The first and most important numbers on the treasured tag, which you will keep for life, are the weight and height of your child. The weight of a newborn baby is the main indicator of the baby’s health. What is the normal weight of a child at birth?

The weight of a newborn baby is determined by several factors:

• time of birth of the child (if the baby was born ahead of schedule, his weight will naturally be less than that of full-term babies);
• the build of the parents (for example, a child weighing 2900 grams in a miniature mother will not be considered a pathology than one weighing 5000 grams);
• what kind of child does the woman have (second and subsequent children, as a rule, are born larger than the first);
• lifestyle and health expectant mother during pregnancy and before (unbalanced nutrition, frequent stress, smoking and drinking alcohol lead to the birth of underweight children, and abuse of high-calorie foods leads to the birth of very large children; if there is an Rh conflict between mother and baby, the birth of a larger child is possible) .

On average, the normal weight of a child at birth is from 2500 to 4500 grams. Moreover, boys are more often born with a weight greater than that of girls. But if a newborn baby has a small weight, do not worry, because the concept of “normal height and weight” is very relative: by 6 months or a year, most children catch up with babies with a normal weight.

Newborn baby weight change

In the first days of life, the child loses about 150 - 200 grams. This is completely normal and caused by natural physiological reasons: the intestines are cleared of the first stool (meconium), swelling goes away. In addition, while receiving the necessary nutrients “from the mother”, after birth the child has not yet fully adapted to obtain food on his own, and the feeding regime has not yet been established. By the 4th - 5th day of life, the weight stabilizes, and from approximately the 10th day it begins to increase steadily.

In addition to monthly weigh-ins at the children's clinic, a young mother should also have scales at home to monitor her baby's weight. To properly monitor a baby’s weight gain, it must be weighed every week under the same conditions (day of the week, time of day, diapers). It is important to remember that children in breastfeeding, gain weight more slowly than the so-called “artificial” ones. Therefore, feeding the baby on demand is the basic principle of breastfeeding.

During the first month of life, a baby gains an average of 500 grams. By the end of the second month, the total increase is already about a kilogram.

After six months, the weight no longer increases so rapidly: approximately 300 - 400 grams per month. By the age of one year, your baby will weigh on average from 9 to 13.5 kilograms. Using the newborn weight gain chart, you can determine how the baby is developing.

If a child receives enough food, he develops harmoniously and generally feels good. That is why it is so important that there is just enough food, no more or less, because excess weight can cause diathesis.

During the first year of life, not only the child’s body weight intensively increases, but also his height. So, in 12 months your baby will grow approximately 1.5 times.

What should you do if your child is losing weight or not gaining weight?

The main thing is not to worry! After all, with frequent unnecessary worries, the mother may produce less milk or it may disappear altogether, which is why the baby will be constantly hungry.

Possible reasons for weight loss may be:

• insufficient amount of breast milk;
• improper attachment to the breast (in this case, the baby sucks only the “front” milk, which is more liquid);
• child hyperactivity;
• inferior;
• as well as various diseases.

In any case, parents should seek help from a pediatrician to rule out possible feeding errors and the presence of any diseases.

Height, body weight, head and chest circumference are the main anthropometric measurements with which the pediatrician evaluates the physical development of the child. Norms for height and weight gain of a child established by WHO. However, they differ for breastfed and breastfed children. artificial feeding. Breastfed babies gain weight more slowly than their formula-fed peers. Breast milk has an optimal composition, is better absorbed and contains substances that promote absorption and protect the baby from infections.

Height

The height (body length) of a newborn depends not only on heredity, but also on the quality of the mother’s nutrition, the state of the uteroplacental blood flow, the sex of the child, etc. The body length of newborns normally ranges from 45 to 55 cm.

The increase in the baby's height after birth occurs according to certain patterns:

• The baby grows most intensively in the first 3 months of life, “stretching” by an average of 3 cm every month.
• From the 3rd to the 6th month, the baby gains 2.5 cm every month,
• From the 6th to the 9th month, the child grows even more slowly; the increase is 1.5–2 cm per month,
• From the 10th to the 12th month - 1 cm per month.

