12 Month Baby Weight Gain Chart
About Baby Weight Gain Chart
Many parents and especially new parents are normally in distress about their first child’s weight gain. They might think their child is either too small hence underweight and prone to diseases or even too big hence fret they might be obese. Well, this article will help summarize the ideal weight for your newborn child using the baby weight gain chart.
You will know when the right time for you as a parent to take precautions and visit a pediatrician for some profound check-ups on your child. Not forgetting the time that you as a parent need to just relax and liberate yourself from all forms of anxiety when your child starts to experience changes in their weight.
However, parents should have an assurance that not all children are the same and there are numerous contributing factors that could be predisposing your child to these rapid or sluggish weight variations.
Understanding Baby Weight Gain
Babies tend to lose their initial birth weight by 10% in the first few days after birth. Parents might start developing apprehension and angst because of this. However, they should understand that these transformations are very normal so they should not be alarmed.
When babies lose their initial weight it’s because their birth fluids which are no longer indispensable are being expelled from their bodies. In about 10-14 days, the child should start regaining weight at the rate of 140-210 grams per week in the first three months. In the event of this not happening, the parent should consult a doctor.
From 3-6 months, the baby’s weight starts slowing down to 105-147grams per week, and finally between the 6th-12thmonth the weight increases by 70-91 grams per week. Babies who exclusively feed on breast milk gain weight slower than artificially fed babies after 3-4 months. However, those who are breastfed are less likely to become obese than formula-fed infants.
The mother’s diet and health during pregnancy and also during breastfeeding contributes to the baby’s weight. Mal-nourished mothers and those who take alcohol and smoke cigarettes will pass down little nutrients to their infants, therefore, making the baby gain weight slowly.
Diabetic mothers will tend to have very heavy babies- bigger than the normal weight. In the baby weight gain chart, genetics plays a big role in whether the baby is going to be heavy or small.
New Born Baby Weight
According to research done by WHO, the average baby weight is about 7.5 pounds or might range between 5.8-10 pounds at birth. Some of the instrumental factors contributing to this are as follows.
- The mother’s diet before and during pregnancy.
- Parental health. This is whether the mother is a smoker, alcohol consumption, or has health issues like diabetes.
- Both parents’ weight- this is mostly genetically acquired.
- Age of the mother. Teen mums tend to have smaller babies.
- Sex of the child. Boys are mostly heavier than girls.
- If the child is the firstborn. Firstborn children tend to be smaller and lighter in weight compared to other subsequent children.
- If the babies are twins or other multiples. Multiples tend to be smaller and lighter in weight compared to singletons.
Weight Gain According To Baby’s Height
Although growth patterns in infants tend to vary, when one looks closely at how they progress in growth they all happen to follow a similar pattern. Most newborn babies range between 18-22 inches and their head circumference being 12 inches. From birth up to the 6th month, they add half to one inch monthly with a weight gain of 140-200 grams per week. In the 6th -12th month they gain one centimeter each month with a subsequent weight gain of 85-140 grams per week.
However, as a parent, when you realize your child does not fall under any of these categories, you should not be dysphoric because there are a number of elements that contribute to this. First, it reaches a particular period when the child’s growth rate in both weight and height remains stagnant or rather it appears to be very sluggish. This is very normal and should not worry about the parent at all.
Genetics also plays a big role when comparing a baby’s weight gain to its height. If any of the parents have a gene for dwarfism or slow growth in their family, then the child might end up gaining more weight than height in the first months after birth.
Sex also matters since boys mostly increase in weight and height faster than girls. Your doctor will know whether your child is increasing in weight and height normally by comparing your child’s weight and height with other children of the same sex and age as your child.
The baby weight gain chart shows that slow down in height and shoots up in weight can be quite alarming and medical assistance should be immediately sought. Measuring the circumference of your child’s head is also very paramount because it serves as an indication as to whether your child’s brain is growing.
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Weight Gain Chart According To Month
Each subsequent month from birth, the baby should be gaining weight gradually as required normally. However, the weight gain chart differs between boys and girls. This is what the baby weight gain chart stipulates about the child’s weight gain each month.
| BABY AGE | FEMALE:50th PERCENTILE WEIGHT | MALE:50th PERCENTILE WEIGHT |
| BIRTH | 3.2kg | 3.3kg |
| 1 month | 4.2kg | 4.5kg |
| 2 month | 5.1kg | 5.6kg |
| 3 month | 5.8kg | 6.4kg |
| 4 month | 6.4kg | 7.0kg |
| 5 month | 6.9kg | 7.5kg |
| 6 month | 7.3kg | 7.9kg |
| 7month | 7.6kg | 8.3kg |
| 8month | 7.9kg | 8.6kg |
| 9month | 8.2kg | 8.9kg |
| 10month | 8.5kg | 9.2kg |
| 11month | 8.7kg | 9.4kg |
| 12month | 8.9kg | 9.6kg |
FAQs On Baby Weight Gain Chart
What If My Baby Is Gaining Weight Slowly?
When your baby shows no improvement in weight gain according to the weight gain chart even past the third month, you should go visit your pediatrician for further consultation.
What could be mostly contributing to this is the fact that your baby might be sick? Certain diseases like anemia, ear infection, kidney complications, and other ailments could be making your child malnourished hence they gain weight very slowly as compared to other children.
Some other children are just naturally slow growers. This could be contributed by a genetic factor running in the parents’ predecessor generations. When a mother also decides to exclusively feed the child on pure breast milk and not include other artificial foods by weaning past the third month, the child will also gain weight very slowly
What Can I Do To Help Premature Babies?
Premature babies did not stay in the womb long enough for them to store enough nutrients for themselves. They, therefore, require special treatment and increased regular feeding intervals with supplements in their diet. For premature babies to be able to properly fit into the baby weight gain chat they should be fed a special type of milk called the human fortifier which supplements protein, iron, calories, and vitamins. When feeding them you can do it intravenously or through pipes that either run through the nose or mouth. This method of feeding is highly encouraged because using the normal methods of breastfeeding or bottle-feeding can be quite hazardous. With bottle-feeding, the child might not be able to control the flow from the bottle hence they predispose themselves to chocking. When breastfeeding, they might lack enough strength to suck enough milk therefore, they might end up becoming even more malnourished.
They should be fed at least 8-10 times a day with numerous supplies of vitamin D, iron, and other supplements.
My Baby Is Gaining Weight Not Height What Should I Do?
According to the baby weight gain chart, if your baby is solely gaining weight and not increasing in height as normal, it can be due to the following reasons.
Genetics. This is where dwarfism runs in the family’s inherited genes.
Health conditions like the absence of the required growth hormones like thyroxine.
Delayed bone growth condition. In this case, the baby tends to be shorter than average. These types of children end up experiencing puberty at a very late age. However, when they get older, they catch up with other adults.
The mother could have been under the influence of some drugs during pregnancy that ends up hindering the growth rate of the child.
Poor nutrition. This mostly affects mothers who live in places where famine has stricken or maybe they are generally paupers and cannot afford the proper diet.
Final Thoughts
The baby weight gain chart is very clear when it comes to indicating matters on how the baby should be gaining weight progressively from birth. If the parent has any queries or uncertainties regarding how their child is responding to weight gain, they should free to refer themselves to this chart.
What parents must understand is that not all infants are the same and probably theirs is a unique one. They should however never fail to consult doctors in scenarios where it appears their infant is experiencing some sort of abnormality. Knowing the baby weight gain chart helps parent to know if anything is wrong with the child and if they should consult a doctor.
