As I posted before, Baby Y had a rocky start with breastfeeding, and his weight plummeted dangerously. When it was clear that we were having problems, we bought a baby scale so that we could more closely monitor his progress between doctor’s check-ups and make sure he was gaining at a steady clip.
Baby Y bounced back and then some. As you can see from his growth chart below (plotted using the awesome iPhone app Baby Connect), he doubled his birth weight at 3 months and is now tipping the scales at more than 20 pounds, a robust 85th percentile. He is also 95th percentile for height – so he’s just a big boy all around!
And while I’m glad he’s growing, it never occurred to me that he’s winning some warped parental contest: “My baby is bigger than your baby. Ergo, my baby is healthier.” Sadly, some parents think like this, though.
This attitude may stem from a lack of understanding of growth charts. Our instinct is to cheer a high number – (Woo! My kid is 90th percentile!) – or worry at a low one (My kid is only 15th percentile). But as they note at Kellymom:
A growth chart isn’t a test, where you are striving to get your baby into the 100th percentile. The growth charts show us the statistical distribution of weight, height , etc. in a particular set of babies (or children or adults). So if a baby is in the 50th percentile for weight on the CDC charts, it means that half of the babies of the same age in the US are heavier and half are lighter; if a baby is in the 10th percentile for height, then 90% of babies of the same age in the US are taller and 10% are shorter.
Unfortunately, some pediatricians don’t take the time to explain this, leaving some to believe bigger equals better. Alas, the 90th percentile baby is not getting an “A” and the 15th percentile baby is not getting an “F.” Both are absolutely normal.
The important thing is whether your baby is gaining at a fairly consistent rate. If you look back up at Baby Y’s chart, he gained rapidly until about 4 months, when he peaked just shy of the 90th percentile. From that point, as he has gotten more active, he dropped down a bit, and has been holding steady around the 80th percentile for the past month (until his recent growth spurt). This pattern – gaining like gangbusters and then leveling off or even dipping a bit – is common in breastfed babies.
Complicating matters is that some doctors still rely on CDC charts that are based on studies of formula-fed babies only. Many, but not all, are starting to use WHO charts that studied breastfed babies. The danger is that a doctor who isn’t well-versed in breastfed babies’ growth patterns may recommend that a parent supplement or introduce solids early when it’s absolutely normal for the baby’s growth to slow a bit!
Ultimately, I’m glad Baby Y’s growth has evened out so he can actually wear his 6-12 month clothing for more than the blink of an eye. Maybe we can even make it through our current shipment of diapers before bumping him up a size. (Lesson to new parents: Don’t go overboard stocking up in advance!)
Where does your baby fall on the growth charts? Did your pediatrician do a good job of explaining them?
Hellobee Series: Mrs. Yoyo part 9 of 16
1. Taming PCOS by Mrs. Yoyo2. Birth Story: Part 1 by Mrs. Yoyo
3. Breastfeeding: Rocky Beginnings, Part 1 by Mrs. Yoyo
4. Getting Over the Little-Boy Blues by Mrs. Yoyo
5. (Still) Swaddling by Mrs. Yoyo
6. On the Road with Baby in Tow by Mrs. Yoyo
7. He's not adopted by Mrs. Yoyo
8. Feminism, motherhood, and Facebook by Mrs. Yoyo
9. Baby Growth: It’s Not a Contest by Mrs. Yoyo
10. Review: Baby Connect for iPhone by Mrs. Yoyo
11. Resentment by Mrs. Yoyo
12. Confessions of a non-worry wart by Mrs. Yoyo
13. The Reluctant SAHM by Mrs. Yoyo
14. Digital Inadequacy by Mrs. Yoyo
15. The Most Dangerous Phrase in Motherhood by Mrs. Yoyo
16. Baby gear: Save or splurge? by Mrs. Yoyo
Growth Charts part 1 of 2
1. Baby Growth: It’s Not a Contest by Mrs. Yoyo2. Growth Charts by Mrs. Pinata
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Yay that the CDC just officially recommended all peds use the WHO charts for children under 2. It’s not happening, but hopefully there’s progress.
I find people’s misunderstanding of percentiles so funny. A friend recently told me that the nurse at her ped’s office said, “We like to have all our babies above the 90th percentile!” Um… I also think the reverse is true – I know lots of parents who freak out if their kid is hanging around the 10th percentile. Some children have to be there – that’s the point of percentiles! It’s not unhealthy as long as your baby is pretty much following some curve. Sasha’s family medicine doctor barely mentions her weight, or mine since she’s my doctor too. I do ask for the numbers at most visits though because well, this is what I do for a living!
hostess / wonderful honeydew / 32460 posts
My LO’s been consistently at the 90-95% for weight (at all check ups) and >98% for height. I’m not sure which chart my pediatrician uses (my LO’s breast fed). Will ask the next time we see her!
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts
I LOVE this post and try to take time to explain this to parents all the time. You explained it really well. Our daughter is 10th %ile for height and weight and 25th %ile for head circumference. She may be a tiny tot and is frequently mistaken for a younger child until she opens her mouth, but is still perfectly normal!
honeydew / 7968 posts
i agree that it’s not about the actual percentile, but how consistently the baby is at that percentile. for example, you should be concerned if they were 95%ile, then all of a sudden dropped to 20%ile and vice versa. rather than be concerned that the baby was in the 20%ile the whole time.
pomegranate / 3053 posts
It’ll always be a competition with kids, unfortunately. It starts with growth chart, then what are they doing at what month, then grades in school, then which college/grad school they are going to, then how successful they are after college/grad school, then…well, you get the idea. At least that’s how it is in the Asian culture that I grew up in.
I was never concerned for my son’s weight and growth as long as he’s gaining weight and growing AND that his pediatrician isn’t concerned. At almost 33 months he has maintained a weight between 28-30 lbs for 9 months now b/c he’s more active and has been difficult to feed. He eats well just doesn’t feed himself well so sometimes he eats very little b/c we are trying to let him eat on his own more versus us feeding him.
At his 2 year check up last year, he was pretty much average for everything, except for height. He was maybe like 75% – ish for height? I can’t remember. Really, I don’t care as long as he’s thriving and healthy. I don’t remember if I’ve asked his pediatrician about what the percentile means. I might have but can’t remember what she said. Obviously, nothing to worry about.
My husband’s two nieces (now 9 and 12) have always been in the 5th percentile for weight FOREVER and they are healthy. Just very skinny. Haha!
cherry / 151 posts
This is very helpful for me to understand the chart number better. No little one for me yet, but I do know that my mom was very concerned about my low weight/height percentile when I was a baby but was reassured by the pediatrician that I was perfectly healthy- just naturally itty-bitty.
apple seed / 4 posts
FYI if anyone is interested in buying clothes ahead (i.e., if you find them on sale), check out diapers.com. They have a 365 day return policy (as long you keep the tags on), so if it turns out that your baby is already too big by the time the clothes should fit, you can return them.
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
@erwoo: True … I am not looking forward to this aspect of parenthood
@Mrs. Jacks: I wish more docs were as thorough!