We don’t just do it when we’re older than being on the scale. From birth, babies are weighed and measured regularly by the pediatrician to monitor their physical development. To find out if the child follows the correct guidelines, the weight and height are compared with those established in the children’s growth chart. Check out more articles on our site.
There are several factors that can determine a child’s weight and height. This ranges from genetic inheritance to a disease that the mother may have had during pregnancy (such as gestational diabetes ) or the time of birth (term or premature).
Normally, when a baby is born, the first question is: “and how much did he weigh?”. Well, if the child was born at term and the weight is between 2.5 and 4 kilos, she falls within the average. From that moment, and up to one year of age, growth control is frequent. During those 12 months, children continually gain weight and size.
CHILDREN’S GROWTH CHART ACCORDING TO THE WHO
If the WHO growth chart for children is taken as a reference , weight gain ranges from 750/900 grams per month in the first trimester to 250/300 grams per month that occurs between the ninth month and 12 months. Below we will explain the average weight and height of children up to 8 years old, according to sex.
Children’s growth chart: average weight and length
- Newborn: 3.4 kg and 50.3 cm
- 3 months: 6.2 kg and 60 cm
- 6 months: 8 kg and 67 cm
- 9 months: 9.2 kg and 72 cm
- 12 months: 10.2 kg and 76 cm
- 15 months: 11.1 kg and 79 cm
- 18 months: 11.8 kg and 82.5 cm
- 2 years: 12.9 kg and 88 cm
- 3 years: 15.1 kg and 96.5 cm
- 4 years: 16.07 kg and 100.13 cm
- 5 years: 18.03 kg and 106.40 cm
- 6 years: 19.91 kg and 112.77 cm
- 7 years: 22 kg and 118.50 cm
- 8 years: 23.56 kg and 122.86 cm
Girls growth chart: average weight and length
- Newborn: 3.4 kg and 50.3 cm
- 3 months: 5.6 kg and 59 cm
- 6 months: 7.3 kg and 65 cm
- 9 months: 8.6 kg and 70 cm
- 12 months: 9.5 kg and 74 cm
- 15 months: 11 kg and 77 cm
- 18 months: 11.5 kg and 80.5 cm
- 2 years: 12.4 kg and 86 cm
- 3 years: 14.4 kg and 95 cm
- 4 years: 15.5 kg and 99.14 cm
- 5 years: 17.4 kg and 105.95 cm
- 6 years: 19.6 kg and 112.22 cm
- 7 years: 21.2 kg and 117.27 cm
- 8 years: 23.5 kg and 122.62 cm
This children’s growth chart is after 2006, because until then only a child population belonging to the same geographical origin was taken as a sample and it was not taken into account whether the babies were fed formula or breast milk.
WHAT IS THE CHILDREN’S GROWTH CHART FOR?
Pediatricians use these growth charts to compare children’s development in relation to other children of the same sex and age. They can also see the pattern of weight and height evolution, at the same time that they check if the development is proportionate.
In this way, in the case of a child who, for example, follows a certain growth pattern until the age of 3 and, suddenly, no longer grows as fast as before, it helps doctors to suspect if there may be a disease . It may happen that nothing happens and that this change is due to factors such as genetics.
On the other hand, depending on your child’s current height, you can even calculate how tall your child will be as an adult. On the Internet you can find several online calculators, like this one from Ser Padres . You just have to indicate the sex of your child, select the current age and fill in the current height in centimeters. In tenths of a second they tell you how tall he will be as an adult.