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If your child is racing up the growth charts, or she’s rooted in the front row of every class picture with the smaller kids, you may wonder, ‘is my child growing normally"’ Here’s when to worry, and when not to, at every stage.
Birth to 1
From birth to age one, your little cherub triples in weight and gains about 10 in (25 cm) in length or height. An average-sized baby is 20 in (50 cm) long at birth and grows to about 30 in (76 cm) by age one. Boys tend to be slightly taller than girls and, according to Dietitians of Canada, breastfed babies tend to grow more quickly than formula-fed babies in the first six months, and then more slowly in the second six months of life.
What to expect at checkups: Your baby?s doctor will monitor weight, length and head circumference every month for the first six, then every two months until age one, to make sure her growth is on track. ?If the weight, length and head all fit in the same parameter, that?s the pattern of the child,? says Fabian Gorodzinsky, an associate professor of paediatrics at the University of Western Ontario in London. ?For example, a child who?s on the bottom of the growth chart for all three is a small child, and one who?s on the top end is a big child, but they are both normal.? Troubleshooting: If any one measurement falls off, doctors do get concerned. ?That?s one of the most important indicators that there?s something wrong with the child, such as a chronic inf...