Early fontanelle closing?

[TonFirst]

My daughter is nearly 4 months old, and when we were at the pediatrician's office a week ago to figure out why she was running a low (100.4 degree) fever, the nurse practitioner noted that her fontanelle had closed to "fingertip" size. She said that it was "probably nothing to worry about" but that it was a little early, and she noted it in the baby's chart for the pediatrician to check out when we go for her four-month visit in a few weeks.

Has anyone else dealt with this? Should we be worried? Thanks!

ETA that at that visit, her head circumference was 16 inches, which put her in the 50% (she's been running 95% for height and 75% for weight).

[brittone2]

It is obviously impossible to tell just by parent description, but they may be following her to watch for signs of craniosynostosis, which is when the sutures of the skull close too early.

As long as it is caught early and treated, kids w/ craniosynostosis usually have good outcomes. The problem occurs if it is not caught early, and the skull can't accommodate a growing brain adequately. I've worked with two children (when I was working in early intervention pre-kids) that had surgery to address their craniosynostosis.

Just to be clear, I'm absolutely not saying your child *has* this condition. It is just one of the reasons they check the fontanelles, etc. to make sure they aren't closing prematurely.

info:
http://www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/craniofacial/cranio.html
http://ninds.nih.gov/disorders/craniosynostosis/craniosynostosis.htm


Hopefully you aren't dealing with this condition. Keep us posted.

[missym]

In addition to the links Beth posted, I would check out this site:
http://www.cappskids.org/

Our ped referred us to a ped. neurosurgeon because he thought her fontonelle might be closing early. It turned out she just has a really small noggin. Hopefully it's just a false alarm in your case, too!