baby got a big head ??

[rlee*]

ugh! i've had a rough week!  took LO for a 6 month well baby visit today and the Dr said he has a big head!! 'a little concerned, wants to see him again in 4-6 weeks to see if his head catches up with his body weight and length.  his stats are: 17lbs 14 oz  27in long 18in head circumference.  so he is big for 6 months i guess but is this weird? anyone else have a baby with a big head???

[PatioGardener]

I was told that head size was important to look at the rate of growth (so that they can pick up if head is not growing, or if it is growing too quickly.)

Also, I'm no longer anxious about measurements by my doctor after DS "lost" an inch in length at his 12 month check-up. Babies squirm, docs are in a hurry, and measurements are not as accurate as they could be!

Anyway, no experience with a bid head, but hope that is reassuring anyway!

[Disco Infiltrator]

what are his percentile numbers?  Has his head always been big?  DS has a HUGE noggin.  It's in the high 90's percentile-wise, his height has always been in the 50s - 70s and his weight has always been 50s or quite a bit below, once in the teens.  I have never ever once been told to watch is growth.  Unless your DS is off the charts, or has had a big change in rate, is there really any reason to worry?  

One funny thing about my DS' giant head is that when I was wearing him people would always comment on how huge he was because of that noggin.  He's a quite skinny kid.  And he regularly bashes into me with it, and it's HARD.  Last week he got me in the teeth.  He's four and I think he's caught up now, but yes, I had a giant-headed baby.  

[bandgeek]

I plugged it all into an online calculator and he's 25-50th for length, 10-25th for weight, length for weight 50-75th, and head circ is 75-90th.  So yes his head is big, but not even off the charts.  Unless he jumped percentages from his last visit there's nothing to worry about.

[MaerynPearl]

My sons head was always large for his body from about 6 months on... until he hit about 4 years. But it wasn't growing abnormally fast, it was always bigger than his body but growing at about the same rate as his body.

I also agree on not trusting doctors measurements. I always did my kids measurements myself when there because I knew how to get them to calm down and cooperate correctly.

[mckittre]

Both my children have always had big heads for their bodies.  My son (now 2.5 yrs old) is around 5-10% for height and weight, but 75% for head.  My 5 month old daughter is around 60-70% height and weight, and 90-95% head.  Their father was the same as a kid. 

[mommy212]

my DS has am over the charts head... but so does his dad :) If either of you have a larger head, have the doc measure it while you're there, it might put his mind at ease

[rlee*]

thanks for the responses.  he is off the charts for weight, 75th percentile for height and off the charts for head.  from his 4.5 month well baby visit they said his head grew 2 inches...so they are wanting to see him in 4-6 weeks to see what the growth is like.     

[cinderella08]

<<< another big-headed-kiddo-mama here!  Both my kids have always been sky high percentage wise for head circ

[Magali]

Originally Posted by rlee* 

ugh! i've had a rough week!  took LO for a 6 month well baby visit today and the Dr said he has a big head!! 'a little concerned, wants to see him again in 4-6 weeks to see if his head catches up with his body weight and length.  his stats are: 17lbs 14 oz  27in long 18in head circumference.  so he is big for 6 months i guess but is this weird? anyone else have a baby with a big head???

My family doc told me this at our first WBV.  I had an appointment with my OB a few days later, who sees a lot more babies, and she said everything was fine and that there was no cause for concern at all. 

[ProtoLawyer]

My 11-month-old son has the head of a 3-year-old, literally off the charts. He's big but not BIG in his other measurements. However, doc's not worried--my husband has a giant head (he has trouble finding hats) so it's more than likely genetic. He's on the late end of the curve for gross motor skills, probably due to being so top-heavy, but again, it's not at a worrisome level.  If it gets there, we may need some early intervention/physical therapy (my cousin's son needed it for similar reasons--he's 6, gifted, and progressing in tae kwon do now). His fine motor and cognitive skills are right on schedule.