Most babies have similar growth rates. Their physical development is reported and noted by the pediatrician using a growth chart.
This curve is an indicator of the height and weight of babies and allows you to check whether your child is average, below the established standard or above the average.
However, keep in mind that your little one has its own growth rate. Do not dramatize if your baby has a low birth weight or if he was born prematurely and seems to be growing more slowly than other children his age. Generally, he will join them before the age of five.
Growth charts
When assessing a child's growth, three important things are measured: height, weight and head circumference. These measurements are then plotted or plotted on a growth chart, a graph that illustrates how quickly and how much a child is growing in relation to the age group to which they belong. Simply put, growth charts allow the doctor to visualize and track growth. To determine whether a child's growth is normal or not, one must compare hisgrowth rate at the average or normal growth rate of children of his age.
Because boys grow at a different rate than girls, different growth charts are used. In order to correctly assess the growth of a child, it is necessary to take into consideration the measurements at different points on the curve, at different times. In this way, the growth chart visualizes the child's "growth pattern and speed" through to adulthood. It is therefore an essential part of the child's medical file.
If you were wondering how many grams a baby takes per week, or how many grams a baby should take per day, here is the answer:
Your baby should grow about:
- 1 kg (2.2 lb) per month from birth to 3 months
- 500 gr (1 lb) per month from 4 months to 6 months of age
- 250 gr (1/2 lb) per month from 7 months to 1 year of age
- Thereafter, it will gain about 1.8 kg to 2.3 kg (4 to 5 lb) during its 1st and 2nd year of life.
- Your baby should double his birth weight by 4-5 months and triple by 1 year.
Growth chart chart for boys 0-36 months
Growth chart chart for girls 0-36 months
How often should my child be weighed and measured?
Wherever possible, have your child weighed and measured:
- within one or two weeks of birth,
- at one, two, four, six, nine, 12, 18 and 24 months,
- between four and six years old.
- Older children and adolescents should also be measured once a year.
What else are growth charts good for?
Growth charts can also provide very telling clues to gauge the severity of certain problems or symptoms. For example, when a parent believes that their child is not eating enough or is difficult at the table, the doctor will take into consideration their evolution in the growth curve. If the growth rate is normal, there is a good chance that the child will receive enough calories to grow, even if he is a picky eater.
In case of illness or in the presence of symptoms, the speed of growth (normal or abnormal) will give the doctor an important indication.
To check whether your child is drinking enough milk, you can count the number of wet diapers. After a week of life, he should wet at least 6 diapers per 24 hour period or at least 3 diapers.
As for his stools, they will turn from black (the first stool called meconium) to brownish, then yellowish. Baby can make 3 to 4 stools a day. During her first month, your newborn will take 20 to 30 grams a day.
