10 Mo. Old W/ Large Head

So her head is larger than most, the doc knows and you are keeping an eye on it. I've had a bunch of medical problems and I learned one major thing DON'T WORRY UNTIL YOU ACUALLY GET THE BAD NEWS. I can't wear any of my husband's, son.s or daughter's hats they are too small. My Big head: IQ 145 My daughter fell down some brick steps at age 2. Brain scan shows that part of her brain never developed. She was third in her high school class, IQ 160, A senior at an honors college, majoring in physics GPA 3.4 With a tight family to worry about me, why should I worry too. what will be will be.

Well I don't have much advice, but we just had our 9 month checkup and my sons head was 19 inches. And they said there was nothing wrong with that and not to worry, he's just growing. I think it was only 16 or 17 at his 6 month appt. Let us know what happens!

My son has a big head--always has been in the 80-95 percentile, but I think their concern with your daughter is that she jumped from one being in one percentile to being in a much higher one? I would certainly not be too concerned since kids do grow in spurts and like they said, one jump may cause them to raise their eyebrows, but two big jumps in a row could be cause for concern.
So it's not really her actually measurements or comparison of measurements that they really look at but the comparison of percentiles....
Regardless, I wouldn't worry, in fact I don't think Dr and nurses realize how mentioning something like that but then say "but we should wait and see" affects parents!

I am so sorry to hear how upset this has made you! We have beautiful "big headed" children, too. Our son who is 12 was in the 95% for his head at birth and it continued growing. His little body was only in the 15% for height and 25% for weight. We used to joke he looked like a lolly pop - skinny body and big round head. He's had to wear adult size baseball hats since second grade ... now his body is growing and everything looks in proportion. He has always joked that he is so smart because the size of his head. :) We worried when he was younger, too. Now we have 1 year old twins that are following the same path, but this time we aren't worried. If you are concerned, ease your mind and insist the test be done ... for your own peace of mind. :)

Hi D.,

My oldest daughter has an above average size head (as does most of my side of the family :) ). She has measured in the 75th percentile in head circumference since she was about 6 months old. As long as there hasn't been any significant growth in a short amount of time and she doesn't have any other symptoms, I'm sure she's just fine. Hope that eases your mind a little!

-B.

Hi D.,

When my son was 16 months old we had to have a CAT scan, because his head had grown 1 and a half inches from his 12 month appt to his 15 month appt. I do not recall how big it was but I do know that I could not deliver him w/o a C-section because his head was huge. Pretty much everyone in my family and my husband's family has a big head. We went ahead with the CAT scan because the ped (different than the one we usually see) I saw for that visit upset me (it was right before Christmas). Everything was and is fine. He just has a big head. He is almost 6 and a half and his head looks normal for his body size.
If it comcerns you go ahead and have the CAT scan to allay any fears otherwise just wait the 2 months. You would know if there were any big problems with your baby.
L.

Hi D.,

My 5 mo. old has Spina Bifida and her Drs. constantly monitor her for hydrocephalus. I agree with the advice you have already been given, that a CT scan doesn't really seem warranted at this point. Its not the overall size that should be of concern but the rate of growth. According to my daughters Neuro, an infants head grows very fast in the first year, at a rate of aprox. 1 inch per month. However, I would like to add that, if you are truly concerned and notice changes in your childs behavior or some of the following symtoms of hydrocephalus - have her seen by a pediatric Neurologist.

Some symptoms to watch out for: headache followed by vomiting, nausea, blurred vision, sunsetting of the eyes, problems with balance, poor coordination, gait disturbance, urinary incontinence, slowing or loss of development, lethargy, drowsiness, and irritability

Try not to burden yourself with worry. Just watch for any symptoms and trust your instincts.

I wouldn't be too concerned as long as she is meeting her milestones on time. My son also had a large head and at about the same age they sent him for a cat scan to look for mild benign hydroencephaly. They gave him a sedative which he immediately threw up, so was awake during the scan. I had to physically hold him down, which tore me up. It was clear, he just had a very big head, as does his father, his uncles, grandfather, etc... He was meeting all milestones early, so they just wanted to be safe and be sure. He is quite intelligent, so no worries there! I hope this helps, and that your beautiful baby girl is fine.

I had to respond to you, because the same thing happened to me with both my children...but of course the first time I was scared.

My sons head was large...it was large at birth...and now still is at age ten! We went for the scan when he was ten months, they asked me questions about my family and if we have large heads/hat sizes. This really wasn't something I ever thought about! The one thing I realized though, was that my son was developing normally. He was hitting all the mile stones, and seemed to be a very bright, normal baby. I understand they have to check on these things...but they scared me half to death with talks of hydrocephalus. When my daughter was born and I was questioned about head size when she was about 10 months....I was much more relaxed, and realized its just our gene pool! I would say get it checked out for peace of mind....but know in your heart if your daughter seems to be developing normally in every other way...she should be fine! As I said..my son is 10 now...and actually very bright (in advanced classes!) so...I think its just that they need more room for all their brains!! ha ha *wink*

I would wait before you have your daughter get a head CT. They inject the child with radioactive material and unless she is having issues, I would just wait. My son also has a big head but he is big all over. AT his 9 month appt., his doctor (whom I don't see anymore) wanted to have a head CT on my son "just in case" he had fluid around his brain. But, I figured if my son was experiencing neurological changes, or was acting out of the ordinary I would have noticed if there was something wrong.

Unless you daughter has a big head and tiny body, I wouldn't worry. Have your husband get his head measured as well. My husband has a big head and it makes sense that my son also measures large. I would also get a second opinion because many doctors are fast to order tests (esp here in Florida)