Is Your Baby Growing on Schedule?

From a newborn completely dependent on mom to the talking, laughing toddler running through the house, babies grow and change dramatically in just a few short months. So how can you tell if your baby is growing on schedule, or if there’s cause for concern?

At Capital City Primary and Immediate Care in Silver Springs, Maryland, and Washington, DC, Dr. Fernando Porter understands your concern. To help ensure your baby’s health and catch any developmental issues early, when treatment is most effective, our practice offers well child visits.

Take a moment to learn more about how babies grow and how regular well child visits help keep your baby’s health on track.

Understanding how we measure babies’ growth

Like adults, babies come in all sizes and shapes. And all babies grow on their own unique schedule, at the pace that’s right for them. This can make it challenging to know if your baby is growing “on schedule” or not.

To help make sure your baby is on track, pediatricians use a special tool called growth charts. Growth charts compare your baby’s key measurements with other babies of the same gender and age, including:

• Length-for-age: Your baby’s height at the age of measurement
• Weight-for-age: Your baby’s weight at the age of measurement
• Weight-for-length: Your baby’s weight and length at the age of measurement
• Head circumference: Your baby’s head size measured around the largest part of the head at the age of measurement (used to gauge brain growth)

These measurements are plotted on a chart that contains measurements of babies of the same age shown in lines and different increments. These increments tell you the percentile of different measurements and how your baby compares.

For example, if your baby is in the 60th percentile for length-for-age, it means your baby is longer than 60% of babies of the same age and gender. It also means your baby is shorter than 40% of babies of the same age and gender.

Understanding normal growth

The percentiles on growth charts show typical growth patterns, from the lowest percentiles to growth well above the average 50th percentile. Normal growth doesn’t mean your baby falls into a certain percentile, since all babies grow at slightly different rates.

Instead, your practitioner at Pediatric Care of Four Corners looks to see that your baby follows a pattern as they grow, developing over the same or similar curved line on the growth chart as they develop. This means that their head, height, and weight develop in proportion to each other.

Keep in mind that babies have growth spurts, which happen at different times for different babies. This can affect how their growth fits on a growth chart. And babies may gain weight at different rates depending on whether they are breast- or formula-fed.

Other factors can also influence your baby’s growth, including genetics, activity levels, the presence of any health conditions, and even their environment. This is why where your baby’s measurements fall on the growth charts is only one piece of information used to ensure your baby is growing and developing on schedule.

The importance of well child visits

Well child visits allow your provider to monitor your baby’s growth over time, at crucial stages of their development. During your baby’s well child visit, your provider reviews your child’s measurements and discusses how they compare to typical growth.

Your provider also looks at other key developmental milestones to ensure your baby is growing on schedule. They address health and safety issues, preventing illness and disease, and other important topics like nutrition and physical activity as well.

Routine vaccinations are also an important part of your baby’s well child visit. Your provider addresses any questions or concerns you have regarding vaccines, and they administer these important health-protecting immunizations on a schedule that’s best for your baby.

We also want to hear from you during your baby’s well visit. It’s a time to ask any questions you have about your baby’s development, including issues with sleep, common childhood diseases, and concerns you have about motor skills, brain development, and more.

To learn more about how babies grow or to set up a well child visit for your baby, call our office or book an appointment online today.