For something so small, it can look so intimidating. Your new baby's soft spot, or fontanel, is delicate, and you may be afraid that touching it too hard or bumping against it will send you to the emergency room with a wailing newborn. But what are fontanels, exactly?

A bit of trivia first: The word "fontanel" is derived from the Latin term "fonticulus," and the Old French word "fontaine," meaning "little fountain or spring."

According to the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, a newborn's skull is made up of six separate cranial bones that are held together by strong, fibrous tissues. The spaces between the bones are called soft spots, or fontanels.

Checking your baby's soft spots is a key way that doctors and nurses follow an infant's growth and development. During checkups, doctors are able to assess the pressure inside the brain by feeling the tension of the fontanels, which should feel flat and firm.

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