Monthly weight gain in children. Rates of growth and weight gain in newborns

You have a baby. You have been waiting for him for a long time, imagining what he will be like and how you will raise and educate him. But when it finally happens, you suddenly run into a lot of unforeseen problems. One of them, which never ceases to excite every young mother and all grandmothers in the world, is the rate of weight gain in newborns.

Normal weight for a newborn baby

"Reference point" of the weight of the newborn

Each newborn baby is examined by a pediatrician, and at the first examination, he is immediately weighed and measured for height (). Then the child, together with his mother, will remain in the hospital for another 4-6 days to be monitored by doctors. On the day of discharge, he is weighed again. It is from these 2 numbers - the weight in the first minutes after birth and the weight on the day of discharge from the hospital - that the subsequent weight gain of the newborn begins and largely depends. So:

Baby's weight at birth

All babies are born with different heights and weights, and The normal weight of a healthy baby at birth is between 2,700 kg and 3,700 kg. It should be noted that the initial weight of the child depends on a number of different factors:

Baby health.
Heredity. Mothers of high stature with high weight are more likely to give birth to large children, and vice versa: thin, short women give birth to small babies.
Paul. As a rule, boys are always born larger (heavier) than girls.
Maternal nutrition during pregnancy. With a high-calorie diet of a pregnant woman, the fetus usually gains a large mass.
The physical and psychological state of a woman. If a mother is unwell or during pregnancy she lived in a state of stress for a long time, then this may well affect the health and, accordingly, the weight of her newborn child.
Presence of bad habits in a pregnant woman. Of course, a smoker, and even more so a drinker and drug user, can give birth to sick children with insufficient weight.

Discharge weight

In the first few days of life, children lose some weight. Weight loss is due to several reasons:

Fluid loss. Once born, the baby begins to breathe, and a large amount of fluid escapes through its respiratory system and skin.
Power installation. In the early days, the baby drinks colostrum, and in small portions, until he gets better nutrition, and his mother begins to receive milk.
Adaptation to living conditions. We know perfectly well that the young seedlings transplanted by us from the greenhouse to the garden do not begin to grow immediately. Similarly, a child, having radically changed its habitat at birth, does not immediately get used to living in it.

Thus, discharge weight differs by about 6-10% from birth weight. And it is from this, second, number that it is customary to count the norms of weight gain for each newborn.

Weight gain rates

You and your baby were discharged from the hospital and you ended up at home. The kid has learned to eat, his digestion and heat-air exchange with the environment are gradually getting better, and he begins to grow rapidly.

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Video: child's weight

Reasons for weight gain or lack thereof

Weight gain depends on the following reasons:

Health. If the baby is sick, he eats worse.
Appetite.
Type of feeding: breast or artificial. Formula-fed babies usually gain weight faster.
The quality and quantity of food (mother's milk).
Child mobility. A person involved in sports is usually fit. Similarly, an active child is somewhat thinner than a couch potato.
Daily routine and meals. When feeding "by the clock" weight grows more slowly than "on demand".
age. In the first months, children grow faster, by the year growth slows down.

Be that as it may, scientists-specialists have established some average conditional indicators of the norms of weight gain in newborns.

Increase rates: table of weight of a child up to a year

The average data shows that usually weight gain in the first year of life is as follows:

During the first month, when your baby is still very young, it is considered normal to gain weight by 90-150 grams per week.
From the second, third and until the end of the fourth month, the baby should already gain 140-200 grams per week.
From the fifth month to six months, the weight is added again by 100-160 grams per week, and by six months, your baby's weight should approximately double.
Further, growth begins to slow down a little, and by one year the child weighs about 3 times more than it was at birth.

Table of weight of a child up to a year (clickable)

Deviations from the norm: is it worth worrying

Very often there are deviations from the above averages. This is too little or too much weight gain, which is also bad, because too fat guys become inactive and develop more slowly. In addition to possible diseases of the baby, the reasons for such deviations can be as follows:

Each person in his physiology is individual, and everyone grows differently: someone is a little faster, and the other is a little slower.
The norms of weight gain in all newborns of greater height are usually greater. So, if for a baby whose initial height was 52 cm, an increase of 170 grams is considered normal, then for a child with an initial height of 58 cm, it is already about 210 grams.
It often happens that boys gain weight faster than girls.
With artificial nutrition, babies get fat faster.

