My Son's Body Isn't growing...just His Head!

Nothing is wrong with him. Don't let it worry you. My brother in law has 4 kids; 2 girls and 2 boys. Both of the boys had MASSIVE heads. I swore that they were too top heavy to walk without falling over! They were smaller in all other aspects (height and weight), but had giant noggins. My older nephew is starting to balance out now (he's 7) and my younger one is starting to get there (he's almost 2). Some kids just take some time to become more proportionate, but I'd be willing to bet that he's just fine. Don't expect him to balance out overnight, or even by next month. But also don't let it worry you.

Wow just this sound so familiar to me!! I now have 4 kiddos, but my son who is now 8 had this same issue. He was 5 months old when his head jumped in size. There are real problems like fluid on the brain that can cause it, but it also can be just how he is growing. We did blood tests, a head CT etc and ended up at a nuerologist. As it turns out my husbands head is also off the charts and if his growth continues as such it will be the same size. The nuerolist said most people with big heads (macro something) usually have an odd shape, but my husband does not. He still is in the 95th percentile for head circumference, and height and weight are in the 3rd percentile. Take it one step at a time, if he isn't having any behavior changes etc, don't worry too much. You have to wait a month to make sure it wasn't just a fluke, and it still may turn out just fine.

I agree with the last posting, tell him you would prefer to do the blood work now. If he refuses then find yourself another Dr. Frankly, I don't think you have anything to worry about. I had 2 big headed babies and my BFF had a couple as well and everything was fine. Even folks I have known whose Dr.'s have told them their child was failing to thrive came out of the "problem" with no problem. Look to your family genetics...was anyone else like this at birth? Chances are there probably was one. Just because you all are big now, doesn't necessarily mean you started out that way. As long as your little guy is eating, growing, and you feel he is still progressing I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'm sure the bloodwork is only a procedural thing but if it is causing you this much anxiety you have every right to demand to do it sooner.

Remember, Doctors DO NOT have all the answers. They are good puzzle solvers who happen to know most about the body. NONE of them are infalliable. BEDSIDE manner is everything...if you aren't happy with one...chose another. Their word (at least one person's) is NOT the final say on anything.

I would also like to mention I REALLY HATE these monthly check ups. I feel almost too much weight is put on them in comparing your tyke against what is "NORMAL"...whose to say what normal is? What's normal for your family may not be normal to mine. Take the charts with a grain of salt. Has he progressed and grown from his 7 to 8 and 8 to 9 month visit? If he has, then he is doing fine. Get the blood work done as a precautionary measure but don't compare your precious guy to everyone else out there...he's unique for himself.

While I agree that the charts are just guidelines, they aren't meant to be totally ignored. And you've got quite a range there, that I think needs a closer look.

Here are two important questions to ask. 1. How much do you trust your pediatrician? Do you feel very confidant that if he says to wait a month then it must not be too urgent? How well do you know your pediatician and his or her credentials, background and experience? Do you know enough about him/her and have enough history with them to take his/her advice as the final word? I have a great relationship with my ped and have 9 years of history with him where he has been right-on just about 100% of the time so if he said things were fine and to wait, then I probably would unless I had a "gut feeling". Which leads me to question #2, which is, what does your gut tell you? In my experience a mother's gut should be listened to!!! You get that "gut feeling" for a reason. And if you are just going to stress and worry for the next month then just call the doctor's office back and ask to have the blood work done now. Find out what they are testing for and what the results will mean. A month doesn't seem like a long time to us but in the life of a 9 month old, that is a significant time.

I have always been very proactive with my kids instead of reactive. I pay close attention and try to head things off before they happen, or get a jump on treatment. You are your child's advocate. Ultimately, you and your husband have to make the final decisions, not your doctor.

Best of luck to you, I hope your little guy is ok!

Hi C.,

I think we could be friends. My husband is 6' 3", I'm 5' 8", and when my son was little, he was always all over the place. 25% weight, 75% height, and like 97% head. Seriously, I had to give away some clothes because they would have fit everywhere else, but I couldn't get them over his head.

Look at the positives: he has put on weight, and he has put on inches, so he is growing. You know how they say babies should triple their birth weight in the first year...yeah. My son didn't triple his weight until he was like 2.5! He is perfectly healthy, just has a high metabolism. We should all be so lucky!

My ped reassured me that the percentages really don't mean anything, but they use them to track the development over time. She said as long as they tend to stay along the same percentage chart line, then they don't worry that much. The problems tend to jump out at them if say a child has been tracking along the 50% for weight and then suddenly drops to like 30%, then they have to figure out why. Is it an allergy/intolerance to some food, or some other problem. Did your son drop to a different line recently or has he been tracking along the 3% line for his last few checkups?

I don't think the head size is a "problem". My son had a huge head, still has a huge head. The only problems seem to be that he can't wear the little hats that come with some outfits, and so far, the sizing for bicycle helmets is a complete puzzle for us. As long as he can hold his head up by himself, I think your son is fine.

