Straight From the Bottle

Hilarious!   My kids' heads are both off the charts, too.  

I always felt a bit weird buying adult-sized hats for my toddler, but no one ever suggested it might be something alarming.  Actually, my doctor said, "Well, you have a huge head, too, so it stands to reason."   I'd never, ever noticed that my head was large.   Never.   Now I'm totally self-conscious about it.   But that's another story.

its all brain in there.  what a perfect little head.

She looks just like you in the last picture!

My head was bigger than my mother's by the time I was six! As another large headed high percentile girl I agree whole heartedly that she will grow up to be a genius. Only bad thing about having a big head is that you can never buy a hat big enough.

We had a very similar situation at the 9 month appt, except it was just the kid's head that was so big.  The rest of him was/is a peanut.  

They made us bring him in for a CT, which was horrible for him and us for about 5 minutes, but it turned out fine.  

Sometime their heads just have a growth spurt right before you go in, so it looks worse on (or above!) the charts than it really is.

I read somewhere once that the most successful supermodels have larger-than-average heads. And Fable is definitely supermodel material!

silly doctor! i think those charts are wrong :-)  my 3 beautiful nephews are all 'off the charts' in all respects.  

Josie is 21 months old, and her head and length were above average, but her Dr. didn't seem alarmed, just watchful. By the time Josie was a year, they simply noted that her head growth followed the appropriate growth curve, it was just a big head. We should have a big head club. My side of the family has big heads, and yeah, so what if it makes us too much of a smarty pants at times. Fable is amazing and precious. :)

Josie is 21 months old, and her head and length were above average, but her Dr. didn't seem alarmed, just watchful. By the time Josie was a year, they simply noted that her head growth followed the appropriate growth curve, it was just a big head. We should have a big head club. My side of the family has big heads, and yeah, so what if it makes us too much of a smarty pants at times. Fable is amazing and precious. :)

Deja vu! My Beef is only a few weeks older than Fable and we're in the same big baby boat. 2T clothes, extra "head-measuring" appointments (he was spiffy and so, I'm sure, is Fable), high 90s in every percentile, and thighs of wonder. It makes for strange looks when I tell strangers that no, he doesn't crawl/talk/hold a high paying executive position. Thankfully he too is bald, to keep the years off as best as possible...  

she is gorgeous.

It's your magical boobs! ;)

her hear certainly doesn't look big in any of the photos i've ever seen of her. seems silly that the doctor is panicky about this. she's healthy and gorgeous and probably going through a (head) growth spurt...

She looks so precious and, those thighs!... I've never seen such a thing! I find it funny to see how different two kids of the same family can be too...

And woman, are you nuts for not including yourself into the long line of smart people that runs in your family? I mean, please! Not having a college degree does not allow you to be self-deprecating like that! Am I right people? How many of you wish you were half as smart and fabulous and driven as Rebecca?

eeeeeeeeeee I love your precious gigantic Fablebaby. My 5 year old son has taken to sitting in my lap while I read your blog because, "That's the cutest baby! I want a sister as cute as her."  

Guess I should get crackin' on that, huh?

My feeling is that doctors know so little about how babies actually work that they raise alarm bells over such things when it's totally unnecessary - just to be on the safe side. My feeling is also that there is far, far too much reliance on the averages in growth charts, which I don't think people understand nearly as well as they'd like.

My daughter is small for her age in weight but tall with a biggish head. She's 11 months old now. At her 9 month appointment the doctor told us to get her kidney function checked because her weight gain slowed so much. We did not do the test because we're not fans of testing for testing's sake, plus the doctor who ordered the test never lifted his eyes from the chart to look at the baby while supposedly examining her. Seriously, he didn't even look at her before ordering the test. We're now with a different practice, where their approach is much more... wait and see if there's anything actually wrong. But I think that few people do as much damage to parents' mental health as pediatricians.

Doctors ought to listen to mothers a bit more: both when mothers say something IS wrong and when they say nothing's wrong. I mean, you're the one who sees the child all of the time, and if there's nothing that gives you the sense that you should worry, then... perhaps you shouldn't be made to worry.

My boys both have off the charts heads. Have since the day they were born. Not a single mark on their head growth chart is under the top line of that little arc. Comes from my side of the family. According to my mom, when we were born both my brother and I had head measurements bigger around than our chests. And she had a vaginal delivery. No drugs. It's a wonder she ever forgave us!!

