Is it normal for a babe to have these cranial ‘soft spots’?

These cranial ‘soft spots’ are not painful or particularly dangerous to touch, as the brain is still protected by the meninges’ tough, leathery, fibrous covering, but the baby’s pulse can be felt through them. Newborns have several fontanelles. The most well-known is in the middle on the top of the head, towards the front, known as the anterior fontanelle or bregma. It is diamond-shaped (say 2–2.5 cm wide by 3–4 cm long) and will gradually reduce in size until it is completely closed, usually at about 16–18 months of age, and ossified (turned to bone) by 22–24 months.