Baby’s weight month by month

Baby’s weight from birth to one year

Babies grow and gain weight very quickly. ” In the first three months of life, the growth of the child explodes », Explains Dr Henri Bouchet, pediatrician. It takes between 800 g and 1 kg per month. Side size, it takes between 3 and 4 cm per month.

Between 3 and 6 months, its growth curve slows down and weight gain decreases. The child takes 500-600 g and 1 cm per month.

“From 6 months and up to the age of one, weight gain continues to decrease”. These figures are of course indicative. And as the pediatrician explains, “a child who does not gain or gains little weight every month is not necessarily sick. Each baby is different and grows at their own pace. It is very variable. Genetic factors are also involved. The main thing is to take into account the body mass index (BMI), which calculates the rate of overweight ”. Moreover, as soon as the child begins to walk, around 12 months, the BMI decreases. The latter slows down during the second year of the child and stabilizes during his 3 years. As Dr Henri Bouchet also points out, contrary to what one might think, “weight gain is not really different between breastfed children and those who are bottle-fed”. Moreover, “before the age of 9, the growth curve for girls and boys is almost similar. ”

Range of weight gain in a child in the first year of life

The first thing doctors do after the birth of a baby is to weigh and measure height, while simultaneously evaluating the baby on the Apgar scale. It is these indicators that make it possible to understand the state of the newborn in the first minutes of life and, accordingly, to foresee some patterns in the development of the child in the future.  

Weight gain chart in the first year of life

Control weighing

There are legends and anecdotes about the anxiety of young mothers. The pranksters don’t understand that the responsibility for a new life is a burden to get used to. But parents should not go too far. Yes, in the first days in the hospital, a newborn is weighed daily. Sometimes doctors threaten not to let them go home until they gain weight.

The woman gives in to a panic, and buys home scales for the child. Then he weighs the baby every day according to all the rules (in the morning before feeding, after emptying the intestines and bladder). But it does not bring her peace. Because newborns gain weight not linearly, but in jumps. It is optimal to measure the child’s weight once a week or a month. The average increase is usually 90-200 grams per week for the first six months.

The local pediatrician weighs the child monthly in the first year of life. And evaluates body weight gain, taking into account previous indicators. Quarterly numbers will say more than daily weigh-ins.

Baby birth weight

At birth, the infant weighs, on average, between 2,8 and 3,2 kg. However, for various reasons (genetics, complications during pregnancy…), the weight of the child can be more or less important.

Up to 4-5 months, your baby will eat exclusively breast milk or infant formula. If you are breastfeeding, your newborn needs between 8 and 12 times a day. If you have chosen the bottle, your child takes on average, daily, six bottles of 90 to 120 ml each.

Baby weight at 1 months

At 1 month, your baby weighs between 3,4 and 4,4 kg. But depending on birth weight, these numbers can vary widely, with the low average being 3kg and the high average at 5,6kg..

Even if his appetite starts to regulate, your baby still drinks 6 bottles a day of infant formula. If you breastfeed, he calls often and you breastfeed on demand. Until the age of 3 months, your child’s digestion may be difficult and punctuated by crying. Do not hesitate to make an appointment with your pediatrician to find out the exact reasons for these inconveniences.

Baby weight at 2 months

At 2 months, your baby may, depending on his build, weigh between 3,4 and 6,4 kg. However, the average weight is between 4,4 and 5,2 kg.

Your child’s appetite continues to regulate: he drinks between 5 and 6 bottles per day. For breastfeeding moms, your little one is still clamoring very often.

Baby weight at 3 months

At 3 months, the smallest babies weigh around 4 kg and the strongest, 7 kg. The average weight is between 4,6 and 6 kg.

On the feeding side, the number of feeds decreases: your child takes 4/5 feeds or bottles per day. Note that in general, at this stage, your baby’s digestive problems disappear. Regurgitations were treated normally by the pediatrician.

Baby weight at 4 months

At this stage, the child weighs, on average, between 4,4 and 5,4 kg, depending on his size. But the low average is 4,4 kg and the high average 7,4 kg.