As for your beautiful baby girl, it sounds to me like the whole of Fable was growing exponentially, so the head thing is nothing to worry about. She looks proportional in those pictures. And absolutely, wonderfully perfect! She is just gorgeous! Big head and all.

Our pediatrician (board certified, highly recommended etc.) has never once measured our kid's head and he's 20 months now.  His head looks a little larger than some other babies but he's the same as Fable-- always in the 90+ percentiles on everything.  Our doctor seems to take the approach that if he looks normal (as Fable totally does!) and he's otherwise developing normally with milestones etc. (Fable is) then why measure the head?  I don't think head measurement is a very good indicator of anything.

My son, Elijah, has a big 'ole head, too. He'll be two this weekend and I have to buy him hats in the juniors department. I'm convinced he's going to be the Grand Champion on Jeopardy someday and take care of us all. I'd rather have a kid with a big noggin, than a small one like that guy on Beetlejuice any day of the week ;-)

omg, what is with the paranoia that dr.'s ensue these days... lordy. She couldn't be more perfect. if her head is cause for alarm then certainly mine was and so was my kids- who has a normal whatever head now. I would save yourself the time and energy and just chalk her noggin up to what it is- a large head. gus was 20 at about 4 1/2 months with a head to rival most babies, haha. i guess that i just don't take much stock in all the ped says. Most seem to live off of formula and statistics...

omg, what is with the paranoia that dr.'s ensue these days... lordy. She couldn't be more perfect. if her head is cause for alarm then certainly mine was and so was my kids- who has a normal whatever head now. I would save yourself the time and energy and just chalk her noggin up to what it is- a large head. gus was 20 lbs at about 4 1/2 months with a head to rival most babies, haha. i guess that i just don't take much stock in all the ped says. Most seem to live off of formula and statistics...

People are crazy-obsessed with comparisons. Better too big than too small I say. I'm an adult who buys a kid-sized bike helmet 'cause my noggin is smaller than average (really not noticeable I'm told). My niece on the other hand - blots out the sun with her giant pumpkin head...it's all good...

My daughter and I are a big noggined couple, she comes by it honestly. That's interesting to me that they would want to do further tests. The only issue I had was pushing that big head out! Sorry if that's tmi lol

She needs a rad head so she can rock all those adorable headbands!

that last picture is the first one i've seen of fable where she really looks so much like archer!

My son has a gigantic, off-the-charts, cranium as well.  We've had the double-measuring experience before.  He hasn't had a special head examining appointment, though, 'cause his head has been gigantic from birth.  I tend to forget until I see him standing next to a normal-headed toddler.

I need to get him a new, SPF hat, which I'll wind up purchasing online.  So do I get my 2-year-old the 2-5 year hat, or the 5-12 year hat?  It'a a dilemma.

Who is making these charts anyway?  So many babies are either in the 90th percentile or off the charts. So maybe the charts need to be revised.

She is chunkalicious! So beautiful. And, of course, it seems totally normal that she would have a large head if her Mom and Dad have large heads. : )

That widow's peak is killing me!

I love your blog.  Not sure how I ran across it but I kept on readin'.  My daughter is similar to yours.  However, she is adopted.  She was 10 pounds when she was born and has just kept going!  She was measured at 19 1/2 inches at birth and 1 week later was 22 1/2 so I believe she was really 21 at least at birth.  I am 5'1" so the doc was baffled at first...until I told her she was adopted.  At her 4 month check she was 95% in height and 90% for weight.  6 month check should be interesting.  It's in one month.  Her head however is 75%.  You're daughter is beautiful!!!  Oh and my daughter also has a major widows peak!

My sons have big heads, too, but they haven`t been to a doctor in ages, so who knows if they`re on the chart or not . . . we do have problems with sweaters though. Their heads get stuck all the time!!

