Your child had surgery called cranial vault reconstruction for craniosynostosis (kray-nee-oh-sin-oss-TOE-sis). Craniosynostosis is when one or more of the sutures (fibrous joints that hold the skull bones together) harden into bone too soon. 

Follow the surgeon's recommendations for:

• What your child should eat
• Caring for the incision (cut made for surgery)
• When it's OK for your child to bathe and to get the incision wet
• What medicines to give for pain
• Whether your child needs to wear a helmet while recovering
• What activities are OK and what activities to avoid
• Special precautions to take at home to make sure your child doesn't fall and hit their head
• When your child can return to school or childcare
• When to follow up

Some general information:

• If the incision area feels itchy, have your child wear mittens so they don't scratch it. 
• Protect the incision area from the sun with a hat for at least 6 months.
• Swelling around the eyes may come and go for the first few weeks after surgery. For kids over about 2 years old, it can help to sleep on their back with a pillow or two under their head to keep it raised. Don't put pillows, blankets, or anything else in the crib with babies under 1 year old because this can increase the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).
• Your child may have a sore throat from the breathing tube used while they got anesthesia. This is normal and should go away within a week.

Your child:

• Has redness, swelling, warmth, or discharge near the incision
• Has bleeding from the incision
• Has a headache that isn't helped by the pain medicine the surgeon recommended
• Is not eating or drinking
• Vomits
• Gets a fever

Your child:

• Vomits more than once
• Seems dehydrated; signs include a dry or sticky mouth, sunken eyes or soft spot, extreme thirst, making less pee or darker pee than usual, crying with few or no tears
• Is sleepier or fussier than usual
• Develops a cough, fast breathing, or trouble breathing
• Has a seizure

What causes craniosynostosis? It's not always clear why a child has craniosynostosis. When only one suture closes early, it usually just happens by chance. If more than one suture closes early or if the child has other birth differences (such as heart problems or fingers or toes that look different), the craniosynostosis might be due to a genetic disorder.

Why is surgery (cranial vault reconstruction) done for craniosynostosis? Craniosynostosis can change the shape of the head and face. If this isn't corrected with surgery, these changes can be permanent. Also, without surgery, craniosynostosis can lead to increased pressure inside the skull. This happens when the skull can't get big enough to fit the growing brain. Increased pressure inside the skull can cause developmental problems, headaches, brain damage, seizures, or blindness. Surgery helps make room for the growing brain.