Dr Amma Benin, a Paediatrician at the International Maritime Hospital (IMaH), has warned against the traditional practice of applying hot water to babies’ heads to close the fontanelle, because it could prevent brain growth.
It is a normal traditional practice among ethnic groups in Ghana, where old ladies and those in charge of bathing new-born babies apply hot water to the fontanelle, (a soft spot on a newborn baby’s skull), to help it close early.
She said the fontanelle should be allowed to close by itself, indicating that naturally it closes within 18 months after birth.
Dr Benin gave the caution when treating the topic: “Cultural practices that affect child health,” at the weekly health education forum organized by the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office.
The forum is an initiative aimed at promoting health-related communication and providing a platform for health information dissemination to influence personal health choices through improved health literacy.
Dr Benin explained that the opening on the head allowed for the growth of the brain, indicating that “if it is forced to close, there is no way the brain will develop.”
She added that forcing it to close was equivalent to harming the baby, as the inability for the brain to grow normally could lead to some mental and cognitive defects.
She also advised nursing mothers and other carers to desist from moulding or reshaping the babies’ heads, which could end in burns and other complications.