Over the course of a year, a baby grows by an average of 25 cm, and at one year old his height is already about 75 cm.

Weight

The average weight (or mass) of a full-term newborn is 2600–4500 g. In recent decades, there has been an acceleration of biological development, and therefore babies are “heavier”: the birth of 5-kilogram heroes is now not uncommon.

Breasts grow and gain weight by leaps and bounds. True, this does not happen right away.

To estimate a baby’s weight, doctors use special formulas to calculate the so-called proper body weight. For example, a child’s body weight in the first six months of life is determined by the formula: Body weight = birth weight (g) + 800xN, where N is the number of months

From the beginning of the second half of life, the rate of weight gain decreases, and the formula becomes more complicated: Body weight = birth weight + 800x6 (weight gain in the first 6 months) + 400x(N–6), where N is the number of months (from 6 to 12).

Simplified, this formula can be reduced to the following scheme: · at 6 months, the average weight of the baby is 8200 g; · for each subsequent month add 400 g; · and for each “extra” - 800 grams are subtracted.

Weight is a more dynamic indicator, in contrast to “stable” growth, and therefore weight is “tied” to growth in order to determine the harmonious development of the child. Thus, a body length of 65 cm corresponds to a body weight of 8000 g. The ratio of height and weight is determined by

Large babies at birth are usually heavier than their peers throughout the first year of life. The same babies, whose weight at birth was less than 3300 g, from the second month of life should catch up with their peers, and, therefore, grow faster than them in the first month, i.e. add 100–300 g more than normal.

Other options

When examining a baby during the first year of life, the pediatrician must measure not only height and weight, but also head and chest circumference.

The newborn looks touching: a big head and a fragile little body. But this is the norm. The head circumference of a newborn is 2–5 cm larger than the chest circumference and is 34 cm.

At the age of 3–5 months, head circumference and chest are compared, and then the breasts begin to grow faster and outstrip the growth of the baby’s head. If this does not happen, the doctor may suspect the presence of a pathology. At six months, the average baby's head circumference is 43 cm.

This means you can make calculations: for each subsequent month after the sixth, 0.5 cm is added, and for each missing month, 1.5 cm is subtracted.

Similar calculations for chest circumference are made as follows: at 6 months, the chest circumference is 45 cm; after the sixth month, the chest circumference increases by an average of 0.5 cm per month.

If the child is not yet six months old, we subtract 2 cm for each missing month. By one year, the chest circumference is 47–48 cm.

When assessing proportionality physical development The doctor also focuses on the data of special tables, which determine the correspondence of body weight and chest circumference to the child’s height. If the weight and chest circumference correspond to the body length, then they speak of the harmonious development of the child. If they deviate in one direction or another, then there is a lag or advance in the dynamics of physical development indicators, which is the reason for careful medical monitoring of the child’s health and nutrition.

Young mothers are usually very sensitive to the anthropometric indicators of their child. And this is absolutely correct, because these indicators to a certain extent reflect the state of the child’s health, his appetite and other features of the body’s functioning. The only thing I would like to warn parents against is drawing independent conclusions. If in any doubt, it is better to consult a doctor.

Young parents are interested in how much a newborn should weigh. Excitement occurs if the baby was born weak, with low body weight. Sometimes concerns arise if a strong baby weighing more than 4.5 kg is born.

Pediatricians recommend a table that shows the average weight of a newborn baby. Compare your baby’s indicators with the norm, and you will understand whether the newborn receives enough nutrition, whether the entire volume of breast milk or nutritional formula is completely absorbed. The article identifies factors influencing changes in body weight in children early age.

What affects the weight gain of a newborn

The dynamics of the weight of a tiny person depends on many reasons. Only a pediatrician can decide how optimal the rate of weight gain is after examining the baby, talking with parents, and finding out feeding methods.

