Help, My Baby Has Bald Spots On Her Head, Is this Normal?!

What if a 7-month-old baby has bald spots on her head – can this be normal? What may cause it?

Here, a frustrated dad is asking for guidance.

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Dad’s Question:

My 7-month-old baby has bald spots on part of her head, and I am worried!

My baby is in and was born in China. My wife shaves her hair approximately every 6 weeks, which is traditional in some parts, to make it grow faster and thicker?

PinChloe has had little hair on her head but a mass of black hair around the back of her head. It is similar to when a man goes bald the last hairs are around the back of the head (see picture).

My wife has asked at the hospital, but they have no solution, only once to stop the fish oil tablets.

I am concerned because it will be another 12 months before I can sponsor them to live with me here in Australia, and I believe this needs more specific attention.

I have attached a photo showing the hair; you can see where the patch is; it goes from one side to the other; it has been shaved because, obviously, it grows faster than the rest of her hair.

Many thanks,

Tony Finch

Baby Has Bald Spots – Normal Or Not?

It’s hard to suggest what might be causing the problem here – or if there even is a problem!

I understand that your daughter cannot join you at present and that you feel dissatisfied with the response from the hospital your wife consulted, so would it be possible to seek further advice from your OWN doctor?

I realize it would be difficult for him or her to make a true diagnosis without actually SEEING your little one, but he/she may be able to give general advice based on the information you provided here. You could also ask your wife to provide some close-up pictures from all over your daughter’s head for the doctor to look at.

It’s not unusual for babies’ hair growth to be somewhat erratic!

One of my children had a mass of curls at the back of his head – but absolutely NOTHING on the top – until he was over a year old. Eventually, the front caught up with the back, and now he has really thick hair.

Another of our babies got bald at around four months after being born with lots of hair.

The hair – now in a different color – grew back when he was over one year old.

The third – our girl – had massive amounts of hair right from the start. She only got bald spots at the back of her head due to lying on her back when she was really young like most babies get. Baby hairstyles are usually nothing like the commercials!

I wonder if – in your daughter’s case – the irregular growth seems more problematic because it is more obvious after shaving. If the hair does grow everywhere so that no spots are completely bald, then I guess that the development is completely normal.

All this said, if this IS a medical condition, then it will need a proper diagnosis by a medical professional. There are medical conditions, including autoimmune diseases, infections, and nutritional deficiencies that can lead to abnormal hair loss or hair growth in babies. If your baby’s bald spots are truly bald, smooth, and round, she may have a condition called alopecia areata, in which the immune system attacks the hair follicles, drastically slowing hair growth. This type of hair loss usually appears in isolated patches.

You can read here both about alopecia areata and other causes of normal and abnormal hair growth in babies here.

Just remember that when a baby has bald spots, most conditions are rare and often only occur among babies older than 12 months.

Regarding the advice to stop fish oil tablets; I find this confusing. If anything, some smaller studies indicate that fish oil may promote hair growth, not the opposite. The studies have, however,  been carried out on adults, and the general recommendation is not to give babies fish oil until they are at least one year old. It is possible that the recommendation was not related to your baby’s hair growth.

I also want to comment on the tradition of shaving babies’ heads to make the hair grow faster. While shaving a baby’s head will do no harm as long as it is carried out cleanly and safely, it will also not do any good for hair growth. The hair follicle (from which the hair grows) is located under the skin and unaffected by the act of shaving. Hence, it is a myth that shaving a baby’s hair for a thicker growth works.

Good luck.

More Baby Hair Issues

• Hair Loss In 9-Month-Old
• 4-Month-Old Baby With Rapid Hair Loss
• Baby Losing Hair Due To Cradle Cap

Research References

Paula Dennholt

Paula Dennholt founded Easy Baby Life in 2006 and has been a passionate parenting and pregnancy writer since then. Her parenting approach and writing are based on studies in cognitive-behavioral models and therapy for children and her experience as a mother and stepmother. Life as a parent has convinced her of how crucial it is to put relationships before rules. She strongly believes in positive parenting and a science-based approach.

Paula cooperates with a team of pediatricians who assist in reviewing and writing articles.