Guide to Tracking the Growth of Your Baby Accurately

You can see how your child is growing by looking at their baby growth chart. You will find your child’s chart in a medical file provided by your paediatrician or hospital. There will be separate charts for your child’s height, weight, and head circumference.

Weighing And Measuring Your Baby

After few days, they can be weighed:

Once in a month till they turn six months old.
Once in every two months from age 6-12 months.
Once in every three months over the age of one.

How do doctors take measurements of babies?

The Doctor Takes Three Measurements of a Child:

Your Child’s Weight: will be noted at each visit as it is the best way to tell how he is growing. Strict weight gain can assure you that your baby is growing well, and is generally healthy.
The Height of Your Baby: will be measured at every meeting with the doctor. It is difficult to measure accurate height. But you can lay down your baby, while the doctor will be measuring him from top of his head to feet.
The Circumference of The Head: of your baby will also be measured at each examination. The doctor uses a flexible rape to measure the circumference of the baby’s head.

The abnormal growth of a baby’s head is a sign of developmental problems in him.

Can I Track My Baby’s Growth at Home?

Weigh Your Baby

You may use any accurate weighing scale if baby scale is not available. Hold the baby in your hands and stand on the scale. Note down that weight. Then stand on the scales by yourself. Subtract that number from your total weight to get the approximate weight of your baby.

Measure Your Baby’s Length

Hold her down and pull the measuring tape from the top of her foot to the bottom of your heel. This is easier if you have someone to help you as you will need to gently extend your baby’s leg straight to do so.

Measure The Circumference of Your Baby’s Head

Use a measuring tape to wrap around the baby’s head just above the eyes and ears and at the back, where his head rises above his neck. The goal is to measure his head at the point where it has the largest circumference.

You will be provided with a baby growth chart to measure them.

How Will I Know That My Baby’s Growing Well?

By looking at his development chart and medical file, you can tell if your child is likely to grow well by monitoring his or her diet, behaviour, and general health. Children growing up:

Regular meals
“Ask” for feed when they are hungry
Takes the content after a feed
There is a time when they are happy, moon and alert
Complete the milestone of their development
Have a healthy skin tone
Wear at least six to eight wet nappies a day (if they are more than five days old)
Spread your clothes

If you are worried that your child is not growing at the right speed for him, do not hesitate to consult a doctor.