- Weight of the child according to WHO
- How the child’s weight norms were established
- Measuring a baby’s weight at home
- How often do you weigh your baby?
- Girls’ weight at five months according to WHO
- Boys’ weight at 5 months according to WHO
- What parents should do
- Why a baby at 5 months may have an increased weight
- Why is a baby of 5 months bad weight gain
- Can the type of feeding affect weight gain
During the first year of life, special attention is paid to a child’s weight. Weight gain is of particular importance at this time. Thanks to its measurements, it is possible to assess whether there are deviations from the norms. Let’s try to figure out what should be the baby’s weight at 5 months, are there differences in these indicators between boys and girls.
Weight of the child according to WHO
Scientists of the World Health Organization have conducted extensive research that has helped to establish the optimal parameters of growth, weight set of children, which can be taken as a norm. The most common question parents ask about the rate of weight gain of children in the first year of life. It is this indicator gives information about the correctness of the child’s development, allows you to assess his health, according to it you can determine whether the baby needs to see a doctor.
Often parents have to deal with quite conflicting information about the weight of the child, do not understand what the indicator is the norm. In addition, different doctors may have their own interpretation of the current weight of children. So WHO has set separate weight norms for boys and girls by months to one year of age and then by year of age. These are the most correct and up-to-date indicators. These can be relied on when interpreting your baby’s weight.
Those benchmarks that were in effect and widespread until recently did not really show how things were, what the baby’s weight should be to be healthy. These were the statistical average weights of babies.
The weight standards developed by the WHO are more than just a set of benchmarks. They allow parents and paediatricians to compare and contrast the weight of a baby with a normative, optimal value.
How the child’s weight norms were established
According to the World Health Organization, the best food for children in the first year of life is breast milk. It is the perfect food for healthy growth and optimal weight gain. For the first 6 months, it is recommended that babies only be breastfed. After this age, so that further weight and development of children was adequate, timely and proper complementary feeding is necessary. That said, breastfeeding can continue for up to 2 years, if the mother wishes and is able.
Modern norms take breastfeeding as a biological benchmark. Healthy infants who are breastfed and not overweight are taken as the standard. In this regard, the new standards differ considerably from the previous ones, which assessed the parameters of both breastfed and formula-fed children.
To get a new benchmark for infant weight in the first year of life, WHO experts conducted a study of 9,000 children. The subjects were raised in a favorable environment, were breastfed, and had no infectious diseases. Their mothers had no bad habits, both during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. This project was the most extensive in the world.
As a result, WHO experts obtained data that provided the basis for tables of child weight by month and by sex, separately for boys and separately for girls. These tables show the absolute value of weight, the relationship of weight by months, and allow parents and pediatricians to assess the harmony of children’s development.
Measuring a baby’s weight at home
Most parents estimate such an important indicator as the child’s weight at home. Pediatricians give recommendations on how to correctly measure the weight of children in the first year of life at home.
Weighing should only be carried out on a paediatric scale.An adult scale cannot give an accurate estimate of a baby’s weight at 5 months. There is a wide variety of baby scales available today. And there is no need to buy them. This device is required for a short time. It can either be borrowed from a friend or borrowed.
Weighing should be done without clothes and diaper.The procedure should preferably be performed at the same time. The morning after the first feeding is best for this purpose.
Spread a diaper on the scale and weigh it separately.After weighing the baby, subtract the weight of the diaper from the baby’s weight.
When weighing, make sure all of your baby’s limbs are on the scale tray. If the baby knows how to sit, weigh him/her sitting down.
How often do you weigh your baby?
Unless your pediatrician recommends weighing every day to assess weight gain, you should not weigh your baby more often than once a week. Otherwise it is impossible to get objective information, because the child is gaining weight unevenly, in leaps and bounds. This can only develop maternal anxiety.The following indicators will help to assess the gain:
A baby in the first month should add 150 to 250 grams a week.
A baby should put on between 200 and 250 grams a week from 1 to 3 months.
The baby from 3 to 6 months should add 100 to 150 grams per week.
After six months the rate of weight gain slows down and the weekly weighing is no longer meaningful.
We have listed the weight gain per month for five-month-old infants, according to the World Health Organization, according to their sex.
It is normal for five-month-old boys to gain the following weight in a month:
The lower limit is 311 grams.
The average value – 522 grams.
The upper limit – 746 grams.
Normally, five-month-old girls gain the following weight in a month:
Lower limit – 286 grams.
