Baby size: the big benchmarks

Growth benchmarks in children

Calculate your growth curve 

In your child’s health record, several growth charts tell you about the development of your baby, then your child until the end of puberty. The first is the baby’s first month weight chart on which height and weight are recorded from birth. Then there is also that of his cranial perimeter, height and weight, from birth to three years. Also included is the Body Mass Index (BMI) curve, which is calculated from your height and weight, ages 1-18. On these different graphs, the bottom curve and the top curve are used as reference limits, and the intermediate dotted lines as variables. As a whole, the growth chart is made up of a numbered grid, as you can see, with lines called “percentiles”, or “standard deviations”. These different indicators make it possible to locate the growth of the child.t compared to children of the same age and sex. The pediatrician will give you precise indications for the best interpretation.

Download your child’s growth chart

Baby size in the first year

What size at 1 year?

During the first year, the baby’s weight triples and his height increases by about twenty centimeters. What change ! That’s why, throughout the first semester, your little one is weighed and measured every month by their pediatrician.. The rhythm then slows down at the rate of one measurement every 6 months until the age of 3, and once a year until puberty. During the first three years, the size of the baby’s head circumference is also scrutinized since it can detect possible abnormalities in brain development.

Baby weight up to one year

What weight at what age?

The average weight and height of a newborn is on average around 3,3 kg per 50 cm. And, don’t panic, it is normal for your child to lose a few hundred grams after birth. It is physiological, it is due to the loss of meconium and urine. In general, leaving the maternity ward is subject to a weight gain which usually takes place around the 3rd day of the infant’s life. And it is on average around the 10th to 15th day that your child will regain his birth weight and continue to gain weight.

Growth problem: when to worry

Only your child’s pediatrician can make a reliable diagnosis of a possible growth problem., whether it is, for example, a delay of development, an overweight … He will also make sure that the weight of the child is not situated in a regular way above or below the limits set by the growth curve. This is referred to as overload or weight loss.

Ditto for the size, the pediatrician will make sure that the growth curve increases continuously. On the other hand, if it remains above the lower limit or if we observe a sudden break in the curve, this may reveal a delay in height. On the other hand, if there is no growth retardation confirmed by the pediatrician, and your child is smaller than the average for his class, do not alert yourself. Know that it will develop at its own pace, until puberty and that pruning is also hereditary : it also depends on that of our parents.

What size should I choose for baby clothes?

Baby clothing size at birth 

It all depends on the estimated height and weight of your child! Usually, you will get this indicator during the last pregnancy ultrasound. If your baby is developing “normally” in utero and that the birth is announced on the due date, it is better to bet directly on small clothes in size 1 month, even if it means providing a pair of bodysuits and pajamas in birth size for the first few moments.

For benchmarks:

For a baby of 2,5 kg, 45 cm, we will dress him in premature pruning

For a 3,3 kg baby, 50 cm, predict birth on the first day (s)

For a 4 kg baby, 54-56 cm, plan for 1 month

Good to know : if your baby weighs 3,3 kg at birth, know that you will be dressing him very shortly birth size, very quickly it will pass to 1 month, sometimes in the days following the return from maternity. So limit as much as possible to limited-use newborn size pieces.

Choose baby clothes according to their size and weight

Baby clothes size

Be careful not to trust the age stated on baby clothes. A bodysuit in size 3 months, for example, simply sets the age limit and not the time from which you can make your child wear this garment. Thereby, a 2 month old baby is usually 3 month old, a 4 month old baby, a 6 month old baby, a 7 month old baby, a 9 month old baby, etc …

Baby clothes: a few “limit” size guidelines to dress them according to their age:

1 month = 54-56 cm, i.e. 4 kg

3 months = 60-62 cm, or 5-6 kg

6 months = 67-68 cm, or 7-8 kg

9 months = 71 cm, or 8-9 kg

12 months = 74 cm, or 9-10 kg

18 months = 81 cm, or 11 kg

24 month = 84-86 cm, i.e. 12 kg

In summary, if your baby is 63 cm, he will need to wear clothes in size 6 months. If he is 83 cm tall, now is the time to switch to 23-24 months. It all depends on how fast it grows and how big it is!

Choose baby clothes according to the seasons

What a shame to offer a baby born at the end of winter a jumpsuit in size 6 months, which he will never be able to wear! Always be one step ahead when giving or buying clothes for a baby. If the little one is 6 months old in the middle of summer, you can invest in this famous jumpsuit in size 12 months and so on. Also note that some brands of baby clothing fit small and very tight, and others see bigger.. So don’t hesitate to buy a small batch of clothes from second hand, in thrift stores or on the internet, to get used to these small differences.

For baby’s shoes: what size at what age?

What shoes for a baby?

In the first months, your little one will feel best in a slipper! They usually feature an elastic waist to fit snugly to your ankle and prevent slipping and getting lost during stroller rides. As soon as your baby is standing, around 10-12 months, and when he starts walking, between 10 and 18 months, it will be time to buy him his first pair of shoes! Don’t skimp on quality, for his orthopedic health. Opt for a slightly higher model with a sole that protects her little toes.