Main factors:

• gender of the child. Statistics say: in most cases, boys gain weight faster;
• hereditary predisposition. Parents' complexion, features of body growth childhood at mom and dad's;
• nutritional features of a nursing mother. When the quality of milk deteriorates and an unpleasant aftertaste appears, the newborn sucks weakly at the breast and drinks a smaller volume of nutrient fluid;
• type of feeding. Artificial babies often gain weight more actively due to the content of sugars, fats, and palm oil in cheap milk formulas;
• newborn health. Weak children with congenital pathologies, birth injuries, and various diseases gain weight worse;
• feeding regime, free or clearer daily routine. Babies who receive a portion of breast milk “on demand” increase their body weight faster;
• baby's mobility. Energetic, active toddlers spend more energy, weight gain is slightly lower than a couch potato;
• baby's appetite. Each child is an individual. Some babies greedily suck on their mother’s breasts, drink every drop, others lazily, leisurely smack their lips, do not want to strain, and often fall asleep during feeding. It’s easy to guess: in the second case, the child does not always choose the prescribed amount of milk; body weight with inactive absorption of nutrient fluid will be slightly lower;
• age of the toddler. The weight gain of a newborn is not the same in different months. The baby’s weight increases most actively from the first to the third month, later the indicators decrease.

When breastfeeding, the baby cries and asks to be fed according to his needs. When artificial feeding, you cannot increase the norm. milk formula, so as not to overload the tiny stomach of a newborn. Choose another option baby food with a higher concentration of nutrients and valuable fats, but it is undesirable to significantly overestimate the volume of the mixture for each feeding.

Table of norms and deviations in baby weight by month

Pay attention to useful information. Compare the table value with the numbers you received during weighing. Check to see if the numbers are much different. Please note: in the “Norm” column there are no exact indicators; minimum and maximum values ​​are indicated.

Features of weight gain in babies of the first year of life

Moms and dads will need information about the rate of weight gain in young children. Do not worry if in certain months the scales show an increase of 500 g instead of the required 600 g: fluctuations are acceptable.

There is a minimum below which weight gain should be alarming. Is your toddler's weight much less than normal? Be sure to show your child to the pediatrician, consult a gastroenterologist or neurologist.

Note! After birth, the baby’s weight decreases, the indicators decrease throughout the week (losing up to 5–10%). There is no need to worry: this is the norm, not a pathology. There are several reasons: there is no clear feeding regimen, meconium (original feces) is excreted from the body. During childbirth, the baby experiences severe stress and adaptation to an unfamiliar world occurs. A small proportion of body weight is lost by drying out of the umbilical cord. After 7–10 days, the baby’s body weight will be restored.

How does a baby gain weight during the first year of life?

• from 1 to 3 months. The baby sleeps most of the time, little energy is spent, the only type of food is nutritious breast milk or mixture. The baby gains from 20 to 30 g per day. The minimum threshold for weight gain is 460 g, some children “eat up” up to 1 kg per month;
• from 4 to 6 months. The baby is actively learning the world, begins to roll over, tries to sit up, energy consumption increases. An increase in energy consumption slightly reduces the increase in grams to 500–800 per month;
• from 6 to 9 months. The baby crawls, sits, tries to get up in the crib, receives not only full-fat mother’s milk or formula, but also vegetable puree and fruit. The little fidget gains from 300 to 600 g per month;
• from 9 months to a year. The little one does not want to sit still, actively explores the room, and enjoys doing both quiet and active activities. The baby receives a variety of complementary foods, but calories go to cover increased energy costs. The more mobile the child, the lower the increase in body weight. Depending on the gender and activity of the baby, the increase ranges from 100 to 500 g, on average – 350 g.

How much weight should newborns gain? Over the course of a year, the weight of a toddler increases almost 3 times: at birth, indicators range from 2.8–4.5 kg. By 12 months, babies weigh about 11 kg.

Causes of poor baby growth

Parents often notice that the baby is growing poorly, and body weight is practically not increasing. What factors cause disruption of the dynamics of weight gain in newborns and children under one year old?

