Causes of baldness on the back of the head

When a child comes into this world from his mother's body, all aspects of his body are still in the development stage. In addition to body organs, hair and teeth also begin to grow. Many parents find that their children’s hair is too sparse, especially when their children sleep, where the head and pillow come into contact, and the hair stops growing, which is also called the pillow baldness symptom. So what exactly causes baldness on the back of the head?

What is occipital baldness

Occipital baldness refers to the phenomenon that the area where the baby's head contacts the pillow has sparse hair or no hair when the baby is sleeping. Generally, a circle of abnormal hair growth will appear on the occipital area.

Causes of baby baldness

Parents are all very confused, why do babies have bald spots on the back of their heads? Except for a circle of bald hair on the back of the head, the hair elsewhere on the baby's head is black and dense. This circle of baldness not only affects the appearance, but also causes parents to worry about the baby's health. There are two main reasons for baby's baldness on the back of the head. One is objective reason; the other is physiological reason.

Objective reasons

1. The baby's head rubs against the pillow frequently. Babies spend most of their time in bed, and the area where their heads are in contact with pillows for a long time is prone to sweating. When the baby's occipital area sweats, he will feel itchy on his head. The baby can neither scratch his head with his hands nor tell his mother that his head is itchy, so he has to rub his head back and forth to reduce the itching sensation. This constant friction can easily cause baldness on the baby's head.

2. The baby’s pillow is too hard. A pillow that is too hard can also cause baldness in babies. A pillow that is too hard will affect the normal growth of your baby's hair. Generally, the hair on the side that a baby likes to sleep on will become thinner, resulting in unilateral baldness.

Physiological reasons

If the mother does not get enough nutrition during pregnancy, it will cause baldness on the back of the baby's head. Calcium deficiency in babies can also cause baldness on the back of the head. Some people even believe that baldness on the back of a baby's face is a precursor to rickets.

Is baldness on the back of the head caused by calcium deficiency?

A baby's bald spot on the back of the head is a manifestation of calcium deficiency, but not all bald spots on the back of the head are caused by calcium deficiency.

Baby's baldness is not necessarily due to calcium deficiency

There are many reasons for baby's pillow baldness - physiological sweating, pillow is too hard, etc. Parents don’t need to worry about baby’s baldness on the back of the head caused by these non-physiological reasons. Hair growth will return to normal as the child grows up.

Calcium deficiency can cause baldness on the baby's head

If the baby has symptoms of occipital baldness as well as sweating, bone pain, poor sleep quality, etc., then parents need to consider whether the baby is calcium deficient.

The calcium deficiency mentioned here actually refers to the lack of vitamin D in the baby's body. Once vitamin D is lacking, the baby's ability to absorb calcium will deteriorate, and the baby will naturally suffer from calcium deficiency, which will affect the baby's bone development and may even cause the baby to suffer from vitamin D deficiency rickets.

Vitamin D should be supplemented promptly after birth

After the baby is born, parents should supplement their child with vitamin D. Full-term babies should start taking vitamin D supplements between 2 weeks and 2 years of age. Starting from around 3 years old, babies begin to become more active and their diet becomes more diverse. At this time, babies no longer need to supplement vitamin D.

When the baby shows symptoms of occipital baldness, parents can take the child to a regular hospital for diagnosis and treatment. In case the baby is indeed deficient in calcium or vitamin D, parents should help the child supplement calcium in time.