Home Care:

If the fontanelle returns to normal appearance when the child is calm and head-up, it is not a truly bulging fontanelle.

Call your health care provider if:

Immediate, emergency care is needed for any infant who has a truly bulging fontanelle, especially if it occurs along with fever or excess drowsiness.

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

The health care provider perform a physical examination and ask questions about the child's medical history, such as:

• Does the "soft spot" return to normal appearance when the infant is calm or head-up?
• Does it bulge all the time or does it come and go?
• When did you first notice this?
• Which fontanelles bulge (top of the head, back of the head, or other)?
• Are all the fontanelles bulging?
• What other symptoms are present (such as fever, irritability, lethargy)?

Diagnostic tests that may be done are:

• CT scan of the head
• MRI scan of the head
• Spinal tap (lumbar puncture)