Large baby head circumference

[user1471428808]

My son is nearly 6 months old and has had his head size measured at 50cms or 19.5ins. This is so far off the growth charts that it would appear that he has the head size of an average 3 and half year old boy.

He is a fairly large baby all round but the paediatrician has now referred him for a MRI/CT scan.

I was just wondering if anyone else had a baby with a similar size head at 6 months as this is getting quite concerning?.

[GoBigOrange]

I have a big son with a big head too, not quite as big as your son's - mine had a 48cm head at 6 months - but his head was still sufficiently off the chart that our pediatrician did refer us for a scan just to make sure there was no abnormality.

My son's scan was perfectly normal though, just 'benign familial macrocephaly' in his case apparently. Roughly translated as, "his daddy has a big fat head, and so does he."

Do either you or his father have an above average head size? If so, and you don't have any concerns about his development apart from the size of his head, then it is quite probable that he is fine and it is just an inherited trait.

[Lovelongweekends]

Both my dds are off the charts for head size - dh has a huge head! Dd2 measured so big in the post birth check up that the consultant insisted on measuring both mine and my dh's heads!
Both absolutely fine, just genetic!

[PikachuSayBoo]

My nephew had a noticeably big head. So much so that my sister couldn't get him in normal tshirts or jumpers and had to have shirts or polo shirts. He's 10yo and is very much in proportion.

Also at my local toddler group many years ago there was a boy there with a head which seemed very big. I remember his mother saying the hospital were keeping an eye on things and I think he had had tests of some sort. Sorry, I didn't really talk to her about it so don't know the details. Anyway that boy is now 16yo and in my dds class at school and again his head looks perfect.

[Badders123]

My son had a 38cm head at birth
He's fine :)

[Supposedtobeworking1]

I've posted something similar before to another thread asking a similar question. I think they've changed the way they do the pre-birth weight estimates now but before my DS was born they told me he'd be 11lb based on his head circumference! He was 7.10lb with a big head. He is now 8 and has had to wear men's glasses since he first started wearing them at the age of 6 as children's frames are far too small for him and whilst I have no idea what his actual head measurement is his cycling helmet is a mans size large. He also looks completely in proportion (he's the height of an average 12 year old) and it most definitely hasn't caused him any problems developmentally. Neither myself or DH have large heads (both our heads are smaller than my DS's).

[user1471428808]

Many thanks for your replies!.
It does seem that large headed babies are more prevalent than I had initially thought (from just looking at the charts) and could just be a hereditary bi-product of big headed parents.
My partner does have a large head and my son is not showing any other real signs of problems.
Will wait to see what the scan reveals but I feel a little more hopeful that he has just picked up the big headed trait from my partner .

[Marmighty]

DD was tiny but with a head circumference off the charts. Everything was fine, just because DH and I both have enormous heads and can never get hats that fit

[kbb23]

DS apparantly has a large head. not sure of exact measurements but its off the chart. we also had to have mine and dps head measured dps was rather large also. they have referred him for a scan too tho. i dont feel too concerned his head looks perfectly in proportion to his body for me ds was also fairly small at birth at 6lb 7 (he was early tho).

[Shootingstar2289]

My two children are the same. As long as it's growing at a steady rate rather than sudden changes in size. I believe it's okay.

My son had a very large head as a baby, still on the large side now but not noticeable really.

My daughter had a massive head when she was born. I never really noticed until I look back at photos of her. Still large now but has grown steady so no one raised any concerns.

I think large heads run in my family.