The Importance of Measuring Baby Head Circumference

Most parents, especially mothers are very happy to pay attention to the development of her baby. Especially when the baby started to move, tilt body, Stomach, to sit and others. Weight loss was always not escape the attention of most parents. But Have you ever interested to measure the head circumference of your baby, most parents who do this are rare.

Though the size of the baby's head circumference, according to dr.Attila Dewanti, Sp.A, became one of the important parameters baby's growth. "The size of head circumference growth reflects the baby's brain volume per month," he explained.


The average size of the baby's head circumference at birth is 34-35 cm. Head circumference is increased 2 cm per month at the age of 0-3 months. Furthermore, at the age of 4-6 months will grow 1 cm per month, and at the age of 6-12 months added 0.5 cm per month.

"Get used to measure the baby's head circumference on a regular basis. If the size is not increased in two months, should be careful," said pediatrician from UB Women & Children Hospital Jakarta.

Human brain growth, continued Attila, starting on three trimesters of pregnancy until the baby was three years old. He therefore recommends that parents regularly monitor the child's head circumference size until the age of three years.

This brain growth is a complicated process, it is genetically programmed, and follow a regular sequence according to chronological age. "If the process of brain growth exceeded, for example due to illness that attacks brain cells, the brain development can not be repeated again," he added.

Most of the infant brain growth occurs in the first three years of life. When a new born baby's brain weight 350 grams. Then the weight climbed to 1,000 grams at the age of one year and to 1,200 grams at two-year-old child.

In adulthood, the human brain is only 1250 grams in women and 1,400 grams in men. "So 175 percent of brain development occurs in infants up to age five," he said.