And many other reasons, which are different in each case, and it is possible to identify them only with an individual approach. And only after identifying these reasons, it is possible to give an accurate answer whether parents should worry about this and whether to take urgent measures. In any case, the rates of weight gain in newborns are averaged and approximate, and should not be taken as an ideal. And if you have any doubts about the growth of the child, it is best to take tests and consult with specialists. If you and your baby are healthy, then perhaps for the appearance of rounded folds on his body, it is enough to start feeding him on demand, often applying him to the breast, and this will solve the problem.

The weight of a newborn is one of the most important indicators of his health. If the baby is full-term, but weighs less than 2.8 kg, they say that he lacked nutrients in utero. But if doctors do not notice health problems, everything is in the hands of the mother. Feeding the baby with breast milk or artificial formula is her task.

The weight of newborns in the first days of life decreases. Excess fluid comes out of the body, weight is lost and with the passage of the original feces - meconium. And mommy in the first 3-5 days after giving birth has only colostrum, it is very small, enough only to satisfy her hunger, but not to make fat reserves. Normal weight indicators are reduced to 10%. That is, if a child was born weighing 4 kg, after 3 days he can weigh 3.6 kg. But by the time of discharge from the hospital, weight gain is already beginning in breastfed newborns, mommy has a lot of breast milk. Subject to active breast sucking by the child. If the weight continues to decrease with active breast sucking, this is a reason for examining the child. Perhaps there are problems with the digestive system or there is a congenital lactase deficiency. With the second reason, the baby often has green stools, severe gas formation, and a stomach ache during feedings.

Breastfed and formula-fed newborns gain weight from 500 grams per month. The norm is considered - from 600 grams and up to about 1.5 kg. Babies usually gain weight unevenly. For example, in the first month they can become heavier by 1.5 kg, and in the second by 500-600 grams. It is important that the trend of weight growth is maintained, and the overall increase fits into the normal. For example, it is believed that by 6 months, babies should gain the same weight with which they were born. For example, a child born 3.5 kg should weigh at least 7 kg.

In addition to the weight of honey. workers in children's clinics measure the size of the chest, head, height of the child. It must develop harmoniously. Physical and mental skills should be age appropriate. It often happens, especially in children closer to the age of one year, that the weight is slightly behind the norm, and the child himself is active and developed by age. Then doctors tend to consider this a variant of the norm, an individual feature. Perhaps the child just has a very active metabolism, and he himself is mobile, does not sit still, quickly spends the calories received with food.

Excessive newborn weight gain- a sign of overeating. It often happens in babies who are breastfed without any regimen and in artificial people who are offered too large volumes of the mixture or they cook it incorrectly (make it too saturated). To see what normal weight gain in newborns by months can be expected - see the table. If your child is gaining weight by leaps and bounds, normalize his diet.

1. If the baby suckles constantly, try to introduce at least small intervals between feedings. Although they say that you can’t overeat with breast milk, in practice it turns out that it’s very possible. And okay, weight, in children who eat too much, atopic dermatitis (diathesis) is more common, the stomach hurts more often, and infant colic lasts longer.

2. If the baby gains weight well on artificial feeding, you need to check with the pediatrician again about the norms for using the mixture per day. Your baby is probably just overeating.

What to do with poor weight gain and approximate norms

Feed tighter! This is the most correct answer to the question. If your baby is a little behind in weight while being exclusively breastfed, do not rush to introduce formula into his diet. This will reduce the amount of milk. Often such a lack of weight occurs in very young children. The weight of a newborn in the first month after birth does not grow well, if he likes to sleep, during feedings he dozes almost all the time, sucks inefficiently. Due to lazy suckling, the mother's milk production is reduced. Hunger in a child, of course, wakes up, but usually in the late afternoon, when mommy has almost no milk left in her chest. At least one that can be easily obtained, without active sucking.
The lack of weight in a baby of such a plan can be explained and “treated” by frequent attachments to the chest and attempts to wake the baby for feeding. To wake the baby, you can ventilate the room, turn on the TV, bathe, etc. Weight gain in premature babies for this reason is often insufficient. The child is small and lethargic. However, large babies born weighing 4 kg or more often like to sleep and are too lazy to suck.

If a mother wants to keep breastfeeding, it is necessary, without sparing herself, to keep the baby at her breast almost all day long. Immediately after waking up, breastfeed, do not allow to suck water from a bottle and a pacifier, only the breast. After about a week the situation is resolved. And if all is well, you can make the intervals between feedings a little longer, but no more than 3 hours during the day and 6 hours at night.

