to figure out how I am going to make it a whole month for the next visit but you know I will be tempted to measure his head every week to see if it is improving.

Thoughts?

TIA

[smomom]

I don't have my DS's head meaurements with me, but he also has a small head in relation to his body. At his 6 month check-up he was 75% for height, 50% in weight, and 10-15% for head. He has measured in the 10-15% since his initial visit. I'm not sure where the small head is coming from - maybe DH's head is a little small, but he definitely didn't get it from me. As a coincindence, he also wasn't too keen on the lights and sounds of his Kick n Play at 6 weeks. It all seemed to overwhelm him. Now he's over 8 months and is a crawling machine - albiet, a crawling machine with small head. :)

I would recommend that you continue to monitor his development, but don't get too caught up in the numbers - especially this early in the game. Keep in mind that at 6 weeks babies still don't offer a lot of interaction. Also their vision isn't nearly developed yet so you will get a lot of blank looks.

As a side note, I just saw an article in the paper that one study show that a higher prevalence of autism in babies with large heads. I guess either way, there's something for us new moms to worry about.

Your baby is very lucky to have a mom so concerned.

[CherylT]

I think one of the bad things about the internet is that it makes us parents a bit paranoid when we do a little research on a concern - it always seems like there is some terrible disease that fits a physical description that our kids have! Both my kids have had smaller head circumferences and both are very healthy, growing-on-target, exceptional kids (they have always been in the 25-50% for height and weight and 10-15% for head circumference). My DH was a small baby, so they probably just take after him. Try not to worry too much - chances are your little guy is just fine. I'm sure there are many others out there with babies with wee heads - if anything these little guys are kinder on us moms during birth, the littler heads are easier to get out :).

Cheryl
SAHM to Lilli 9/20/00 & Alec 10/21/02

[DDowning]

Debbi - Can I worry right there with you? I have the opposite problem. At his 2 week visit, DS was 75% for height and weight, but 90% for head circumfrence. A California study just came out this week that reported a link in 2-5 year old children with Austism that correlated to abnormally high head growth in their first year of life. They found that a child was at higher risk of being diagnosed Autistic if their head growth was in the 84% or higher percentile. Though it wasn't a definitive diagnosis one way or the other, the possible link freaked me out for sure.

[Ryansmom]

Hi Debbi,

I'm also a mommy to a Ryan with a small head. My Ryan was born with the exact same percentiles as yours (height, wight and head circ.). He is now 10+ months and doing great! My husband had a small head as a baby. It is my experience that some babies have big heads and some have small heads, and some have medium sized heads. My husband grew up and in my opinion has a larger than normal head as an adult - go figure! :)

There is a huge range in normal for appearance as well as motor skills in babies. Your baby sounds just right. The 10th percentile only means that if you lined up 100 babies, both of our Ryans would have the tenth smallest noggin. It would also mean that they were in the exact middle for weight and around the 75th tallest. (Does this make sense?). Doctors follow the percentiles and look for changes - either up or down for the individual baby.

My point is - please don't worry. My guy is doing fine with all of his motor skills and cognitive skills. He has said his first word, knows two signs in sign language and is on the verge of walking any day. Enjoy being a new mom, and don't worry about your little guy having a small head. In my experience, the only thing you are likely to have trouble with is finding some cute hats on sale - the small ones always seem to go first.

[lukkykatt]

I hope I can help put your mind at ease until your next checkup. My older son was in the 90th percentile for both height and weight, but his head was in the 10th percentile. Of course, I thought that it meant that his head/brain was not growing properly.

The ped put my mind at ease and did not make a big deal of it. But of course I still worried...

But I do have a small head, and DS eventually settled into the 75th/50th percentiles for height and weight, so the difference was not quite as extreme. At 3.5 years, he is doing just fine!

[COElizabeth]

Deidra,

From my understanding, that study was showing a link only when the baby's head size started very small (like about 15th percentile) at birth and then grew to 84th or so by age 1. So if your DS has always had an average or large head, I wouldn't worry, and even if it started small, know that the study was small, too (I think only 48 children with autism were studied, which doesn't sound like a huge sample). I'm sure it was a statistically significant finding to be getting this much attention (I'd hope), but it's also just one study.

