Weight and height of children: normal parameters

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The weight and height of children are basic anthropometric indicators that indicate the development of babies. Already in the first minutes of a baby's life, doctors examine him, assess his condition on the Apgar Scale, weigh him and measure his height (length).

What affects children's height and weight?

The following factors are of great importance to these basic anthropometric data at birth:

• Heredity.
• Gender of baby.
• Mom's lifestyle and nutrition during pregnancy, etc.

The growth of a child after his birth does not occur with the same intensity. In the first three months of his life, the baby grows most rapidly. Then the increase in height decreases slightly.

With weight, not everything is so simple. This parameter is more dynamic and tied to growth. As a rule, in he althy children, the greatest weight gain is observed in the first months of life. For some children, it may be slightly more, for others less, but on average it is about 800 g per month. It depends on what kind of feeding the baby is on. For formula-fed babies, this increase may be slightlymore.

What to do if you are lagging behind in height and weight?

If a baby falls short of established height and weight standards after birth, the cause must be investigated. One of them may be a lack of milk from the mother if the baby is breastfed.

In this case, there are many ways to stimulate lactation. Pharmacies sell special teas and medicines to enhance breast milk production. Drugs such as Apilak and Lactogon can increase lactation. Of the folk methods, it helps to stimulate lactation by drinking tea with milk. Breastfeeding mothers are encouraged to drink more fluids.

If these methods did not help to increase the production of breast milk, then you should think about feeding your baby with soluble mixtures. A pediatrician will help you make the right choice.

Who sets the norm for the anthropometric data of children?

WHO (World He alth Organization) in 2006 developed and issued new standards that are responsible for matching the weight and height of the child.

The norms that existed before that have not changed for more than 20 years and were calculated for children who are bottle-fed. The former standards were overestimated by approximately 10-15% of the current ones. This is because formula-fed babies gain weight faster than their breastfed peers.

Therefore, according to WHO experts, the old standards could cause incorrectrecommendations for the introduction of supplementary feeding to babies, which increases the likelihood of developing obesity.

Normal weight and height of the child. How to measure?

Every parent is concerned about whether their child is developing normally. To do this, you need to measure some parameters: the weight and height of children, as well as head circumference. There are usually no difficulties with measuring weight, you just need to put the child on an accurate scale. Children's clinics have special facilities for infants. The weight of such children is measured by putting or putting them on the scales in a clean diaper.

To measure the growth of babies in children's clinics there is a height meter. You can also measure your baby's height at home. To do this, it must be placed on the floor (without shoes) with its back to a vertical surface. It could be a wall. It is most convenient to fix a height meter (it is sold in stationery or bookstores) on one of the walls in the child's nursery. The back of the child should be straightened, the arms should be along the body, the legs should be together, the knees should not be bent. In this case, three points should be in contact with the vertical surface: shoulder blades, buttocks and heels. Perpendicular to this vertical surface (in our case, the wall), we apply a triangle or other object with an angle of 90 degrees to the top of the baby, mark the mark. The weight and height of the children were measured, then we compare the obtained parameters with the table.

Compliance with the weight and height of the child at birth

According to statistics, at birth, babies weigh from 2600 to 4500 g. Their height ranges from 45 to 55 cm. Thisconsidered the norm. If a child was born with anthropometric data slightly lower or higher than these indicators, then you should not panic. Perhaps in the next month or two he will catch up with his peers.

A normal baby should triple its birth weight by one year of age.

Children's height and weight parameters are a very individual concept. Sometimes a baby born with low weight and height, by the age of one, overtakes his peers, whose birth weight was normal.

If the weight and height of children after birth are added too quickly, this may not be too good for their he alth. This, as a rule, can be observed with artificial feeding. Too intense an increase in these parameters can cause allergic reactions, low immunity of the child. In addition, overweight babies are less active and crawl and walk later.

In the children's clinic, the child must be weighed and his increase in height is measured. By monitoring these parameters and, if necessary, adjusting the nutrition of babies, parents can protect him from possible he alth problems.