Main reasons:

• lack of milk in a young mother. The child eats actively, but does not get enough. It is not difficult to recognize the problem: the baby suckles at the breast, then suddenly breaks away from it, tries to feed again, pulls the nipple towards itself, cries;
• low fat milk. The reason is the mother’s poor diet, poor diet, lack of high-calorie foods. The problem often arises if a woman is trying to lose extra pounds gained during pregnancy;
• dysbiosis. The newborn receives enough milk or infant formula, but the food is poorly digested if the composition of the intestinal microflora is disrupted;
• improperly organized feeding. Reasons: the baby or mother is uncomfortable, relatives are distracting, the baby is hot/cold, other family members teach what to do during feeding. Sometimes older children, out of jealousy, interfere with feeding their younger brother/sister, deliberately tug at their mother’s hands, scream, and demand attention;
• Frequent regurgitation after feeding. The baby drank enough milk or ate the entire formula, but after 5–15 minutes some of the food poured back out of the ventricle. You can’t immediately put the baby in the crib; you need to carry the little one around the room in a “column”: this will release excess air;
• strict feeding regime. The mother feeds the baby strictly according to the clock, does not take into account psychological characteristics crumbs. Tearful, weakened children do not have enough quarter of an hour to get enough: slow babies suckle for 30–40 minutes, only then do they get enough. If you stop feeding earlier, “as scheduled,” the little one will simply remain hungry;
• neurological diseases develop. Poor coordination of facial muscles and underdevelopment of certain parts of the oral apparatus negatively affect the quality of feeding. Ask your pediatrician for help pediatric neurologist if the newborn sucks poorly, has difficulty sucking the breast, often pulls away from the mammary glands, and cries;
• the baby is sick. One of the reasons why children drink less milk than they should. During illness, many babies lose precious grams. Some babies recover less well during teething.

On the page, read about the benefits of badger fat for children and how to take it.

What to do if your child is not gaining weight well

• do not panic. You can’t reproach yourself for being a “bad mother” and not feeding your baby enough. Often, panicky moods are fueled by grandmothers who think that the baby is “thin and pale.” Excess weight the baby has the same serious problem as exhaustion. Focus on your little one’s well-being, consult a pediatrician, and monitor their behavior. In the first six months, the baby gains weight from 800 to 1000 g from 1 to 3 months, from 600 to 800 g from 4 to 6 months (girls - less, boys - a little more);
• Do not force feed your baby. The desire to give more milk often ends in whims, spent nerves. The baby knows how much food he needs: a hungry baby will ask for the breast earlier. With artificial feeding, excess nutritional mixture is poorly absorbed, causing digestive problems;
• Carry out an in-depth examination. Often, after undergoing tests and visiting specialists, diseases with a latent course are revealed. Neurological disorders, gastrointestinal tract defects, and jaw pathologies often cause poor milk digestibility. Only by curing the disease can weight gain be normalized;
• proper organization of feeding. A calm environment, peace of mind, sufficient rest for mommy, the absence of irritants (loud music, older children running nearby, intrusive attention from relatives) are prerequisites for proper feeding;
• choosing the appropriate mixture. Sometimes an “artificial” baby does not eat well because he does not like the taste of a certain type of baby food. Buy another formula, see how the child reacts to the new brand. Sometimes parents don't find the perfect product right away. Choose baby formulas without palm oil: high-quality products are better absorbed and are less likely to cause problems with the gastrointestinal tract;
• follow your doctor's recommendations. An experienced pediatrician is the best adviser. Many mothers forget about this rule and trust the advice of neighbors and girlfriends. Now many requirements and rules for caring for a newborn have changed, weight gain norms for babies differ slightly from those accepted in Soviet time. Outdated information, concepts of “norm - deviations” imposed by the older generation often cause unreasonable concern among young mothers

Now you know how many grams of weight a child should gain in each month in the first year of life. Use a table that shows average numbers, focus on the baby’s behavior and activity. Remember: The weight of a newborn baby is only one indicator of the baby’s health. Deviations and norms, a table of “correct”, low, excess body weight - every young mother should study these concepts.

Video about the norm and pathology of weight and height of a newborn:

In this article:

It is this question that worries primarily both the mother of a newborn and her relatives, friends and acquaintances. Normal weight is considered to be between 2700 and 4000 grams. In this case, the baby should be born at 37-40 weeks.

If the newborn was born earlier or later, such parameters are not reliable.

