As a parent, you want your baby to be happy, healthy and grow big and strong. From birth to 3 months, your child only needs breast milk or formula to fulfill nutritional needs and gain weight. Because no two babies are exactly alike, there is no one perfect or ideal weight, but you can track your baby's growth to ensure your child's weight is healthy for your baby's height, gender and age.
Weight Progress
In his first few days of life, your baby loses up to 10 percent of his birth weight. In the next three months, your baby ideally gains at least 2/3 oz. per day, according to KidsHealth, a website run by Nemours. However, each baby is different and your baby may grow at a slower or faster rate. Your doctor will monitor your baby's weight, height and head circumference and compare these measurements to the Centers for Disease and Control's (CDC) growth charts.
Girl's Weight
Baby girls, often smaller than baby boys, receive their own set of growth charts. If your 3-month-old daughter weighs 14 pounds or more, she falls into the 95th percentile or above, according to the CDC's 2000 chart. The average, or 50th weight percentile for 3-month old girls is 12 pounds while nine pounds marks the 5th percentile.
Boy's Weight
In 2000, 3-month-old boys weighed more than their girl counterparts. Boys weighing 13 pounds fall into the 50th weight percentile, according to the CDC. At the low end of the spectrum, boys weighing 10 pounds fall into the 5th percentile, while the 95th percentile shows a weight of 16 pounds.
Weight Problems
If your 3-month-old baby is not growing at the normal rate or her growing slows, there may be a problem. Your baby may go through growth spurts at different times, but she should gain weight from one wellness exam to the next, according to Dr. Jay L. Hoecker of the Mayo Clinic. Your baby can be in the 5th percentile for weight and still be a healthy, happy baby girl. However, if her weight and height percentiles differ greatly, your doctor will need to determine the cause of the discrepancy.
Premature Baby
A premature baby, born before the 37th week of pregnancy, will not follow the same progress patterns for weight and height as will a baby born at full-term. Your preemie baby may need to be weighed weekly to ensure the extra nutrition he receives is catching him up at the proper pace.
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