Molding describes the shaping of the infant skull during birth.

• A. Soft spot on infant skull
• B. Swelling of newborn scalp
• C. Shaping of the infant skull during birth
• D. White protective coating on newborn

Answer: (C)

Molding is the temporary reshaping of the infant’s skull as it passes through the birth canal. The skull bones aren’t fused yet and are connected by sutures and soft spots (fontanelles), which allows them to overlap and slide past each other under the pressure of the uterus and pelvis. This overlapping makes the head appear elongated or cone-shaped but it’s a normal adaptation that typically resolves within a few days to weeks as the bones settle back into their usual alignment. By contrast, the soft spot on the skull is a fontanelle, not the process itself; swelling of the scalp (caput succedaneum) is a superficial issue from birth pressure; and the white coating on a newborn is vernix caseosa, not molding.