Fable is such a gorgeous little girl, she looks SO much like Archer. And her head doesn`t look big at all, so I`d say she`s all in proportion and that shouldn`t be a problem at all. She`ll be able to beat up troublesome boys later in life. ;)

Thanks, guys. I agree. Will keep you posted on her head check. And OMG Expat Mom, the sweaters are so frustrating! She can only wear the onesies and tees with the cross neck shoulder things and button up sweaters. And her hats? Sit atop her head like a yarmulke. See: www.flickr.com/.../3484774659

What a beautiful baby! Like a lot of people above, I, too, produce kids with ginormous heads. Like, off the charts from the get-go. My older son's head went from being off the charts at 6 months to REALLY off the charts at 9 months...the jump on the little chart thing was vertical. Anyhoo, we had to go through the whole MRI thing and it SUCKED SO BAD. You try telling a 9-month-old why you won't feed him for hours and won't let him go to sleep. Yeesh. He just has a really, really big head. Like a Peanuts character. Fable is no doubt just a brilliant little (big) thing who just has a big, beautiful noggin. And yeah, I can totally sympathize with the neck hole and hat problem.

My head was so big when I was a baby I would tip over. Seriously.

As far as the petite/tall thing, genetics are just taking over.  The first few months, a baby's size/growth is determined by the uterine environment - ie nutritiion during development before birth.  After that, genetics and nutrition outside the uterus take over.  Clearly, you are doing a fabulous job in that department.

Do not worry about the "head tests" too much.  Medically and statistically speaking, most kids sent for these tests are perfectly normal and just have genetics that give them "above average" head size as a normal variant.  They are done to catch the few children who might have other issues which can be associated with an extra-large head.  Even though she should have the tests, Fable is probably just fine.  This can be one of those stories you embarrass her with when she starts dating.  "Her head was SO BIG..."

Edna Junior has a very large head compared to her wee body.  We mostly just look at her and say, in our best zombie voices, "Biiiiiiiiiig head.  Full of baby brains."

Fable's super-delicious.

Thanks you guys! Appreciate hearing from other big-headed peeps. And you're right, the testing thing is TOTALLY something to hold over her rather-large but perfect-adorable-wonderful head.

At 12 months my guy was wearing a 3-6 year hat.  At 22 months he has almost grown out of it. We've never had a dr question his head size simply because it has followed the same growth pattern since birth (and because my head is huge too). We've had to take back many a shirt because it won't fit his head!

And Fable is ridiculously beautiful...

My 4th child is quite petite and at her 15 month check up she finally hit 20 pounds.  It comes from her father's side of the family- my MIL is 4 foot 11- because my family is tall.  And fat too.

My son was off the charts big too.  He's three now and is wearing size 4/5 (mfr dependent) and adult sized hats.  I only buy him shirts with generous or stretchy head holes because of his head size.  It's really scary when a shirt goes on and won't come off and you have to get out the scissors to free your child.

Sorry if I missed this, but where are the headbands from?  Fable looks extremely femme to me, could never mistake her for a boy, but our 10 month old is always being taken for a boy.  The little bow bands dig into her head and are too country...I LOVE Fable's bands, so please do tell!

The kids in my husband's family grow the same way.  They start out small - my niece was 6 pounds and 19 inches - and then grow, grow, grow.  At 12 months, she was in the 50th percentile FOR 24 MONTH OLDS.  And at 24 months, she was in 4T.  Right now, at just-turned-five-last-month, she's only three inches shorter than me.

A 5 year old.  3 inches shorter than me.  I'm 5'5".

So I think these things happen.  You never know when height is going to kick in!

Headbands come from Lou and Lee on Etsy:

www.etsy.com/shop.php

Rebecca, could you please siphon some of that off-the-chartism over my way?  My 3year old (just turned three a month ago) is off the chart on the bottom end, a mere 5% for height (if that), and, at 23lbs, a whopping <5% for weight (I believe it was between 3.5 and 4)!!  We get to go see StarvingBaby specialists if her wrist xray reveals under-developed bones - joy!  I don't get it; this kid eats like there's no tomorrow - how can she not be gaining weight?!?!

Oh, I forgot to mention, my 3 year old is also wearing about 18-2T in shirts/dresses, but more like 12-18 around the waist!  Looks like Fable's passing her up!  

I get questions all the time because I'm only 5'8" and my two year old is as tall as a four year old.  They fail to notice I am also the shortest person in the family, until my mom shrunk of course.  I think they're mostly concerned if they don't follow a curve of some sort.  I worry about finding appropriate stuff to fit.  she's in 3T pants and 4T or 5T shirts and she just turned two.

My kids were both off the charts as well. Gideon is tucked back into normalcy now, but Ashelyn is as tall as most 18 month olds... so there's that. And their heads, oh my babies and their big heads. It's always something isn't it?

