Growth chart and average weight for babies, toddlers

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was consulted with Specialist II Chung Thi Mong Thuy - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatal, Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital.
Child growth chart is used worldwide as a data to help general assessment of baby's physical development. Based on the growth chart, you can judge the weight of the child lying in threshold and whether the child's growth rate is appropriate or not.

1. What is a baby growth chart?

The most popular growth chart released by the World Health Organization (WHO) with indicators specifically for boys and girls. Commonly tracked metrics are height, weight, weight-to-height ratio, and body mass index. In addition, head circumference is also an indicator used to partly assess a baby's development. The charts are divided by different ages for easy monitoring by parents and medical professionals.
Many parents wonder if their child is older or younger than other children of the same age. A growth chart is a tool that helps you see how your child's weight and height compares to the average weight and height of other children his age.

If weight and height are within normal limits, your child is growing properly and is healthy
Each child has their own growth chart with different growth rates and weight and height changes change differently. What's more important is that your baby is growing steadily.

2. Instructions for tracking children's growth chart

In the child's health book, there is a growth chart printed that will help the mother more conveniently monitor and evaluate the child's growth.
The mother measures the child's weight, height, BMI, head circumference every 1, 2, 3 or 6 months and marks the index on the chart at the corresponding month position. weight and height reference point averages within the 10-90% percemtile range may deviate from the mean, but it is not as important as the curve showing growth over time. If the curve doesn't go up or down for a long time, that's an alarming sign. Your baby will need to be evaluated more closely by experts and need many changes in diet and activities.

In addition, parents can refer to the child's height and weight in the table:

For premature babies, mothers should use a chart for adjusted age (not age since birth) on a chart specifically for premature babies.

3. What factors can affect a child's weight and height?

Inheritance from parents is the deciding factor in 23% of children's height. But there are other factors as well:
Gestational age : If your baby is born past due, he or she may be larger than average, and if born prematurely, he may be smaller. (Because low birth weight babies are often born early, they also tend to be smaller.) Health status during pregnancy. If you smoke or eat poorly during pregnancy, you'll be more likely to have a small baby. If you gain too much weight during pregnancy or have gestational diabetes, you'll be more likely to have a larger baby. Gender: Girls are usually slightly smaller (length and weight) at birth than boys. Give your baby breast milk or formula. During the first year, breastfed babies gain weight more slowly than formula fed babies, and babies gain weight faster after about 3 months of age. (During the first few months, breastfed babies grow faster.) By age 2, breastfed and formula-fed babies weigh about the same. Hormones: If your child has a hormone imbalance, such as low growth hormone or low thyroid hormone, it can slow his or her growth. Medications: Certain medications, such as regular use of corticosteroids, can slow growth. Health problems: If your child has a chronic illness (such as cancer, kidney disease, or cystic fibrosis) or any disorder that affects his or her ability to eat or absorb nutrients (such as problems gastrointestinal problems), the child's development may be slowed. Genetic factors: In addition to a child's overall genetic makeup (e.g., a tall child's mother and father), having certain genetic conditions - such as Down syndrome, Noonan syndrome or Turner syndrome - may affect the child's development. Sleep: Newborns grow after sleeping, so if your baby is getting enough sleep, they can help their best development too.

4. What does the growth chart percentage mean?

Percentile growth chart for the height and weight (or length for infants) of children of both sexes in the 50th percentile, which is the average. Anything higher means your child is older than average. Lower numbers mean children are younger than average.
Usually, your doctor will calculate your child's weight and height as percentiles. For example, if your child is in the 75th percentile for weight, that means 74 percent of children of their age and sex weigh less and 24 percent weigh more.
Doctors often use different growth charts depending on your child's age. Children under 2 years of age as measured by World Health Organization (WHO) charts, based on healthy growth patterns for breastfed children and validated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics. When your child is 2 years old, the doctor will likely use the CDC growth chart.
Children in the period from 6 months to 3 years old are very susceptible to respiratory problems, respiratory infections, skin diseases and gastrointestinal infections,... Parents need special pay attention to the care and provide adequate nutrition for children. Parents should supplement children with supporting products containing lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, and B vitamins to help fully meet the nutritional needs of children. At the same time, these essential vitamins also support digestion, enhance nutrient absorption, help improve anorexia, and help children eat well. Parents can simultaneously apply dietary supplements and functional foods derived from nature for easy absorption. Do not forget to regularly visit the website vimec.com to update useful baby care information.

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Reference source: babycenter.com