Found a lump on my baby’s head - please help before I have a panic attack

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I was stroking my baby’s head (5 months) when I noticed this little lump on the back of his head. It’s the size of a pea and feels like one too, and it’s moveable with my fingers. I’m going to get a doc appointment tomorrow but my anxiety is rocketing. Anyone else’s babies had this? Posting here for traffic. Please help!!

Dd had something that sounds similar when she was around that age. The GP referred her for an ultrasound. It was starting to go down by then & they said it was probably just a swollen gland and the fact it was moveable and unattached was a good sign. It disappeared and dd is 4 now.

In general fluctuant lumps are pretty benign, fixed ones more worrisome- so sounds quite benign.

Honestly it’s very hard to say without seeing and feeling but more often than not these things resolve by themselves.

My eldest had similar - a benign cyst

By far most likely to be something unworrying, like a lymph node (google "occipital lymph node"), especially if he is otherwise thriving, growing/developing well.

Good to get checked out, but definitely don't panic.

You're doing the right thing having it checked but as PP said, most likely benign.

My son had a lump like this when he was a baby, turned out to be a lymph node that went down eventually... he's now almost 2 and fine! 🙂

I went to the doctor for this when my dd was a baby. It’s was a lymph node and harmless (just below and behind ear). She gets it flare up noticeably when poorly.

Mine had small, soft movable lumps behind each ear from about 2 to 5 months of age. When his cradle cap went (he had a severe case, as well as eczema), the lumps went too. I'm guessing they were lymph nodes.

Always good to have it checked out.

I get these all the time as an adult. Currently have a similar pea on my neck. Often get painful swellings behind my ears and on back of my head when I'm 'coming dien with something'. All doctors have reassured me that it's normal lymph mode function. Fighting infection, etc.

My advice (so long as all is OK after you see the doc) would be to remember this when he's older because if he's anything like me, he'll have pain in these nodes in the absence of other symptoms and will need some pain relief

Just another voice in the chorus, my son had one on each side until he was about a year old. They were mildly enlarged lymph nodes and nothing to worry about!

yup my son had very obvious swollen lymph nodes on his head when he got infections you can also see his tonsils are swollen even without him opening his mouth as they show up on the outside so clearly he shocked the doctor he said 🙄 how can you tell his tonsils are swollen i said tip your head back son and boom there they were

I'm sure they're just lymph nodes. Don't worry! ♥️

My daughter is 14, she’s always had a bump like that on her head. She has another behind her ear which came up when she has chicken pox At 4 and its never Gone back down fully.

OP did you get an answer from gp about this because I've just felt the exact same on my 5 month old babies head and am hoping its a lymph node. Will ring doctor in morning

Hi op to reassure you Dd had exactly this and I was freaking out. It was medically checked and they said it was a gland.

Please don't panic it sounds like a lymph node. It is scary when you do find it but its perfectly normal. Do see a dr if your worried though.

Sounds like a lymph node. My son had them come up as a baby behind his ears after an infection. They never went down but have never got bigger. GP arranged for blood tests which were normal and told us not to worry unless they grew.

At the same age, my son had a slightly larger soft bump which seemed to get bigger for a while before eventually shrinking. I was terrified, we had a ultrasound on it, it was an 'unresolved bruise', from birth, I suppose a mini blood clot just under the skin which just took its time going.