At 4 months, your baby’s digestive system becomes mature. Your child can then start dietary diversification. At this age, he takes 4/5 feeds or bottles of 180 to 210 ml per day.

Baby weight at 5 months

If the average weight of a 5 month old baby is between 6 and 7 kg, your baby can weigh between 5,2 and 8,4 kg depending on his size.

At 5 months, your baby drinks an average of 4 bottles. You can start to introduce new foods. Initially, 2 to 3 teaspoons of cooked vegetables, without adding salt, mixed with its milk, are sufficient.

Baby weight at 6 months

The weight of a 6 month old baby can range from 5,4 (low average) to 9 kg (high average). The average weight is between 6,4 and 8 kg.

At this age, you should switch to 2nd age milk. The latter is less rich than 1st age milk. Even though milk remains the mainstay of your child’s diet, it continues to discover new flavors.. Once a day, he takes cereals from his bottle. You can also include animal protein in meals. Offer him foods one by one to avoid and detect any allergic reaction.

Baby weight at 7 months

At 7 months, your baby weighs, depending on his size, between 6 and 9,6 kg. As for the average weight, it is between 7 and 8,4 kg. For his meals, always remember to mix the food well. Indeed, even if your child has teeth, he is not yet able to chew properly. On average, at this age, your child’s plate is 20% meat and 80% vegetables. This month, you can also give him a hard-boiled egg taste.

Baby weight at 8 months

The average weight of an 8 month old baby is between 7,4 and 9 kg. The smallest can weigh 6,2 kg and the sturdiest 10 kg.

At 8 months, your child’s meals are more and more varied. He eats about 150 g of mashed vegetables for lunch and dinner. If he already knows about apple and pear compotes, this month you can give him new fruits like mashed banana, without adding sugar. In total, he takes one or two small jars of fruit (or homemade compote) per day.

Baby weight at 9 months

The average weight of a 9 month old baby is between 7,8 and 9,6 kg. Corn the smallest can weigh 6,6 kg and the largest, 10,6 kg.

At this age, your child discovers the first fats: you can add, to his meals, butter and vegetable oils, sources of vitamin E.

Baby weight at 10 months

At 10 months, your baby can weigh between 6,8 and 11 kg. The average weight is between 8 and 9,8 kg. Food side, your child can now eat mixed broccoli and corn. He also begins to eat raw vegetables such as grated carrots, peeled and seeded tomatoes and cucumber. On the fruit side, he discovers grape or strawberry compotes. You can also give him dairy products, suitable for his age. By the way, this month, growth milk can replace 2nd age milk. The latter is very rich in vitamins D and E and iron.

Baby weight at 11 months

At 11 months, your baby may weigh between 8,4 and 10,2 kg. But the smallest can weigh only 7,4 kg and the largest 11,4 kg. At this stage, your child is still eating four meals a day. Most often, he drinks a bottle for his breakfast and dinner. He eats an average of 25 g of mixed meat per day and 200 to 250 g of crushed vegetables (zucchini, pumpkin, broccoli, eggplant, etc.) for lunch and dinner., accompanied by starchy foods. At this age, he also discovers turnip, cabbage, salsify or artichokes.

Baby weight at 1 year

Si the average weight of a one-year-old baby is between 8,8 and 10,6 kg, some children may, at this age, weigh between 7,4 (low average) and 11,8 kg (high average).

At one year, milk remains an important part of his diet since he drinks 500 to 600 ml of growth milk per day. In the morning, he takes a dairy and grain product. At lunch, he eats vegetables, starches, proteins (meat, egg white), milk and fruit. Its snack consists of a dairy product and a fruit (or compote). Finally, in the evening, he eats vegetables, starchy foods and dairy products. Some also take a snack in the afternoon, and even one before going to sleep. In some children the appetite is reduced: the attraction to green vegetables decreases. This period of food neophobia is classic and fleeting. NOTdo not force your child to finish his plate, especially make sure that he does not lose weight.