I have to second what Kata said. Doctors should listen to parents. My oldest daughter was "off the charts" small in the third percentile but was growing steadily and surely. I said "We're all small!" Holding my arms out looking at my own tiny 5'3" frame. But we endured the rigamarole of blood work & tests for nothing, because she is fine... Fable's totally going to be a leggy supermodel.

I know that you will anyway, but Don't Panic! My baby was HUGE at birth. She weighed 10lbs 8oz and was delivered vaginally (cue cheering section for what an amazing woman I am, LOL). She was literally the largest baby my dr. had ever delivered.

Then, at her six month checkup, her head measured SMALL. My dr. is super cautious so we had to go for an MRI. I had to hold my baby down while they did an MRI of her head. Yeah, it sucked. The worry, the stress. And then, miraculously, three weeks later, she was back on track. Her head was just a little slow in growing at the same rate as her ginormous body. (She's 22 mos. now and wears 3T/4T clothes) She's gonna be stout :-)

So, try not to stress. By the way...Fable is beautiful!!!

My boy always had a giant head.  I had a hard time finding shirts that would slip over his melon without a wrestling match.  When he was two, he asked to be a fireman for Halloween.  I had to buy an adult-sized helmet because his head was actually bigger than mine.  

I wouldn't worry about sweet Fable's head.  She is going to be tall and gorgeous.

Since when was "off the charts" a bad thing?

The opposite is true for my two youngest weighing in at a whopping 10.4 and 10.10 at birth!!  Now they are the smallest/shortest among their peers.  Go figure.

Oh, that last picture. She is so gorgeous. The more of her the better, I say.

Ok on a totally dif topic, but still related to the sweet peas head, those headbands are awesome!

Theo was 5 1/2 weeks early and weighed 6 lbs 8.5 oz and was 20 inches long.  At FOUR MONTHS he was 19 lbs.  At FOURTEEN months he's THIRTY POUNDS and 33" tall (Hubby is 6'3" and I'm 5'4").  The docs were worried about Theo's head too, not only in size but shape as he had a flat head in back.  They said it was good news that he was big all over, as opposed to being a string bean and then having a huge melon.  At 6 months we took him to see a specialist at Children's Memorial and the guy there was awesome.  He said that some kids just have big heads, but as long as it's growing evenly it's not too big a deal.  A lot of doctors rush to put the helmet on the kids and that works, but he said by 18 months the problem sorts itself out anyway.  The helmet is just a faster way to get the same result.  Now, this is because Theo's head wasn't misshapen.  If he had some craziness on one side or something then it would have been a different story, and of course everyone is different.

I like the Big-headed Baby Club anyway :-) No matter what Fable will have the best noggin around!

My firends son has a big head.  They've gone through craziness with ultrasounds and cat scans for the them to be told he just has a big head.  SO does his dad.  Good luck, and I'm glad your doctor is willing to see if it's growing at a decent rate.  

Apparently all my kids have gigantic heads, though it's most noticeable with my middle one. I commented on it once to the doctor and speculated that neither my husband or I seem to have really big heads, so where did this come from? And he said, "Well, it's certainly possible that it runs in your families. What hat sizes do they wear?" And though I'm sure he was trying to be helpful, the only thing that really stuck out for me in that conversation was wondering, "Who knows what hat sizes their family members wear?"

It was a relief to me when I figured out that my kids had big heads and it wasn't that all the manufacturers of kids clothing were crazy, making these ridiculously small neck holes. I love Fable and all the other big-headed babies!

My head had to be re-examined every single week when I was around Fable's age, because it was also off the charts. Turned out there were no actual problems, though - I just happen to have a big head, like my dad. Yay for big-headed girls! :)

Her head has to be large to hold those big beautiful eyes!  My two children also have large heads off the charts but it is like you said, they are geniuses.  I  never thought my head was large until a friend said, "Wow, your Dad has a large head like you".  Uhm, thanks.

Gorgeous Fable can join my Big Head Club-and maybe my Big Thigh Club too but mine aren't as cute as hers.  On second thought, I don't want anyone to see my thighs.

Don't listen to anyone - Fable is beautiful!!

Sometimes when a baby/toddler's head is too big doctors tend to get a bit worried about problems (as you've mentioned in your entry). When my cousin was two (last year) they had some tests done on him because the doctor felt that his head was a bit too big as well. I thought it was ridiculous and knew that he was just fine. Turns out that he is just fine and I know that Fable is too.

