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How Many Bones Is a Baby Born With?
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Quick Answer
A newborn baby has around 270 to 300 bones and cartilage pieces, which fuse together over time to form the 206 bones of an adult.
The Full Story
At birth, much of a baby's skeleton is made of flexible cartilage and separate bony pieces. The skull, for example, has plates separated by soft spots called fontanelles, which let the head squeeze through the birth canal and allow the brain to grow. As children grow, cartilage is gradually replaced by bone in a process called ossification. Many pieces fuse, such as parts of the skull, the sacrum at the base of the spine and the hip bones. Fusion continues into the mid-20s, when the adult total of about 206 bones is reached.
Key Facts
1.The main soft spot on a baby's head usually closes by around 18 to 24 months.
2.The kneecaps are mostly cartilage at birth and ossify during early childhood.
3.The collarbone is one of the last bones to finish fusing, in the mid-20s.
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Suggested video title for this topic:
"Why babies have more bones than adults."