Despite the generally accepted statistics that give an idea of the optimal weight of babies, each child develops and grows according to his own individual program. Nevertheless, experts insist that all physiological and biometric indicators of newborns should be within a certain norm.
5 month old baby. Development
At this age, children are already beginning to recognize loved ones, react in their own way to familiar things, to the tone of treatment. Movements become systematic. The child begins to spin in a circle in the supine position, rolling and fingering, trying to crawl in his arms in a plastusky way.
At 5 months, the baby is able to sit with outside help or lean on the back of the chair. If you support it with your hand, then it can stand on straightened legs for a long time. The child’s spine by this age has not yet had time to finally get stronger, therefore long-term loads are contraindicated. A baby is recommended up to 3 hours in a walker per day.
Also, children have an interest in adult food, plates, spoons, cups. At this age, a child can not only consciously capture small objects, but also choose from them the most interesting and bright. Gradually, the child begins to walk loudly, as his vocal chords develop. He really likes these piercing sounds, therefore, the baby can “sing” so for a long time, sometimes to dry mouth and coughing.
Also, by the age of 5 months, many children begin to break through their first teeth. Most often, this is the front lower tooth (left or right).
Russian weight standards
Domestic standards of physiological indicators of children are slightly different from modern international ones. So, at 5 months, how much should a child weigh, according to Russian pediatricians? The minimum threshold is 5.9 kg and the maximum is 8.3 kg.
It is worth noting that from a physiological point of view, boys should weigh more than girls, since they are larger and develop much faster. Domestic standards in this criterion coincide with international ones.
The weight of the boy at 5 months should be from 6.1 to 8.3 kg. In this case, the growth can be from 61 to 67 cm. The weight of the girl at 5 months should be in the range from 5.9 to 7.7 kg. Growth rates can vary from 60.7 to 66 cm.
In modern pediatrics, the circumference of the head and chest are also important characteristics of the norm of development of the infant. In boys and girls, indicators can vary by 3%. The norm of the head and chest circumference is 40.3-44.6 cm and 40-44.5 cm, respectively.
International Weight Standards
International standards have a broader scope of what is permitted. So, the weight of the child at 5 months, according to foreign pediatricians, can vary from 5.4 to 9.3 kg.
Norm indicators for boys will be from 6 to 9.3 kg. Their height should be at least 61.5 and not more than 70.1 cm. The norm of weight at 5 months for girls is from 5.4 to 8.7 kg. Moreover, their growth can vary from 59.6 to 68.5 cm.
Such a wide range of indicators is aimed at the variability of the physical structure and anthropometry of the body. As you know, in different parts of the world, children are born with different characteristics. In Peru, for example, the average adult is not higher than 1.55 m, and in Serbia, growth of 1.9 m is considered normal. Accordingly, the standards of the weight category are changing. The indicators of the circumference of the head and chest according to international standards do not differ from Russian.
Weight analysis and assessment
Any deviation in the indicators may indicate pathological changes. However, there is such a thing as physiological error. This means that each organism develops in its own way, so there is a framework of permissible deviations.
Within the norm, there will be indicators of weight more or less than generally accepted standards up to 7%. This applies equally to girls and boys at 5 months. How much should the child weigh in this case? Normally, there will be indicators from 5.5 to 9.9 kg for boys, for girls, from 5 to 9.2 kg.
If the deviation is from 7% to 14%, then this indicates a tendency to underweight or obesity. Indicators that exceed 14-15% require special diagnostics by the attending physician. If the deviation is more than 20%, therefore, drastic measures are needed to stabilize the weight, that is, correction of nutrition and daily routine, massage, etc. In rare cases, doctors prescribe special preparations for children on an herbal basis.
As for growth indicators, their deviation should not exceed 10%.
Adequate weight assessment
According to statistics, about 10% of children have physiological parameters that are far from normal. Deviations in their weight range from 1% to 30%, but at the same time, the kids develop well and do not experience problems with food and movement. The generally accepted medical assessment of the physiology of the child is far from ideal, since it does not take into account many biological factors.
In real life, the deviations can be much larger than on paper at any age of the child, in particular, and at 5 months. How much should a child really weigh? Deviations should be detected in dynamics, that is, over a certain period of time.
If the baby loses weight from 6% to 10% per week, then this is the norm. At the age of 5 months, children begin a very active lifestyle, which was previously inaccessible to them. Also, the child begins to have taste preferences in food, the desire for food from a spoon, and not from a bottle. All these factors affect weight loss. A similar situation is with extra pounds. Perhaps you just need to make the child move more, motivating him with his favorite toys, new items, music.
If deviations from the norm are more than 25% during the week, then you should think about changing the diet and the appropriate course of prevention.
The importance of body mass index
Often, the weight and height of the child is much more or less than generally accepted standards. At the same time, one should not fall into despair. If the baby develops normally, then such deviations can be caused by its physiological characteristics.
To check the optimal development of the child should calculate the body mass index. This is an extremely important parameter that allows you to adequately assess underweight or overweight.
The index is calculated according to the formula: body weight is divided by the growth rate squared (m / h 2 ). Measurements should be taken in kilograms and meters, respectively. The limits of the norm of the mass index at 5 months in boys are from 15.9 to 18.9 kg / m 2 . In girls, a similar range is from 15.4 to 18.4 kg / m 2 .
The mass index should be calculated by the local pediatrician every month for up to one year, and then quarterly for up to 3 years.
Dependence of weight on the term of delivery
Children with a clear lack of body weight are often premature. This applies to childbirth at 7 and 8 months. In these cases, children can be born with a weight of 2 kg or more. Growth rates also differ from the norm.
However, over time, accelerated weight gain occurs. At 5 months,
premature babies can have a body weight of 4.8 to 6 kg. In this case, their physiological development is considered normal. Thus, at 5 months, how much should a baby weigh if it is premature? The limits of permissible values are from 4.6 to 9 kg.
The situation is similar with
transferred children, whose birth weight can reach 5.5 kg. In this case, by 5 months of age, the acceptable indicators will be from 6 to 11 kg.
Proper nutrition
In order for the child to gain optimal weight, the main feeding should be exclusively breastfeeding. At the same time, the baby can suck mother’s milk both before bedtime and during it.
It is important that the weight of the baby at 5 months is within normal limits. Therefore, feeding by this age should be timely and complete.
From the age of 4 months, children begin to be distracted by extraneous noise and even rustling. Therefore, feeding places should be as quiet as possible. Such conditions must be observed up to the 7th month of the baby's life.
When feeding, you need to ensure that the child sucks out all the milk and remains full. The regime at this age is especially important. If the baby does not finish eating, then very soon he will again ask for breasts.
The effect of complementary foods on weight
Introducing new foods into the diet of a 5-month-old baby should be gradual, as its digestive system is used only to a homogeneous liquid food. Feeding favorably affects the normalization of the weight of the child. In case of obesity, you can introduce an additional vitamin diet, and with underweight, new nutritious foods.
It is better to start complementary foods with buckwheat or rice porridge. They not only normalize the
weight of the child at 5 months, but also strengthen his immune system. Their advantage is the rapid absorption and minimal likelihood of an allergic reaction.
Subsequently, you can enter in the main menu vegetable and fruit purees. It is recommended to start with broccoli, cauliflower and pumpkin. Further, you can diversify the diet of mashed potatoes from zucchini, potatoes, carrots and fruits.
Juices at this age are indicated only for children not prone to allergies. Important in 5 months for the baby's body will be getting enough protein. For this, a low-fat baby curd is ideal.