If the rate of weight gain in breastfed children cannot be achieved, for example, the mother has completely flat nipples, and the child does not want to suck milk through silicone pads, or frequent stresses, it is necessary to supplement with milk formula. Give it should be in feeding, when the child is definitely not full. Usually in the evening. Ideally, you can buy or rent an electronic baby scale and use it to weigh your baby for a couple of days before and after each feeding. Thus, it will be possible to estimate the amount of milk drunk, and it will become clear how much mixture should be given to the child and at what time of day. Just keep in mind that such supplements often lead to a decrease in HB and its complete replacement with artificial feeding.

In order to prevent the rapid end of breastfeeding and the child's refusal to breastfeed, one must not abandon attempts to increase lactation. Continue to breastfeed frequently, try different lactagons, drink more fluids, and be less nervous. When the level of how much a baby should normally add when breastfeeding is reached and even exceeded, it's time to gradually reduce supplementary feeding with a mixture. Only gradually. Many women have been able to transition from mixed feeding back to breastfeeding. The main desire. If something does not work out, you need to contact a breastfeeding consultant. It is in any more or less large city.
Does the rate of weight gain depend on the sex of the child? Hardly ever. Weight gain in newborn boys is about the same as in girls, with the same amount of food. A gap of literally half a kilogram is possible. But the growth of boys by the year, indeed, turns out to be a little more than that of little ladies. Girls gain weight and height faster than boys only closer to puberty.

The condition of children always worries parents, and the health and parameters of newborns are especially important. During this period, the body only adapts to live in our world. Systems and organs that did not function in the mother's womb are activated: respiratory, digestive and some others. Now the child not only breathes on his own, but also digests food himself. His further growth and weight gain in a newborn completely depend only on the enzymes of his intestines and on the digestive system. Moreover, if he receives mother's milk, which is maximally adapted to his needs, then artificial people are forced to digest what they have given. Now no one needs to be convinced of the benefits of breastfeeding, but not all mothers are ready to make some sacrifices and restrictions in order to preserve milk.

What is the normal weight gain for newborns? Immediately after birth, the baby loses some weight. Normally, this loss is 5-7%, but a loss of 10% can also be normal. Especially large ones lose a lot of weight. Already on the third day, the child adds a few grams for the first time, and from that moment his growth begins.

Thus, in the first month of life, weight gain in a newborn is uneven: minus and only then plus. Therefore, the increase for the first month is normally 600-800 grams. Not always weight gain in a newborn is normal. Each baby is individual: his appetite depends on the state of health, the condition of the intestines and nervous system, and even the mood and menu of the mother. Therefore, it cannot be expected that each newborn in 30 days will become exactly 600 or 800 grams heavier. For example, weight gain in a newborn, if he was born small, is faster than in large and plump babies at birth. They often suck almost around the clock, while their heavier peers sleep for a long time.

The pediatrician has a weight gain table for newborns and, having read it and compared it with the achievements of her child, the mother is rather surprised. In one month, such a baby can become heavier by 1.2 or even one and a half kilograms, that is, twice as much as the norm.

In general, the rate of weight gain in infants in the first six months of life is 1 kilogram every month. This is an indicative figure, and for a child who is breastfed, it practically does not matter. If the baby eats mother's milk, and at the same time he urinates at least 12 times a day, then it does not matter at all how much he added in a month. It can be 750 grams or 1.5 kg. More important is the correct weight gain of a newborn who is bottle-fed. It is impossible to overfeed with breast milk, but with a mixture - easily. Therefore, it is important to watch that too quickly, otherwise additional difficulties await him. Obesity from an early age hinders motor development and can adversely affect metabolism.

A baby, of course, must grow, and usually he does it quickly enough. But there are moments that should worry parents much more: for example, psychomotor development. Instead of weighing the baby after each feeding, it is better to buy him longer or give him a massage. It's much nicer and more useful.

A plump and well-fed baby is a kind of standard, so the insufficient “roundness” of the baby’s forms plunges the mother into a panic. There can be many reasons for "thinness". Some of them are harmless, others require attention. First, make sure that the problem really exists. Average tables of weight gain in breastfed newborns by months will come to the rescue. Their data is advisory and indicative. They help to understand whether it is worth starting to worry.