The average value is 489 grams.
The upper limit is 703 grams.
Girls’ weight at five months according to WHO
The World Health Organization has conducted research and found that the weight of girls at 5 months of age who are breastfed,Must meet the following parameters:
Very low – 4,800 grams.
Low – 5,400 grams.
Below average is 6100 grams.
Average – 6900 grams.
Above-average – 7,800 grams.
A high number is 8,800 grams.
Very high – 10,000 grams.
Boys’ weight at 5 months according to WHO
The World Health Organization has conducted research and found that the weight of boys at 5 months of age who are breastfed,Should meet the following parameters:
Very low – 5300 grams.
The low line is 6,000 grams.
Below the average, 6,700 grams.
Average – 7,500 grams.
Above-average figure – 8400 grams.
High – 9300 grams.
Very high – 10,400 grams.
What parents should do
Parents need to measure their child’s weight, correlate this figure with the values in the table. If it is in the parameters of “very low” and “very high”, then we recommend getting a consultation with a pediatrician and pediatric endocrinologist.
It is important that the baby’s weight readings are not on the “very low” or “very high” corridor. Then we can assume harmonious development. If the body weight of the baby falls on the extremes, it is better to visit a doctor to rule out disharmony. It can be caused by an unbalanced diet or abnormalities and be associated with paratrophy. Very low figures may indicate a disturbed protein-energy norm and be associated with hypotrophy.
When estimating weight it is important not to forget the child’s genetic and constitutional characteristics. Comparing your child with the child of a friend is fundamentally wrong. About the disease can be judged only after an examination, taking tests. First of all, judge by the overall condition of the child: its activity, appetite, sleep, skin condition, mood.
Why a baby at 5 months may have an increased weight
The upper weight limit in children is the inverse problem of low body weight. Evidence of overweight is pale skin, excessive fat, diaper rash, short neck, decreased skin elasticity.Excessive weight gain can be on the background of the following reasons:
Frequent feedings.
Swelling.
Overly nutritious complementary foods given too early.
Increased insulin in the blood.
If the child has gained weight too actively, you should not independently change the habitual feeding regimen. It is necessary to get a consultation with a specialist, perhaps the reason lies elsewhere.
Why is a baby of 5 months bad weight gain
It happens that a baby who is breastfed, poorly gaining weight.The most common causes of this condition:
Impaired absorption of nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract.
Allergic reaction.
Frequent and abundant regurgitation.
Nutritional deficiencies, milk.
Not starting complementary foods on time.
Initially low birth weight.
Lack of nutrition is just one of the reasons that cause low weight in children. Without knowing the truth, without identifying the cause of low body weight, do not transfer the baby to enhanced nutrition. Consult a specialist to find out the exact cause of low weight gain.
Famous pediatrician Eugene Komarovsky says that, even if the child falls substantially behind the norm in weight, but, at the same time, he is active, inquisitive, feels good, he has excellent health, tests are normal, then there is no cause for concern. If the low weight is accompanied by pallor, lethargy, capriciousness, then you need to consult a pediatrician.
The hereditary factor is not the least influence on the rate of weight gain. If mom and dad are underweight and did not gain weight as children, their children are likely to have the same problem. Also, miniature parents tend to give birth to a baby with a low birth weight. Even if he does gain weight according to the chart, his numbers are likely to be at the lower end of the age range.
Can the type of feeding affect weight gain
If the baby is fed on adapted formula, his parents know exactly how much he gets in grams. If his weight gain is within normal limits, the amount of formula is maintained. With breastfeeding, things are a little more complicated. It is understandable that a mother does not know how much milk her baby is sucking down.
The child may be undernourished. Sometimes it seems to the mother that the baby has sucked down a lot of milk, and the weight gain remains on the lower limits. The cause may lie in a lactation crisis, which is characterized by a reduced volume of milk in the mother’s breast, less than the baby needs. Because of this, weight gain slows down. Mom’s job – to pay attention to the situation, to improve lactation.
Overfeeding at the breast is extremely rare. Babies can gain a lot of weight on breast milk, but overeating is unlikely. It has to do with the baby’s physiology. His stomach does not grow in one feeding. If your baby gets too much milk, he or she will regurgitate it.
The baby’s weight is an important indicator of their development and growth. But when evaluating a child’s health, don’t settle for just that. It is important to look at the overall condition of the baby, his development in general.