• Factors influencing a baby's birth weight: Mother's health status. For some chronic diseases women, for example, diabetes mellitus
• , metabolic disorders, increased blood pressure, blood incompatibility due to the Rh factor or pathology of the cardiovascular system, the baby may be born overweight or underweight.
• Poor nutrition during pregnancy. When there is an excess of carbohydrates in the mother's diet, babies are born overweight, and when there is a lack of vitamins and nutrients, children weigh less than necessary.
• Parents' physique. Babies of miniature parents are born with less weight than those of tall and overweight mothers and fathers.
• Gender of the baby. Boys are almost always born larger than girls.
• The number of previous pregnancies the mother has had. Each subsequent baby is born larger than the previous one. The number of babies in the uterus. At multiple pregnancy
• Each baby of twins or triplets will weigh slightly less than standard. And such babies are most often born ahead of schedule.

Condition of the placenta. With fetoplacental insufficiency, the supply of nutrients from mother to fetus is disrupted, and the child may begin to lag behind in intrauterine development. If the weight of the fetus is more than 4 kg, such a fetus is considered large. Doctors should carefully monitor the course of such a pregnancy and, if necessary, decide whether to caesarean section

, since a woman will not always be able to give birth to a large child on her own. Often, excess weight of a newborn baby appears due to edema. In most cases, adaptation of such children is difficult.

Pediatricians use special tables to calculate weight gain in babies. But the assessment of the child’s development must be individual and depends on the baby’s weight at the time of discharge. During the first month of life, an increase of 400 to 800 grams is considered normal, and after six months this figure is 400-500 g per month.

The weight gain of a newborn depends on the state of his health, appetite, activity, amount of milk from the mother, daily routine and feeding.

Reasons for deviation from the norm

By six months, the baby should weigh twice as much as at discharge, and at one year - three times more. If a child is fed on demand, then he can gain 1000-2000 g in the first month, and if he follows a strict regimen, the increase may be insignificant. Girls usually gain weight less quickly than boys. Supplementing with water and using a pacifier can also lead to weight loss.

What to do if there is a deviation from the norm?

If the child’s weight does not correspond to the norms in the table, it is necessary to find out the reason. If the child has a large increase in natural feeding A nursing mother should pay closer attention to her diet, eliminating sweet and starchy foods. If the increase is insufficient, additional feeding with formula or an increase in its quantity may be required if the child is bottle-fed.

How is weight gain calculated?

In the first days of life, the newborn loses weight. The loss can range from 5 to 7-10% of the original figures. This is completely normal and is not a cause for concern. The mother's lactation is still just getting better and the baby receives only a small amount of colostrum. With the arrival of milk, the weight begins to actively increase. On average, it should increase by 20-30 g per day. Within the first twelve days of life, the baby should return to its birth weight. If the baby was born premature and/or with low weight, then he is not discharged from the hospital until he sees a figure of 2600 g on the scales.

In the future, the increase should be 125-130 g per week, and in breastfed children, an increase of up to 500 g per week can be considered the norm.

Table of body weight indicators for boys under one year old

Table of body weight indicators for girls under one year old

Does the baby have enough milk?

Young mothers often worry that the baby may not have enough milk or that it is of poor quality. There is no cause for concern if:

• the baby receives the breast on demand, sucks actively and with appetite;
• the number of urinations ranges from 8 to 12 times a day or more;
• gains weight 20-30 g per day;
• baby's chair yellow color, 3-6 times a day and more often.

Do not try to sound the alarm at the first doubt and immediately start supplementing with formula. First, you need to make sure that you are latching correctly, feeding on demand, staying hydrated, not using pacifiers, and eating well. If you follow all the rules, but the increase is less than 125 g per week, consult your local doctor. Only the pediatrician should decide on the need to introduce additional artificial nutrition, choose its type and calculate the amount needed by the child.

Video on how to weigh a newborn

At birth, some babies' weight varies significantly, even if they were born after the same number of weeks in the womb. It is noteworthy that in the first weeks, children develop differently: some gain weight quite quickly, while others gain weight less rapidly. What does this depend on? What is the normal weight of a newborn? What are the consequences of too much or, conversely, too little weight in children? Let's sort it out in order.