Despite the fact that there are normative tables, during routine examinations, the pediatrician takes into account not only weight gain, but also other indicators - skin color and condition, activity, compliance with the level of development for age, test results.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed average rates of weight gain in newborns, which are based on long-term observations of children, first on IV, then on breastfeeding.

Such tables make it possible to orient how the child corresponds to general trends. But you can’t completely rely on them, since each baby grows at its own pace.

Up to a year

The weight of newborn babies is normally from 2.5 to 4 kg. If it is larger or smaller, the child is respectively called underweight or large. The average rates of weight gain for infants by months are as follows.

The baby recovers most actively in the period from 2 weeks to 3 months. At this time, he has the right to gain from 500 g to 2 kg per month. For three months, the total weight gain is from 1.5 to 6 kilograms.

Breastfeeding babies often recover a little slower than their artificial counterparts. This is not a cause for concern if the baby otherwise feels well, and weight gain is not below the minimum WHO norm. The weight of a child at 4 months increases by 400-500 g, this bar is maintained even at 5 months. By six months, for the entire life of the baby, the total increase is usually at least 3-3.5 kg.

Approximately in half a year the tendency to decrease in increases is observed. Gradually growing up, the child gains less and less every month - from 400 grams at the beginning of the second half of the year to 200 grams per month by year.

According to pediatricians, large babies gain weight more intensively than children with medium or low weight. Genetics is responsible for the "correction" of the baby -

if everyone in the family is thin, and the baby is gaining weight closer to the lower limit of the norm, you should not worry that something is missing in the milk and the child does not eat up.

You can use a special baby weight chart:

It is believed that by six months the baby should gain as much as it weighed at birth - that is, double its weight. However, this is not a prerequisite, but only a guideline.

In the first few days of a new life, all babies lose weight a little. This is due to many reasons, for example, the loss of excess fluid, the passage of meconium. You can reduce physiological weight loss by making sure that the baby regularly receives colostrum - it begins to be produced even during pregnancy, and in the first few days, until milk comes, it is necessary to put the baby to the breast so that he learns to suck and is saturated with colostrum.

The baby does not starve - with frequent breastfeeding, colostrum is enough to maintain a feeling of satiety, but not to create fat reserves. This role will be assigned to milk, which will appear in a few days. Physiological weight loss should not exceed 8-10% of birth weight. In the case when the weight falls more strongly, a doctor's consultation is necessary: it may be necessary to supplement with expressed milk or formula.

After a year

Weight gain after the child is one year old becomes less intense, because he is much more active than he was before. Tracking the dynamics of weight is no longer required as carefully as in infancy - it is no longer the main indicator of normal development and is measured about once a year. More attention is paid to the harmony of development - the height-weight ratio is monitored.

In the form of a table, this information can be presented as follows.

These figures are the upper and lower limits of the average norm. Weight above or below these figures is considered high or low, respectively, and requires the attention of parents and a doctor.

Is it always worth worrying if the weight is higher or lower

In Western pediatrics, very little attention is paid to the issue of weight standards. They believe that the main indicator is the well-being and normal development of the child, corresponding to his age. Underweight is attributed to individual characteristics, and additional examinations are carried out more in connection with the problem of obesity, rather than underweight.

When breastfeeding, weight gain in a baby is an individual phenomenon. Therefore, small deviations from the average should not frighten parents if the child feels well and develops normally. The weight of the baby is often determined not only and not so much by the quantity and quality of feeding, but also by genetic predisposition. In families prone to overweight, babies grow plump, and in thin parents, a child can gain weight at the lower limit of the norm, weight gain in children under one year old is only an approximate guideline for a doctor.

Dr. Komarovsky is sure that the child should be relatively thin (if thinness is not associated with diseases) and active, and warns parents against overfeeding. Therefore, the mother does not need to try to fit the baby to the general standards and force him to eat more. But it is imperative to take measures to ensure that the baby receives enough nutrition - for this you need to properly organize breastfeeding or mixed if for some reason there is not enough milk and its amount cannot be increased.

big raise

Too active weight gain in infants is fraught with the problem of obesity. Excess weight harms the general well-being and the functioning of internal organs. If a child is gaining excessive weight while breastfeeding, this is a reason to contact an endocrinologist in order to detect the cause of excess weight in time. In most cases, an increase above the norm (recall, more than 2 kilograms per month in the first 3 months of a baby's life) is not associated with overfeeding and has other reasons.

