Compare the differences:

• The relative size of the skull vault compared with the rest of the head is large in the infant and reduces during development until the adult cranial capacity is reached at age 9 years
• As the jaw grows its relative position becomes more anterior and the number of teeth increases
• The tongue increases in size more slowly, so the oral cavity expands relative to the other structures
• The face, rather than appearing to be occupying one third of the skull, now occupies a half
• Note that the position of the larynx relative to the vertebrae changes from the level C3-4 to C4-5
• The sinuses develop fully at puberty, increasing in size

The next page looks at changes in the airway.