An assessment of the skull of a normal 10-monthold baby should identify which of the following?

In a normal infant development assessment, nurses monitor the status of fontanels and cranial sutures to evaluate infant growth and neurological well-being. The posterior fontanel typically closes between 6 and 8 weeks (1 to 2 months) of age. Consequently, an assessment of a healthy 10-month-old infant should confirm that the posterior fontanel is fully closed. In contrast, the anterior fontanel remains open during early infancy and usually closes between 12 and 18 months of age. At 10 months, the anterior fontanel should still be palpable as a soft, flat space, ensuring proper brain growth. Identifying the expected closure timeline helps nurses differentiate normal skull development from premature suture fusion or delayed fontanel closure.

B. The anterior fontanel typically closes between 12 and 18 months of age, so it is expected to remain open and palpable in a 10-month-old infant.

C. Overlapping cranial bones, known as molding, occurs during the birthing process to facilitate passage through the birth canal and resolves within the first few days of life.

D. Suture ossification (craniosynostosis if premature) is a physiological process that occurs much later in adult life; normal infantile sutures remain unossified to permit brain expansion.

- Kiesler, J., & Ricer, R. (2003). The abnormal fontanel. American Family Physician, 67(12), 2547–2552. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2003/0615/p2547.html

- World Health Organization (WHO). (2020). Child Growth Standards: Head circumference-for-age, arm circumference-for-age, triceps skinfold-for-age and subscapular skinfold-for-age. WHO Guidelines Approved by the Guidelines Review Committee.