There is no need to limit the child in breastfeeding, because for a baby on breastfeeding they also have a psychological aspect - this is contact with the mother, practically his “safe haven”, where it is warm, cozy and safe. Studies conducted by WHO show that it is unlikely that you will be able to overfeed your baby with breast milk.

In artificial babies, excessive weight gain is associated with a large volume of formula or improper preparation, due to which it turns out to be too nutritious. Since the child does not need to make great efforts to "prey" it, he easily eats more than necessary, starting to get better. In this case, you need to focus on the exact calculation: how much mixture per day a baby with this weight at this age needs. It is undesirable to feed with a mixture on demand - unlike breast milk, overfeeding with a mixture is quite possible.

If the dynamics of the baby's weight gain is higher than normal, the mother should adjust the feeding regimen or consult with the pediatrician about the amount of the mixture. A consultation with an endocrinologist would also be helpful.

underweight

There are many reasons why a baby does not gain weight well while breastfeeding. It is important to correctly identify it, because this is the only way to effectively solve the problem.

If the baby is not gaining weight or gaining little, pay attention to the following.

1. Technique of attachment to the chest.

This issue is important to resolve literally from the very first days, because improper attachment is fraught with trouble for both mother and child. If the baby does not latch on properly, it will be difficult for him to suck milk effectively. The breast is designed in such a way that milk can only be extracted from it using a certain sucking technique. Proper attachment provides such a technique, and milk literally pours into the baby’s mouth on its own, while the breast is well emptied, and the baby receives a lot of milk in one application.

With improper attachment, this does not happen, even if the baby is at the breast for a long time. In addition, when the attachment is incorrect, it hurts the mother during feeding, cracks, abrasions, and abrasions may appear on the skin of the nipple. Pain during feeding is a sign that you need to pay special attention to attachment to the breast.

In addition, with improper attachment, the child will swallow air during feeding. Air takes up space in the stomach and prevents the baby from eating the right amount of milk. Air provokes profuse regurgitation, thereby reducing the amount eaten.

In most cases, attachment is easy to fix, but there are situations when this is not enough: when some features of the baby interfere with breastfeeding correctly. Such features can be a short frenulum of the tongue - fortunately, it can be trimmed. Osteopathic problems can prevent the baby from extracting milk from the breast - the consequences of too fast or too slow childbirth, an unsuccessful intrauterine position. In this case, a visit to an osteopath will greatly facilitate the life of both the baby and the mother. And then you need to work on improving the application.

If the baby suckles inefficiently, and this cannot be quickly corrected, it is necessary to supplement the baby with expressed milk or formula. A lactation consultant or a pediatrician competent in matters of feeding can help organize and calculate the amount of supplementary feeding.

2. Diseases.

Infant illnesses can often be accompanied by some weight loss, especially if during the illness he refuses to breastfeed and eats less. If, due to illness, it has become difficult for the baby to suckle, it is worth feeding him with expressed milk along with breastfeeding.

To determine the cause of the shortage, you need to notice the accompanying symptoms. For example, due to frequent regurgitation, colic, and loose stools that accompany weight loss, problems with the gastrointestinal tract can be suspected. In this case, medical advice and assistance will be required. As a rule, in most situations, breastfeeding can be saved.

3. Feeding mode.

The first recommendation for weight loss is usually to increase the number of attachments. It is especially necessary to ensure that the baby really eats, and is not lazy and does not fall asleep on his chest without eating. In such a situation, feeding around dreams will help: it is advisable to feed the baby every time he wakes up, and at the end of each wakefulness. Also, with weak weight gain, it is imperative to support night feedings. Baby dreams should not be too long. Remember that the baby can easily sleep hungry, so in a situation with low weight gain, the newborn should be woken up and fed on demand. It is desirable that no more than 2-2.5 hours pass from the end of one feeding to the beginning of another during the day. But more often you can and should feed.

Frequent regurgitation without additional symptoms will tell the mother that part of the milk simply does not enter the baby’s stomach, so he gains little weight. In this case, it is worth trying to feed him more often, but in small portions, and be sure to wear a “column” after eating so that excess air comes out. And the problem of swallowing air is directly related to the correct attachment to the chest. A small amount of spitting up after each latch is normal for babies, but if you're experiencing a lot of spitting up in the face of low weight gain, it's time to see a doctor.

4. Hereditary factor.

A thin child in a family of slender and thin people should not cause worries - most likely, this is a hereditary feature and you should not try to “fatten” him if he gains weight within the WHO norm.

