The growth and development of a child throughout life, and especially in his first year, is inextricably linked with how he is fed. The benefits of breastfeeding in terms of immunology, nutritional quality, and child growth have long been proven, which is why a breastfed baby is the standard of physiological growth.
For boys and girls, the rate of height and weight will be different. You can also calculate your child’s body condition score.
On average, for 1/10 of all children on our planet, the growth and weight indicators will not correspond to the average, they will go beyond the limits of these tables, and this will be the norm for them. It is important to take into account what kind of heredity the baby received (height and weight of his parents, nationality). Therefore, there is no need to panic if the baby is “not like everyone else”, you need to pay attention to this and monitor its development.
Track child’s height and weight you need, first of all, to detect in time all sorts of health problems, nutrition, maybe nervous disorders. If your child suddenly stopped gaining weight or dropped it for no particular reason, this is a signal to the parents, which means that there are some problems.
But, despite modern recommendations, the ideal for many parents and grandmothers is still a rosy-cheeked strong man. Ask any doctor, he will tell you that thinner kids are much more resilient and healthier than fat girls. The main reason for fatness is lack of physical activity. Do not worry in vain, because babies often have just a cute roundness of shapes, and even very thin ones have many soft places.
In order to assess the physical condition of the baby, calculate the index of his “fattening”. This indicator characterizes the degree of development of the subcutaneous fat layer. As a rule, this is true when the baby is at the age of 6 months. At this time, it is assessed whether he has enough nutrients that he receives. To calculate this indicator correctly, measure the circumference of the shoulder (slightly below the trace from the BCG vaccination), multiply it by 3, add the circumference of the lower leg (its widest part), add the circumference of the thigh (in the upper third), subtract the child’s height in centimeters from the resulting amount … The normal value is 20-25 cm. A decrease or increase in this indicator indicates either a lack or an excess of nutrients, respectively.
Also an important indicator of normal development is baby head size… It is also individual for each child. But a monthly increase or decrease in the growth rate of the baby’s head indicates the presence of problems that are associated with intracranial pressure and other pathologies.
The data given in the table can be considered an approximate value of the height, weight, head size of a child in accordance with the standards established by WHO. As we said before, the metrics are different for boys and girls, so be sure to keep this in mind when evaluating them.
The intervals close to the average are rated as below and above average. These indicators can be regarded by parents as normal.
Indicators low (very low) or high (very high) – the area of attention to ensure adequate and timely examination, consultation and, possibly, treatment, if necessary.