That little girl of yours is so beautiful; those big eyes of hers are just gorgeous (I'm jealous. Hehe). God bless her! <3 <3 <3

My little man turned three in October. His sister is five. They both wear the exact same size clothing and shoes. I frequently get comments on how BIG he is. He too had to get an MRI of his head and blood tests etc checked because he was off the charts as well. He was fine. Despite the fact that his father is 6'3, my brothers range from 5'9-6'2 (I have 4 brothers). My father in law is 6ft. My mother is 5'11. I am the SMALLEST at 5'7. Doctors just like to be on the safe side not realizing that sometimes its a waste of time and that mothers ALWAYS know their babies! Fable is gorgeous!

Dude.  Fable weighs more than my 18 month old.  I knew Axel was wee, but this proves it!  We had to have the opposite kind of testing - the incredible shriking baby testing - and all was a-OK.  They're just cautious.  

Axel does, however, have a big head.  Not quite off the charts big, but big.  Hats fit him better.  Big heads are good.  

Her head looks perfectly head-sized to me.

That last picture is awesome.  Fable could TOTALLY beat me up.

she is the most adorable thing ever.  LOVE the pic in the high chair.  She is SO cute.

WOWZERS, she makes my kids seem even tinier! My 5month old son wears size 3-6 month clothes, and even my 2yr old daughter often wears clothes smaller than size 2. But Fable is absolutely gorgeous, and seems perfectly proportionate to me! I'm sure there's no cause for concern over her larger-than-average melon. It's just more of her to love :)

My kids are miniatures and Fable is ginormous but they'd still all look lovely playing together.  But it is true, a big head pulls a child over, even with those lucious thighs to weigh her down, you'll still need to watch for tippiness.  I have a tiny three year old and her big head pulls her out of furniture or off a tricycle enough that I sometimes have to laugh - as long as she is not hurt.  My head has been tipping me over since childhood too.  We big headed gals need something to keep us grounded, since eotherwise hwe would have to run everything given our special brains and talents!

Ok, I realize I'm about the 80th person to say this, but still: My baby cousin's head was so big when he was about 6 to 8 months that they wanted to force him to wear a helmet all the time. Seriously. His mom refused and he'll be 3 in Oct, and has completely grown into his head (and is fine). I kind of want him to marry Fable, because he lives in LA too, but I'm leaving that part out for now. Except I just didn't.

we literally had the EXACT same thing happen with jack his head was (and still is) off the charts.  he could not crawl because his head would tip him over.

LOL! Supermodel Genius, FO SHO!!

I was in the 95th percentile for tallness when I was a kid. I'm a whopping 5'3" now. : P

I have two kids, my daughter was (and still is) petite, tiny & waif-ish.  My son was born 24 inches long and stays in the 95% percentile still.  His head was so big he actually wore Daddy's skull cap home from the hospital.  

My boy's a genuis too, maybe he & Fable will hook up one day...do you think she'll like longhairs??  LOL

:) Rob

Same thing happened with my oldest, lovingly referred to by us as "pumpkin head."  We did have to go see a pediatric neurosurgeon, who told us he just had a large head.  He is finally growing into it at age 3. And, he is very smart IMHO.

The Bun was just the same - he was the same as his sister at birth, 20.5", 7.5 lbs., massive heads. His was so large they ultrasounded it before we left the hospital to make sure it was just normal large, not problem large, in fact. But where Pumpkinpie stayed pretty lean and crossed 20 lbs at a year, The Bun exploded, and crossed 20 lbs. at 6 mos. I bet like me, you have huge biceps and an aching back, am I right?

Large heads here.  With my first son, the doctor wrote in his chart that mom and dad have a large head so babies large head is okay.  He was such a cute bobble head.  It made it really hard to crawl and walk being as top heavy as he was.  Thanfully, at 12 he's finally grown into his head.    

maybe she'll even out.

my littlebean is a few months older than fable.

she was big when she was born (9-3, 21in) and kept growing.  at one point, she gained 3lbs in one month.  strictly nursing.  i thought that was a bit much.

in any case, she looked 6mos at 2mos.  and at 6mos, she seemed to even out.

went in for 9mo appt and she barely grew at all.

went from %iles in the upper 90s like fable to the ones in the 50s.  

and fable's head is hugely adorable.  love the thighs.  littlebean's are fun to eat, as well.