However, if, according to the norm tables, the baby has a very low weight, despite the fact that feeding is organized correctly and the baby is getting enough nutrition, you need to see a doctor to find out the reason why the baby cannot gain weight in accordance with the norm.

little secrets

Changes in the weight of the newborn is an important factor that still needs to be monitored. Of course, you should not try to fit it to the standards of the table, but this indicator cannot be completely ignored. If the baby has a shortage or excess in kilograms, parents should purchase home scales and independently weigh the child at least once a week.

The main thing that a mother should remember is that you should not immediately try to supplement the baby with mixtures if the deviation from the norm is not too large. It may come to mind that milk is “empty”, but milk cannot be empty, since its composition is ideally adjusted to the needs of the child.

If the baby does not eat enough of them, there may be errors in the organization of feeding, due to which the child receives less milk, and lactation is reduced due to lack of breast stimulation. In this case, efforts should be made to normalize lactation, and not switch to a mixture. But in a situation where the baby gained weight is much lower

norms, it’s not worth pulling with supplementary feeding. The introduction of supplementary feeding will help to quickly compensate for the lack of weight, at the same time, measures to establish breastfeeding will help to increase the amount of milk, and gradually supplementary feeding can be reduced or completely abandoned.

How to weigh a child

To keep track of your baby's weight at home, it's best to weigh him once a week at the same time of day. It is advisable to weigh the baby in a good mood so that he lies calmly on the scales for a few seconds, and the scale readings are as accurate as possible.

To find out if the baby has gained normally in a week, you need to multiply the resulting weight difference by 4. For example, if the baby gained 150 grams per week, then when multiplied by 4, you get 600 grams per month. For babies up to 3 months, such an increase is considered below average, but is within the normal range. Well, if the baby adds 200 grams per week, then it turns out 800 per month. It is advisable to control how the baby’s weight goes while work is underway to increase the amount of milk.

As for the control weighing, in which it is supposed to determine how much the child ate in one feeding, there is no special meaning in this measurement. The fact is that the norms for one feeding are often calculated based on the fact that the baby eats 6-8 times a day. But such feeding rhythms are more typical for artificial babies, and not for babies. Babies can be applied to the breast 12-18 times, in some cases even more often, which means that the portion for one feeding will be half as much, and for different feedings the baby eats a different amount of milk.

Wet diaper test

The wet diaper test is often used to estimate how much milk a baby is getting. To do this, it is necessary to abandon disposable diapers for a day and replace them with ordinary cloth ones, putting them aside after each wetting. By counting the number of wet diapers at the end of the day, you can determine whether the baby is getting enough milk.

from birth to 2 weeks. The number of wet diapers in the norm can be calculated by the formula: the age of the child in days plus 1;
up to 6 months - at least 12-14 wet diapers;

If you find it inconvenient to refuse disposable diapers, and you need to count the number of urination, you can put a gauze pad in the diaper and check if it has become wet every hour and a half. A disposable diaper will not tell if the baby has peed there once, and the wet gauze lining will not allow you to make a mistake. Thus, you can accurately calculate how many times a day the baby peed.

Please note: if you supplement your baby with water, you must take this into account when counting urination. A baby who gets a lot of water can write many times a day, but it’s bad to gain weight - because water does not help the baby get better.

Boys and girls: is there a difference in the increase

Of course, boys and girls gain weight differently. In infancy, boys almost always overtake girls in both height and weight, so the tables with standards show different graphs for both.

In order to find out how much a girl should weigh, you need to find exactly the “girlish” schedule, so as not to panic and not try to fatten her up to boyish norms. WHO specifically issues norms for boys and girls separately.

Of course, everything is very individual here too - there are large girls and fragile boys, the constitution, as already mentioned, often depends on genetics. Therefore, you do not need to be equal to the neighbors and comrades on the site. Each baby has their own, individual development program, and parents only need to create conditions for the baby to get enough nutrition and make sure that the weight gain fits into the age norms for his gender.

Every mom worries about how her baby is developing, especially if the child is the first in the family. Many are interested in the question: “What should be the indicators of height and weight in children under one year old, their increase by months?”. It should be noted right away that such values \u200b\u200bdepend on several factors:

the nature of the baby's nutrition;
the amount of food eaten;
whether there is a history of congenital anomalies - heart muscle defects, problems with the digestive system, etc.;
whether there is a hereditary intolerance to amino acids or lactose;
what is the activity of the baby.

