Have you heard that a sunken fontanel in babies may be due to pulling out the nipple too hard when the baby is feeding?

This is a Hispanic folk myth. Read a dad’s question about it here are what a sunken fontanel is more likely to indicate.

sunken fontanel mollera caidaPin

Dad’s Question:
I’ve heard that if you pull a baby’s bottle out of his/her mouth directly and too fast that it can cause his/her fontanel to drop or cave in because of the suction.

I’ve heard that when you pull a baby’s bottle out it should be gently and somewhat to the side so it breaks the seal of the suction and slightly opens the mouth, therefore, allowing the parent to pull the bottle out w/o the suction.

Is this true?

Steven Martinez Jazcquez


The Mollera Caida (Sunken Fontanel) – An Interesting Folk Myth

What you are referring to is a Hispanic folk illness called Mollera Caida (or caida de la mollera) – “Sunken Fontanel”. The fontanelles are the baby’s so called “soft spots”.

While modern medicine stipulates that a sunken fontanel is most often an indication of dehydration, the Hispanic folk myth is that it is due to e.g. pulling the nipple out of a baby’s mouth too quickly. According to tradition, mollera caida can alos occur due to someoe giving the baby the evil eye.

Due to the completely different interpretations of the underlying causes, the remedies differ too.

In modern medicine, we treat dehydration with liquid either by feeding the baby or in severe cases through a drip in her arm, or through tubes inserted into her nose, and, of course, by finding out and treating why a baby is dehydrated.

In traditional Mexican folk medicine, the treatment of Mollera Caida is pushing up on the inside of the palate, on the roof of the infant’s mouth. Other treatments include holding the baby upside down, sucking on the top of the fontanel with one’s mouth, or applying raw egg or oil to the fontanel. These traditional remedies are not likely to help the baby at all and might even be dangerous.

Even if pulling out a nipple hard and quickly is likely to be uncomfortable for your child and hence should be avoided, it is very unlikely to be the cause of a sunken fontanel.

Instead, dehydration or other illness might be the cause and the baby should be examined by a pediatrician.

Hope this helps,

Paula

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  1. Pegah

    I have a one month old baby
    During this time many time happend I pulled out my nipple hard from his mouth . What’s gonna happen to him ? :(