I will also add this just for laughs. My son could walk by 10 months IF we set him up on his feet. He could not get himself up off the floor. Finally at like 16 months or so, he learned to do a tripod sort of thing where his head was the last thing to come off the floor before he was standing. It was funny to watch, but I wondered at the time if his head was just so big and heavy, he couldn't overcome gravity before then. :)

I say relax and find the humor in it. Chances are he'll just be skinny and intelligent.

My son's head always measures large too. On his last well baby visit (which was last month) his head still measured in the 98th percentile. His weight is 50th and height is 20th. The last visit (at his 12 month) the doctor ordered a head ultrasound to make sure there was no water on the brain or anything. I was nervous but everything came out fine. I think a lot of times the pediatricians want to cover all bases...which is a good thing...better than not caring at all about the child. He's 19 months old now and he's definately "growing into his head" more :)...he is a beautiful baby boy...I just say that he has big brains :)!

I have said this many times on here and I'm sure that I will say it again. Those stupid charts are AVERAGES and they are out dated. There is nothing to worry about. Who ever said that anyone grows proportionately? It is entirely possible that you just caught him in the middle of a growth spurt which is why his weight and height are a little low. This is probably why the dr isn't too worried about it. As long as he is growing and eating and active, do not worry about the little guy. He will be fine. My niece weighed 16 lbs at about 1 1/2 and there is absolutely nothing wrong with her. She is just small.

My daughter's head was in the 95th percentile at birth and still is at age 5. She's happy and well adjusted. My husbands cousin's head is in the 5th percentile. HE is a happy, well adjusted middle school student.

As long as growth is consistent (in the same or close to the same percentile over time) there should be little or no concern.

One resource that was a HUGE comfort to me was "parents as teachers". Check with your local school district to see if it is available in your area. In Derby it is a free service from birth to three years. A "Parent Educator" visits your home ever six weeks to evaluate your child's development, occassionally they do developmental tests and they help you identify if your child is meeting developmental milestone. If your child is developing "normally" then I wouldn't worry about size.

My daughter was like this and they told us to give her extra butter and gravy on everything when she was 11 months old. At 9 months I started giving her table food and that helped tremendously. When she was 2 1/2 she got pneumonia and was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. It's done through a blood test so you may check that. Kenzie was wearing 3-6 months clothes in her 1 yr pictures. I'm so sorry to hear the exact same symptoms again. Please, keep me posted. More information on CF can be found at www.cff.org. or you can visit Kenzie's site at www.caringbridge.org/visit/kenziechrisman

I am not a health care provider. There isn't anything "wrong" with your son being in the 33% for growth. There isn't anything "wrong" with be in the 95% in head circumference. The disparity may or may not be an indicator of any kind of health issue.

We don't all grow everywhere the same, if we did, at almost 6ft tall I should have WAY bigger breasts! There certainly isn't always a correlation between men's height and other parts of their anatomy.

Your dr seems to not be too concerned which may be appropriate. However, the question you should have asked and may want to call and ask, what is he going to do blood tests for in a month. What kinds of things does he suspect. Let him know that you would like to know so you can prepare questions when the time comes.

I know it is not the same thing, but when my daughter dislocated her shoulder, I went on numerous websites to see what kinds of "fixes" were recommended and under what circumstances one might be better than another. So, when the orthopedist talked to me about the options I knew what he was talking about, I knew the pros and cons, and I knew what questions I needed to ask for me to make my decision.
So, let your dr know that you want to find out about the possible issues that may come up, so when you talk, you'll have some knowledge.

Hopefully, some of the moms here may give you some ideas too about what MAY be the issue. It still may not be anything except your son's head grew faster than the rest of him NOW and the rest will catch up with him later!

I would call the doctor back and ask him to share with you what he is going to be looking for in a month...so that you can go in there with some advance knowledge after doing some research. That being said please do NOT spend the next month worrying and fuming over "what ifs"...my first reaction is...if the pediatrician says to wait a month then he must not think it is anything too terrible or he would have been jumping right on it.
As long as everything else with your son is progressing "normally" (whatever NORMAL is!!)...and there are no other signs of trouble...seizure...excessive sleeping....vomiting...I would say relax and wait a month and then go in with an open mind to talk with the Dr. again.

My daughter had almost identical measurements at that age. We just had her 3 year check up and she is catching up just fine. Try not to worry. She still has a big head but not abnormally freaky weird. Did you know Oprah has a giant head? You wouldn't know it but she does. The doctor said the same thing to us about blood work but we never went that far. Hope this helps.

We did not have this same problem, but what I will say is that mom's instincts are key. I would insist on blood test now. You have a right to do that. If not I would suggest changing doctors. Your right waitinga month is crazy. In this young age they change so quickly. Good luck and be strong!

Please don't panic. They most likely isn't anything wrong. They all grow at their own rate. My son was 20 inches and 7 lbs 15 ounces at birth. I don't remember his height at age 1 but he only weighed 19 pounds. By 2 he was only 22 pounds. He is almost 6 now and still is small but couldn't be any healthier. He is in the 25% in height and 3% in weight weighing in at a big 39 pounds. I used to worry a lot but the doctor said as long as he is gaining don't worry. Try to hang in there without worrying too much until your next visit.