All these moments play an important role in growth and weight parameters. In addition, every mother should remember that all children are individual, and it is impossible to exactly equal the parameters adopted by WHO. Especially if the baby looks cheerful and active. But, nevertheless, with a significant shortage, it is better to consult a pediatrician.

Normal weight of the child at birth and discharge from the hospital

Each baby is unique in its own way. A healthy baby is usually born with a weight of 2.7 to 3.7 kilograms. However, the final indicator depends on several external and internal factors:

The state of health and general development of the baby.
Of no small importance is hereditary predisposition. If the parents are tall and have an impressive weight, then their children will be large. For thin women, the situation is reflected exactly the opposite.
Due to certain physical characteristics, boys are always larger than girls. The situation is observed both at birth and in the process of general development.
Features of the diet of a woman during the period of gestation. The fetus gains kilograms in the event that the woman did not limit herself to high-calorie foods.
The child reflects not only the physical, but also the psychological state of the woman. If the pregnancy for her proceeded under stress, then the situation can negatively affect the development of the baby. Against this background, the newborn lacks several hundred grams to normal weight and looks thin.
Bad habits during pregnancy are very dangerous for a woman and her fetus. If mom abused smoking, alcohol or drugs, then she may have a child who is far behind in weight.

Body weight control of the baby should be carried out regularly

Additionally, it should be noted that after childbirth, children lose weight by a few grams. Such a sharp decrease in weight occurs against the background of the following factors:

The child begins to breathe on his own, so the fluid accumulated in the womb is removed from his body. The evaporation process takes place through the skin.
It is not possible to set the power mode immediately. During the first days of life, the baby eats in small portions, and the mother's milk is just beginning to be actively produced.
The kid gets into an aggressive environment to which he has not yet adapted. He needs a period to adapt and normalize the functioning of all internal organs. Therefore, a sharp weight loss can be attributed to a stressful situation. After a certain period, this will pass, and the baby will begin to rapidly gain weight.

Normal weight loss between delivery and discharge is within 10%. Subsequent weight gain is calculated based on the last digit.

How to calculate the optimal parameter for your baby?

It should be noted right away that the norm in terms of height and weight was calculated experimentally. Therefore, slight deviations are allowed. In addition, it is worth remembering about genetics. So, for example, if both parents are tall, then it is logical to assume that the baby will be somewhat ahead of their peers in growth. Conversely, in short and fragile people, the increase in the growth of the baby will be lower than generally accepted values.

It is believed that at birth a child should have a weight in the range of 2650-4500 kg, and in the first 7 days of life, he can lose 10% of the initial weight. With normal development, it is considered that a newborn should gain 800 grams every month. But this happens until the baby is six months old, and then the increase goes to 400 grams.

To calculate the optimal weight of the baby, you can use the following formula:
1. Up to 7 months: kg + 800 x N, where

kg - weight at birth;
N is the number of months lived.

2. After 7 months and up to a year: kg + 800 x 6 + 400 x (N-6), where

kg - weight at birth;
800x6 - the mass that the baby acquired in the first six months of life;
N is the number of months after the last 6 months.

But here it’s worth saying right away that doctors always look not only at the growth of children, but also at their mass, and compare their ratio. Only then can we judge whether the child develops harmoniously.

A newborn baby is born with a weight of 2.6 - 4.5 kg. From this weight, the increase and the due mass are calculated.

What increase should you aim for?

If you go online to any children's site, then there will always be a table of weight and height with "exact" values, on which many mothers begin to rely. But as mentioned above, each child is individual, so it’s not the indicators that should be calculated, but the increase values themselves.

And so that young parents have less worries about this, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the approximate figures in the increase in height and weight of newborns.

1. In the first month of life, the baby should add 0.6 kg in weight, 3 cm in height and should increase by 1-1.5 cm. Nutrition in this period should be every 3 hours and it is best if it is mother's milk. Otherwise, the volume of the mixture should be 80-120 ml.

2. By the end of the second month, another 600 grams should be added to the weight, 3 cm to the height, and 1.5 cm to the head circumference. Pauses between feeding should be 3.5 hours. At this time, many pediatricians recommend weaning the baby from night feeding. Therefore, if you listen to the recommendations, then weight gain may be less.

