Height And Weight

Answer 1

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How Child Growth Charts Work

After you have your baby, you will be taking them to their doctor about once a month for the first year of their life. When the baby is at the doctor, they will be weighed, measured and examined to make sure they are growing the right way. One of the ways that the doctor can check the weight of the baby is by using a weight chart. These charts can be misleading because some babies do not grow at the same rate as others.

At the first appointment, the weight and height of the baby will be recorded on a chart. At each visit, the current height and weight will be recorded and compared to the previous month. If there is a decrease in the growth, then the doctor may suggest adding solid foods or a larger variety of foods. The chart is based on percentiles. Doctors like babies to be in the 40% to 50% range. This means that they are average and growing like they should. A baby who is in the bottom half of the scale is usually smaller than other babies their age. Babies in the top half of the scale would be larger than babies of their age.

The height and weight of the baby will also be monitored based on his or her gender. Boys are typically larger and weigh more than girls, so they would be in a different percentile compared to a girl of the same age. A baby can be healthy and normal, even if they are in the bottom half of the scale. As long as the baby shows a steady growth at each doctor's visit, then it is usually not something that the doctor will worry about. However, if there is a drop in the growth that can be detected over a few months, then the doctor may suggest altering the diet. The same can be said for a drastic increase in the weight or height. If there is an increase, the doctor may suggest cutting back on some of the foods that the baby eats.