Hi, My second son was born at 6 lbs 11 oz and 20 in long. I was told that his head was "big" at that time. Over time, he grew pretty well, i.e. in the first six months or so, however his head seemed to grow faster than him. We had ultrasound scans on his head, i.e. before his soft spots closed, and there was nothing abnormal. We finally went to see a neurologist and he looked at me (I'm 5'9") and my husband (he's 6') and said that he believed it was merely genetic, i.e. we both have big heads, therefore our son has one too. Sure enough, they measured our heads and ours were "large" as well. My older son is tall, also has a "big" head, but it is not noticeable as his height compensates for it. My younger son still has not caught-up in height with proportion to his head. He is in the 15th percentile and is now 4.5 years old. He, however, has an eating disorder and will not chew food. This, I'm sure is completely unrelated to what your son has. If you haven't had ultrasounds performed on his head yet, I would at least do that. It doesn't hurt him and is simple enough to do.

My boys both have very large heads. When I brought my 20 month old to my prenatal appointments for my second baby, the midwife took one look at him and asked me if I tore when I had him (sort of--csection). :) And they are fine.

However, if there is a problem with your boy (I certainly hope not!), it would probably be a metabolic issue, so maybe googling that sort of thing would help you find some information. That said, it might just freak you out, and since you can't do anything about it right now anyway, you could just wait and try to enjoy the holidays until you get some test results.

Most of the kids that I teach or have taken care of that have had big heads were always the smartest in the group. His body will catch up one day, don't worry. He'll just be smarter than most. I wouldn't worry especially if the doctor wants to wait to see. Good luck and God Bless.

Tell the doctors that you don't want to wait and you want to do blood work right away. He is not going to tell you no unless what you are asking for is more harmful then not doing it. And regardless of what happens in the next month, your going to want the blood work done anyways to be on the safe side. Just call them and tell them you want to go ahead now and do the blood work instead of waiting and they won't even argue with you.

C., listen to jenn! i'm sure it's nothing. it's so easy to get freaked out, but when it comes down to it all we have to go on is the dr.'s word. if they're willing to wait, it can't be a huge deal! how many times have you heard of a kid being in mortal danger because their head was giant and their body was tiny? it'll work itself out, i promise!

my children have always been good growers so I can not help you in that area. However, if the doctor thinks there is a problem and you also are worried I would do whatever it takes to get that bloodwork done NOW. I have thrown many a fit in my pediatricians office when I had a gut feeling there was something else going on with my child that they were missing. All it takes is a little persistance. Remember that you are the only one who can speak for your little guy right now, while it could be that he is just small right now, it could also be something you dont want to wait on. I hope you get some answers soon. E.

It could very easily be nothing. My daughter was average everything else but off the charts on head size at her 1 yr. checkup. She's grown more and evened out. The average is just a guideline. There are prefectly normal kids who are well below or well above the average.

I understand that it's your child and of course you're going to be concerned, but I'd try not to worry about it until the blood tests, if there are any.

Remember that it may take 2 months or longer to get in and see a pediatric endocronologist...just in case I'd find one in your area who takes your insurance, who is well rated and has admitting privlages to a good childrens hosp. in your area.
Heck, you could even schuedule the appointment...just so you'll have it set if needed.You can always cancel it if you dont.
And I, too,dont understand the magic in waiting a month. Whats that about? The upcoming holidays?
Hope nothing is wrong, hope you dont loose sleep over this...
Hang in there& make your appointment!

If you are worried (and have insurance) never be afraid to get a second opinion. You are his mother and you should not have to be so concerned. Babies normally do have big heads (my daughter's looked kind of big to me) and their heads grow much faster than their bodies during the first two years, but you always have the right to talk to another doctor just to be on the safe side if you are not comfortable. And don't feel guilty.

Just wanted to tell you that his head being big is a good thing. If his head were small, his brain development would be a huge concern. Since his head is growing well, that's a pretty good sign. This may resolve itself. Some babies just grow a little slower. I'd rest assured that the important things are growing, keep feeding him good fatty foods, and see what your doctor says in a month.

Hi,

My daughter was the same way big head (95%), length 75%, and weight 5, 3 and then at one check up was not even on the chart for her weight. The doctor told me that sometimes the concern is the child has failure to thrive, but the Doctor said due to the head and length growth that she was not concerned and with time she will be fine. Like you said your son is a good eater, his head is growing and right now his body is a little behind. I think I would give your baby time to grow and wait. My son was also the same as my daughter except his length was even lower than my daughters. But now both my kids are 6 & 4 and growing beautifully! I do tend to be on the liberal side and wait before subjecting my child to tests. My son has been through 3 surgeries, so its not that I'm into doing what is necessary and he will need to have at least 4 more surgeries.

Best of luck!
R.
Divorced mom of Emma 6 & Fisher 4! My son was born with a unilateral cleft lip/palate and he did have feeding issues. I was married for 12 yrs now divorced over a year...Just enjoying being a mom and single life when they are with their dad.