3. The third month is characterized by an increase of 0.8 kg in weight, 2.5 cm in height and 1.5 cm in head circumference. Feeding continues every 3.5 hours, but for "artificial" babies, a deviation from the schedule of 20-30 minutes is acceptable. The volume of food eaten increases to a mark of 130-150 ml. It is worth noting that this is a period of colic, which means that the baby's appetite may be somewhat disturbed.

4.4th month - + 750 gr, height - + 2.5 cm. The average feeding period is 3.5 hours for 150 ml. It is immediately worth noting that in the future the child will gain weight by 50 grams less than in the previous month.

5. At 5 months, the child adds 0.7 kg in weight, 2 cm in height. On average, now the baby should have a height and weight twice as large as those that he had at birth. At this stage, the child can already introduce complementary foods, but gradually, following his reaction. For example, they start with a teaspoon (without a slide) of applesauce, which after a week can be increased to 50 grams. By the 6th month, they can already replace one full meal.

6. In six months, the baby should add 650 grams, and grow another 2 cm. The child is harmoniously developed if the width of his shoulders is 1/4 in relation to the length of the whole body. In this case, the parameters of the head circumference should be less than the value of the chest circumference. At this age, the feeding interval can be changed to every 4 hours.

7. At the seventh month, the normal weight gain is 600 grams, and in height - 2 cm. The baby is fed every 4 hours. Usually at this stage, you can replace one breast milk meal with one serving of light porridge. It is best if complementary foods are in the morning.

8.8th month - 550 g will be added to the weight, and 2 cm to the height. Here you can already diversify the diet by adding dairy products to the diet - cottage cheese, baby yogurt, milk.

9. In the ninth month, the child will add half a kilogram and grow by 1.5 cm. Vegetable puree, dietary meat (chicken breast or rabbit), and half a chicken yolk (or a whole quail yolk) are already here. But any complementary foods are always introduced, starting with a teaspoon. Gradually, its amount should increase in volumes up to 150-180 ml / g. Otherwise, the child may get an allergy.

10. By the end of the 10th month, the average increase in children of this age is 450 grams. Height increases by another 1.5 cm. The baby can drink about 70-80 ml of fruit juice per day. Banana, peach, plums and black berries are added to the diet. You can add 5 grams of vegetable oil to the porridge.

11. At 11 months +400 gr in weight, +1.5 cm in height. Sea fish is introduced into the menu, making meatballs out of it or just mashed potatoes.

12.Year. By this time, the baby should weigh: kg (birth weight) x 3. And the approximate height should be 25 cm more than the original one. In addition to meat and fish dishes, vegetables should already be present in the crumbs' diet. During this period, you can gradually move away from mashed potatoes, making food finely chopped. This will help the baby develop motor skills of the hands and learn to eat on their own.

But it is immediately worth noting that all the values \u200b\u200bgiven are approximate. Therefore, if the height of the newborn or its weight do not match, you should not immediately panic. You just need to consult a pediatrician. In addition, teething should not be overlooked, as it is always accompanied by a decrease in appetite. And this means that in a certain month, the schedule for gaining mass and growth may go astray. But then the baby will “catch up” with his performance.

It is very important that parents monitor not only the growth of the child by months, but also his psychomotor development. In each period, the baby must have certain skills.

Important parameters of the physical development of the baby are not only weight, but also height, head circumference of the baby

What problems can parents face?

There are a number of things that can happen to a baby. As a result, there will be deviations in weight gain and growth parameters:

If the baby was born large (more than 4500 grams), then his performance will exceed the norm. It can also be observed in a child whose parents are prone to overweight or have diabetes.
Children with low weight may not gain weight due to intrauterine infection, placental insufficiency, or the presence of pathologies of internal organs.
Also important is the quality and volume of breast milk. If there is a lot of it and it is fat, then the baby will be larger than his peers. To understand that the crumbs have enough of everything, you need to pay attention to his behavior. Having sated, the baby will calmly fall asleep and not wake up for 3 hours. Otherwise, the child should be fed.

But before you measure the growth of a newborn, it must first be undressed. After that, the baby should be laid on the back on a special board with measurements and the legs should be completely straightened. In this case, the head should rest against the upper bar. Such a "tool" can be purchased at a children's store or just wait for a scheduled examination by a pediatrician. Up to a year, growth in children is measured every month.

In no case should you despair if the baby does not meet the "standard" parameters. You just need to pay attention to your relatives, maybe the kid just went to his grandparents in height and equipment, so he is taller or lower and thinner or fuller.