The weight and height of children are basic anthropometric indicators that indicate the development of babies. Already in the first minutes of a baby’s life, doctors examine him, assess his condition on the Apgar Scale, weigh and measure growth (length).
What affects the height and weight of children?
The following factors are of great importance to these basic anthropometric data at birth:
- Heredity.
- Gender of the child.
- Mom's lifestyle and nutrition during pregnancy, etc.
The growth of a child after it is born does not occur with the same intensity. In the first three months of his life, the baby grows most rapidly. Then the increase in growth decreases slightly.
Not everything is so simple with weight. This parameter is more dynamic and tied to growth. As a rule, in healthy children, the greatest weight gain is observed in the first months of life. In some children, it may be slightly larger, in others less, but on average it is about 800 g per month. It depends on what kind of feeding the baby is on. In children who are breast-fed, this increase may be a little more.
What to do when growth and weight lag?
If the baby lags behind the established standards of height and weight after birth, it is necessary to find out the reason. One of them may be a shortage of milk in the mother, if the baby is breast-fed.
In this case, there are many ways to stimulate lactation. Specialty teas and medicines are sold in pharmacies to enhance the production of breast milk. Drugs such as Apilak and Lactogon can enhance lactation. Of folk methods, it helps to stimulate lactation by drinking tea with milk. Nursing mothers are advised to drink more fluids.
If these methods didn’t help increase the production of breast milk, then you should think about feeding the baby with soluble mixtures. The pediatrician will help to make a choice.
Who sets the norm of anthropometric data for children?
WHO (World Health Organization) in 2006 developed and issued new standards that are responsible for the weight and height of the child.
The existing standards before this have not changed for more than 20 years and were designed for children who are breast-fed. Previous standards were overestimated by about 10-15% of the existing ones today. This is due to the fact that children who are breast-fed gain weight faster than their peers who are breast-fed.
Therefore, according to WHO experts, the old standards could cause incorrect recommendations on the introduction of feeding to babies, which increases the likelihood of obesity.
Normal weight and height of the child. How to measure?
Each parent is concerned about the question of whether his child is developing normally. To do this, you need to measure some parameters: weight and height of children, as well as head circumference. With the measurement of weight, usually there are no difficulties, you just need to put the child on the exact scales. In children's clinics there are special devices for infants. The weight of such children is measured by laying or sitting them on the scales in a clean diaper.
To measure the growth of babies in children's clinics there is a height meter. You can measure the growth of the baby at home. To do this, you need to put it on the floor (without shoes) with its back to a vertical surface. It could be a wall. It is most convenient to fix a height meter in the child’s room (it is sold in office or bookstores) on one of the walls. The child’s back should be straightened, arms should be along the body, legs together, knees not bent. At the same time, three points should be in contact with the vertical surface: shoulder blades, buttocks and heels. Perpendicular to this vertical surface (in our case, the wall) we apply a triangle or other object with an angle of 90 degrees to the top of the baby, mark the mark. We measured the weight and height of the children, then we verify the obtained parameters with the table.
Matching birth weight and height
According to statistics, at birth, babies weigh from 2600 to 4500 g. Their growth ranges from 45 to 55 cm. This is considered the norm. If the baby was born with anthropometric data slightly lower or higher than these indicators, then do not panic. Perhaps in the next month or two he will catch up with his peers.
With the normal development of the baby by one year, he should triple his weight at birth.
The height and weight parameters of children are a very individual concept. Sometimes a baby born with low weight and height, already by the age of his life, surpasses his peers, whose weight at birth was normal.
If the weight and height of children after birth are added too quickly, this may not affect their health too well. This, as a rule, can be observed with artificial feeding. Too intensive an increase in these parameters can cause allergic reactions, low immunity of the child. In addition, children with high weight are less active and later begin to crawl and walk.
In a children's clinic, a child must be weighed and his height increase measured. Watching these parameters and, if necessary, adjusting the nutrition of babies, parents can protect him from possible health problems.