Indicators of healthy toddler growth are not just height and weight alone. Another thing related to the growth and development of children that is no less important to note is the head circumference of toddlers.
Therefore, it is important to check the circumference of a toddler’s head because it can detect if there are health problems.
Here’s Thevolume.net summarizing the sundries about toddler head circumference that Mom needs to know:
How to measure a toddler’s head circumference
Measuring a toddler’s head circumference can be done by parents at home. Mom needs to prepare an inelastic measuring tape. The trick is to measure the circumference of the head from the top of the eyebrow, around the top of the ear until it passes through the protruding back of the head.
When is the child’s head circumference measured?
The child’s head circumference was measured for the first time shortly after he was born. This was done for the first time recording as a comparison developed before the baby was 24 hours old.
Next, the doctor measures the child’s head circumference at every routine checkup until the age of 2 years.
The size of the head circumference of a toddler girl
The increase in the size of a normal baby’s head circumference varies, depending on the sex and age of the baby. The following is the size of a normal toddler girl’s head circumference:
- Age 1–2 years: 45 – 47.2 cm
- 2–3 years old: 47.2 – 48.5 cm
- Age 3-4 years: 48.5 – 49.4 cm
- Age 4-5 years: 49.4 – 50 cm
The size of the head circumference of a toddler boy
The following is the size of a normal toddler girl’s head circumference:
- Age 1–2 years: 46 – 48.3 cm
- 2–3 years old: 48.3 – 49.5 cm
- 3-4 years old: 49.5 – 50.3 cm
- 4-5 years old: 50.3 – 50.8 cm
Why is monitoring a toddler’s head circumference important?
The abnormal head circumference of a toddler is an indication of a serious health problem, such as problems with the skull and brain of a child.
When born to the age of 6 months, a child’s head circumference is two centimeters larger than his chest. At the age of 4 months, the growth of the baby’s head size will slow down. By 2 years of age, the baby’s body grows more progressively than the size of its head. That is why the head circumference of a toddler can be one of the parameters of a child’s growth.
The size of the toddler’s head circumference is too large, an indication of macrocephaly
If the size of the toddler’s head circumference is too large than the reference, it could be a sign that the toddler has macrocephaly. There are various causes of microcephaly, including:
- Excess fluid in the brain (hydrocephalus)
- Brain tumor
- Heredity
- Metabolic disorders
- Intracranial hemorrhage
Benign macrocephaly is characterized by an enlarged head circumference. However, severe macrocephaly can affect a child’s overall development, both physically and mentally.
The size of the toddler’s head circumference is too small, an indication of microcephaly
The opposite of macrocephaly, microcephaly is a condition in which the sufferer has a small head size. Not only size, but microcephaly has an impact on children’s brain development, which is often abnormal.
Causes of microcephaly include:
- Malnutrition
- Viral infections during pregnancy, such as rubella and toxoplasma
- Cerebral anoxia
- Genetic and chromosomal abnormalities
- Pregnant women who consume alcohol, poisons, and illegal drugs
Routine checks are very important. Through routine examinations, doctors can find out if there are health problems experienced by children from an early age, one of which is through examination of the toddler’s head circumference. Hope this information is useful, Mom.