Normal weight of a newborn baby

The weight of a newborn baby is an extremely popular topic of conversation both before birth and for at least a year and a half after it. And although the initial body weight is quite individual, there are parameters generally accepted in medical practice, according to which the normal weight of a newborn child is from 2.5 to 4.5 kg. That is, a baby with a body weight of 2.5-2.8 kg is not considered low birth weight by pediatricians. A full-term baby with this weight does not need extra nutrition, a hot room, or excessive wrapping. At the same time, some particularly impressionable mothers, having listened to enough unqualified advice, begin to feed such a newborn more than he needs, which ultimately only leads to more frequent regurgitation, but not to weight gain. Overfeeding cannot correct a child's constitution. The weight of a newborn child depends precisely on the genetic characteristics of the parents, their physique and body weight. This main factor. Secondly, the mother’s nutrition during pregnancy is important. But this is not about eating everything during pregnancy. Excessive food consumption usually only leads to the appearance of fat and increased volume amniotic fluid, but this affects the baby’s weight gain only in the last place, and even then only slightly. In order for the child to develop correctly in the womb, the mother’s diet must be balanced both in terms of the ratio of vitamins and microelements and portion sizes.

The child’s weight is influenced by the woman’s health status: how severe the toxicosis was during pregnancy, the degree of swelling, etc., as well as the condition of the baby itself: the presence or absence of congenital pathologies and other problems.

And, of course, the gender of the baby plays an important role here: newborn boys weigh more than girls - the average weight of babies is 3.2-3.5 kg and 3-3.25 kg, respectively.

Newborn weight loss

According to medical standards, a child should gain about 800 g of weight every month in the first six months of life. Then this pace will slow down, as the baby begins to behave more and more active image life, and its mass will no longer increase so quickly.

But in the first days, the body weight of all infants decreases, and weight loss in a newborn can have both a physiological and pathological nature.

In the first case, the norm is considered to be a loss within 5-7% of the total body weight 3-4 days after birth (on average, about 150 g). After this, the weight stays at the same level for a couple of days, and then the child begins to recover. After the first week of life, he usually weighs more than at birth.

In the second case, changes in weight are no longer natural, but are the result of some problems. For example, big babies(4 kg or more) lose more than 150 g because they may not have enough colostrum and simply do not eat enough. In turn, small children may lose weight due to the fact that they do not breastfeed very well.

But remember that the nature of weight loss must be determined by a qualified specialist. For this purpose, babies are weighed daily in the maternity hospital.

Low birth weight

Children who require closer attention include those weighing less than 2.5 kg - these are called low birth weight by doctors. Low birth weight of a newborn may be a consequence of multiple pregnancy, prematurity or malnutrition.

In the first case, there is nothing to worry about at all - if the baby was born in due date, then all his organs have already formed and he is ready for full life outside the mother's tummy. However, often twins and triplets are born prematurely because they become too crowded in the uterus. In this case, they need the same care as premature babies.

The main problem in such situations is not the small weight of the newborn, but the immaturity of one or more body systems: thermoregulatory, respiratory, etc. If children were born prematurely, they are not yet quite ready for independent life in the new world. In the maternity hospital, they are cared for in a special way, but after being discharged home, they find themselves in normal conditions and eat the same way as their full-term peers. At the same time, it should be noted that the low weight of a newborn child at birth is not an obstacle either to longevity or to a further full life.

Sometimes in women who suffer from cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and also have problems with the endocrine system, children are born at term and have normal height, but underweight. They are diagnosed with hypotrophy. For such babies, special diets have been developed from foods enriched with fats, proteins and vitamins so that they gain weight as intensively as possible. However, they may remain prone to thinness throughout their lives, but they will develop well.

Large newborn weight

Doctors classify babies weighing more than 4 kg as large. It is good when such body weight is determined genetically (for example, the child has large parents - both father and mother) and good absorption of nutrients supplied to the fetus from the mother through the placenta and umbilical cord while still in the womb. But doctors still recommend showing such a baby to an endocrinologist - there are cases that heavy weight a newborn is a consequence of the mother’s predisposition to diabetes, so a woman should have a blood test for sugar not only at the planning stage, but also at the end of pregnancy. 4.7 out of 5 (53 votes)