Elizabeth
Mom to James
9-20-02

[cindyl]

my daughter also has a small head in comparison to her body weight/height. our ped told us that there is only concern if her head doesn't grow normally, i.e., that she doesn't stay in the 10th percentile for her age as she gets bigger.

don't worry!

[COElizabeth]

James has a small head, too. When he was born it was at about the 5th percentile, and his weight was about 25th percentile or less. After a few months he moved up to the 10th for head and 50th for weight, but at 9 months he has dropped back down to less than 5th for head and 25th for weight. His peds have always assured me his growth (including head growth) is just fine, and they have never even seemed to look at my or DH's head to compare!

I understand your worry, because I have been right there with you worrying about microcephaly and worrying that his brain was affected by my preeclampsia or anemia during my pregnancy (yes, I took a LOT of iron, but I had a hard time getting that level back up to normal and just barely made it by the time he was born). But please know that things are probably just fine!

Elizabeth
Mom to James
9-20-02

[mamahill]

I'm the mother to a small head as well. DH has a small head, though, so I wasn't *too* worried. The ped told me early on that Ainsleigh's head was small and that we'd need to make sure it grew in relation to the rest of her body. Try not to get too worried now. Over the past year, Ainsleigh's head continues to measure small, but the measurements are following the 5th percentile arc almost exactly. Also, her head is a little flat on the back, so that affects the measurement (thank heavens she's finally getting hair - it's not so noticeable now!).

Like other posters said, do NOT read anything more online. Although there is helpful information, a lot of research and medical info is 5 or more years old - and 5 years is a LONG time. Plus, you only psyche yourself out with all the "what ifs." Hang in there - I'm sure Ryan is just fine!

[DDowning]

Elizabeth - Thanks for the support. I found the complete study on line and read the same thing. Made me feel a little bit better!

[suzska]

I never stop in to the boards much, but this caught my attention.

Just wanted to say that I am the mom of a 28-month old that has always measured in the 25-50% for weight, 50-75% for height, and off the charts for his head (97%+). My mom saw the same study, and of course freaked out a bit. But Evan has always had a big head, so I'm not concerned. He doesn't match the other things listed in the article. Now the rest of him is catching up to the large noggin.

I won't go into the details, but let's just say I'm not concerned with his "brain power." He was a little slow to "talk," but he did have his own words around 14 months. Then he became too busy learning his alphabet and numbers, and how to spell a few words before he could actually say them (like his name). Around the time he turned two, he started adding more and more words to his vocabulary. Now you can't shut the kid up! He talks in sentences now, when he wants to. Usually "I go Mama's car" or "I go Gammy's house" or "I gotta nice walk" (which can mean he just had a walk outside or he would like one--LOL!) Or he'll tell you the time on a digital clock.

[C99]

Man, I'm glad I didn't ever look up small-head on the Internet! Nate has a pea-sized head as well and I had the biggest complex over it for the longest time. But I didn't worry all that much because (a) the ped told me not to and (b) *I* have a pea-sized head -- I regularly buy hats in the children's department!

[Rachels]

You're too modest. :) Evan is an obvioius genius.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[missym]

Count me in as part of the worry club! Gwen's head has been in the 3-5 range since she was born. Our ped told us size isn't as important as growth rate... of course the last visit, it had slowed slightly so we freaked out. She's hitting her developmental milestones, but the ped is somewhat concerned about the slowdown.

We were making ourselves crazy, until finally we realized:
1. all the stress and worry isn't healthy for us or her.
2. if it is a problem, there isn't anything to do about it at this point other than make sure she's getting good nutrition and nurture.
3. we were spoiling a special time with our baby by worrying so much.

We made a pact to quit looking it up on the Internet and to concentrate on enjoying Gwen. That doesn't stop the worry entirely, and I know we both sneak into Gwen's room with the tape measure sometimes, but it has helped.

Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03