The gain in height and weight
Dear parents, the baby is growing and you are worried about whether he is gaining enough weight and height. For control, there are centile tables for assessing the physical development of children, mass and height indicators. At the same time, you must remember that each baby is individual, the baby cannot grow according to the textbook. These weight and height recommendations are for an average number of children, and a 10% deviation is normal.
In addition, the centile corridor from 25% to 75% is the average physical indicator. That is why they say: Physical development is metasomatic, macro-somatic, micro-somatic. Predict with the online height calculator tool what would be your child’s height?
It is important that the indicators of weight and height are in a one-centimeter corridor, but no more than two adjacent ones. Then we can talk about harmonious development. If the gap is more than two centile corridors, the development is disharmonious. Then we can think of either an unbalanced diet or pathology associated with obesity or protein-energy malnutrition (malnutrition).
In addition, we must not forget about the constitutional characteristics of the child, about the genetic predisposition. Therefore, in no case should you compare your child with your neighbor. To talk about a child’s health, we assess his condition according to many criteria. By using a personality generator tool, try to guess what kind of personality your child would have.
Let’s talk about weight gain and height gain for term babies. In premature babies, the indicators of weight gain and height difference in the degree of prematurity. In addition, children may be born with intrauterine malnutrition.
The norm for a newborn is:
Height: from 46 to 56 cm
Weight: from 2600 to 4000 g
Head circumference: 34–36 cm
Chest circumference: 32–34 cm
At the same time, until the age of three months of life, the child adds 20-30 grams per day, respectively, from 140 to 200 per week. If we talk about the average weight gain by months, then it is only 600 g per month, as in the child after birth physiological weight loss (with urine, feces, the transition from intrauterine feeding to breastfeeding during the adaptation period), approximately 10% of the weight, which is 200-300 grams.
More often, by 3-4 days, the child regains its original weight, and then there is an increase.
Increase in height by month:
1-3 months: 3-3.5 cm per month (total 9-10.5 cm)
3-6 months: 2.5 cm per month (total about 7.5 cm)
6-9 months : 1.5–2 cm per month (total 4.5–6 cm)
9–12 months: 1 cm per month (total 3 cm)
Or the opposite situation: a child in the first months of life gains 1-1.5 kg., While breastfeeding. If the baby does not have colic, he does not spit up, there are no gastrointestinal manifestations, he is active, the skin is clean, physiological functions are not disturbed – this is also the norm.
Average height and weight at 1 year:
Height 75 cm
Weight 10.5 kg
Chest circumference 48 cm
Head circumference 46–47 cm
Remember, as often happens, premature babies quickly gain weight and catch up with their peers by the year. Large babies gain weight more slowly.
The most common belief of people is that by the age of 4-4.5 months, the child should double its weight, and by the end of the year, triple it.
It happens that the increase in height and weight is jumps, seasonality, unevenness, and sometimes asymmetry of growth are noted. Pediatricians are worried about the circumference of the head and chest, by 2-3 months they should equalize. Further, the breast grows faster.
The intensive growth of the younger child. In the first 3 months of life, body length increases by 3 cm per month, in the second quarter by 2.5-2 cm per month. And in the third – 1.5-2 cm each, in the fourth – 1 cm per month. Moreover, in total, the total increase in height in the first year of life is about 25 cm.