In addition, it is important to understand that there are a number of individual reasons that affect weight gain:

• Child health. Healthy children have a good appetite and therefore grow faster.
• Birth weight. Children with low body weight in the first months of life gain weight faster. This is especially noticeable, for example, at the birth of twins.
• Age. In the first three months, babies gain weight faster, and at 10-12 months their weight changes very little.
• Physical activity. In mobile babies, weight grows more slowly than in their peers who are not so active.
• type of feeding. Children on artificial or mixed feeding recover faster than babies.

Features of weight gain in the first half of the year

If in the first week of life a newborn can lose weight, then by the end of the first month the indicators do not just level out, but are already going up. The next two months are the time of maximum growth. On average, a baby gains 750-800 grams per month. However, there are more. So, for example, an increase of 1.5 kg in thirty days during this period will also be the norm, because in the first trimester all the vital systems of the child are actively developing:

• nervous system
• musculoskeletal system
• activation of the functions of all internal organs and systems.

From the fourth month, the intensity of weight gain decreases, which worries many parents. But there is no cause for concern. At this age, the child begins to move more, to explore the world, so it becomes more difficult to maintain the same growth rate. In the first six months of a child’s life, the monthly weight gain should not be less than 400 grams.

Features of weight gain in the second half of the year

In the second half of a child’s life, the dynamics of weight gain also tends to decrease. The baby becomes more and more mobile, and physical and mental development require a lot of energy. In addition, this is the time to introduce complementary foods, since breast milk is no longer enough for the baby. And this process is slow and difficult.

From 7 to 9 months, on average, the baby gains 500 grams per month. And from 10 to 12 months and even less, about 100 – 300 grams per month. Normally, the weight of the baby doubles by six months, and by the year the baby becomes three times heavier than at birth. That is, if a child was born with a body weight of about 3 kilograms, then by the year he should weigh about 9-10 kilograms.

Why did the child stop gaining weight

However, there are times when a child gains weight too slowly or there is no increase at all. Then it is necessary to identify the cause and not let the situation take its course.

Possible reasons for insufficient weight gain in a child in the first year of life:

• Disease. Because, when you feel unwell, your baby’s appetite worsens. In addition, in the first months of life, the absence or insufficient weight gain may indicate pathological problems with the nervous, cardiovascular, or gastrointestinal systems.
• Stressful situation: changes in family circumstances, stress on the mother, etc.
• Nutrient deficiencies.

The last point deserves special attention. If the baby is breastfed, then there is a chance that the quality of mother’s milk is not high enough. Then the mother should reconsider her diet, or switch to a mixed type of feeding. It is impossible to exclude the possibility that the child simply does not have enough mother’s milk. Such babies, as a rule, are restless, sleep poorly and urinate little (less than 6-8 times a day). If the situation cannot be corrected, then you should think about mixed or artificial feeding.

Those parents who prefer this option should, together with the pediatrician, select the mixture and develop a regimen for introducing it into the child’s diet. At the same time, of course, it is desirable to continue breastfeeding at least in a limited mode. Modern advanced doctors today recommend giving newborns and children in the second half of life mixtures based on goat’s milk. Firstly, it is closest in its characteristics to the chest. Secondly, due to its characteristics and physico-chemical properties, it is better absorbed and digested, which increases the amount of nutrients entering the child’s body.

Pediatricians urge to take a closer look at Kabrita® mixtures. These mixtures are known all over the world for their unique composition. In addition to their base – goat’s milk, they are enriched with a unique fat complex, a vitamin and mineral complex. Omega fatty acids, an effective combination of GOS and FOS prebiotics, as well as live bifidobacteria Bifidobacterium BB-12 (probiotics) are added to the mixture. All this helps the child not only get enough, but also get all the necessary nutrients for proper development. This composition contributes to the formation of the protective forces of the baby’s body.

Individual characteristics

Despite the tables of weight gain norms, parents should not forget that each baby is unique, and his height and weight have individual developmental dynamics. Common sense and elementary logic should not yield under the pressure of general recommendations from the Internet. Deviations from the average are very common.