At the time of delivery and subsequently on a regular basis during their first year of life, babies are weighed and measured. The World Health Organization (WHO) has growth charts that pediatricians use to record a baby’s height and weight; it’s useful to know where your child stands on the chart.
The growth of a healthy baby should follow a predictable trajectory. Babies should fall within the range for their age on a growth chart and maintain consistency in their individual growth pattern, even if they don’t need to weigh or measure at the precise average weight or length for their age. The average weight and length of newborns during their first year of life are shown here.
Average Weight for Babies
Keeping an eye on your baby’s weight is crucial to keeping track of their health. “Weight is an important indicator of a baby’s growth and development,” says Mona Amin, D.O., a board-certified pediatrician, Philips Avent partner, and proprietor of Peds Doc Talk, an online parenting resource, who practices in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Extreme weight gain or loss may indicate endocrine or metabolic disorders. Additionally, weight is a key indicator of successful feeding in the early months, according to her explanation. According to Dr. Amin, a baby that does not gain weight quickly in the first few months of life may be suffering from reflux that requires medical attention or is not getting enough calories.
Whether your kid is on the lower or higher end of the growth curve, the most important thing about their weight is that they are still gaining weight and staying there. Director of feeding, nutrition, and infant development at Pediatrix Neonatology of Florida Jenelle Ferry, M.D., believes that your baby’s weight should be monitored in relation to him or her rather than in comparison to other babies. “It can be challenging for parents not to compare their child to other babies, but each baby develops and grows differently, and there are a lot of different definitions of normal, so it’s crucial to make sure your child is on their own path and not someone else’s.”
Additionally, it’s crucial to remember that a newborn will start to lose weight right away, according to Dr. Ferry. She says that this is normal and anticipated, adding that by the time the baby is two weeks old, a healthy one should gain back all of their birth weight. They ought to keep growing along their growth percentile after that, according to her.
Average Baby Weight by Age
In the first year of life, babies grow and develop quickly. According to Dr. Ferry, “one way to make sure a baby is thriving and growing is to monitor their weight.” “Weight monitoring is a way to make sure a breastfed baby is getting enough milk.”
Average Baby Weight at 2 Months
Boys typically weigh 12 pounds, 5 ounces (5.6 kilograms) at 2 months of age. At two months of age, girls typically weigh 11 pounds, 4 ounces (5.1 kilograms). Babies typically gain one ounce of weight every day for the first three months of their lives.
Average Baby Weight at 6 Months
Baby weight should be doubled from birth to six months of age. At six months, boys weigh an average of 17 pounds 8 ounces (7.9 kilograms), while girls weigh an average of 16 pounds 2 ounces (7.3 kilograms).
Average Baby Weight at 12 Months
By the time a baby is one, their birth weight should have tripled. At 12 months, boys weigh an average of 21 pounds 3 ounces (9.6 kilograms), while girls weigh an average of 19 pounds 10 ounces (8.9 kilograms).
3-month-old baby weight calculator: What to know
The WHO growth chart is the gold standard for tracking a baby’s growth, but it’s critical to understand what it signifies to avoid unwarranted worry.
Keep in mind that healthy breastfeeding infants are regarded as the benchmark, and the WHO growth chart is based on full-term, mostly breastfed babies. Although formula-fed babies may acquire weight more quickly than breastfed babies during the first year of life, the CDC observes that the linear growth patterns of breastfed and formula-fed newborns are identical.
It’s more crucial to focus on whether your baby is regularly increasing length and weight when examining growth charts than it is to count how many pounds or inches they are gaining. Dr. Ferry advises parents to “remember that a growth chart is just an average of all baby weight ranges.” It’s not like getting a test pass percentage of 10%. The 10th percentile will contain 10% of all typical newborns.
If your infant has consistently been at or around the 50th percentile and then abruptly falls to the 10th percentile, there may be reason for concern. According to Dr. Mona, “this could be a cause for close monitoring or concern.” Significant variations between visits could indicate underlying medical issues that require attention.
Nor is being really low on the curve always reason for alarm. According to Dr. Amin, a physician may choose to keep a closer eye on a child who is below the third percentile in case the youngster doesn’t thrive. But I like to see this as a larger picture, she adds. “We can keep an eye on children who fall within the lower percentile but still meet milestones, sleep well, and don’t have any physical complaints,” the statement goes. “We do see some genetically small children.”
Using the WHO growth charts to track your baby’s weight and length will help you ensure that their first year of life is spent growing healthily. Although knowing the typical weight and length of a baby can be useful, keep in mind that the precise number doesn’t