Your baby has grown dramatically in her first months of life. By her sixth month, she has the capacity to interact with the world around her due to rapidly developing cognitive and physical abilities. Alongside her many developments, she also gains height and weight. Although babies are all different, they tend to follow predictable growth patterns. With some basic information, you can assess where your 6-month-old stands.
Average Weight
On average, from birth through age 6 months, your baby should grow between 1/2 inch and 1 inch every month and gain 5 to 7 oz. every week, according to MayoClinic.com. Your baby should double his birth weight by the time he reaches his sixth month. That is, if he weighed 6 pounds at birth, he should weigh about 12 pounds by 6 months of age, says MayoClinic.com.
Slowing Down
Expect your 6-month-old to start slowing down in growth for the next half-year or so, says MayoClinic.com. Starting at about 6 months, the average baby grows about 3/8 inch and gains between 1 and 1 1/4 pounds every month to double her birth height and triple her birth weight by about age 12 months.
Growth and Size Factors
If you're concerned that your 6-month-old isn't as heavy as his same-age peers, you likely have no reason to worry. Babies come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and they grow at different times, based on factors such as genes, gender, physical activity levels, environment, hormones and eating habits, says KidsHealth from Nemours. In some instances, a baby who is in poor health will be smaller than his peers, but your pediatrician should let you know if she thinks your baby's weight is a source of concern.
Growth Charts
Your pediatrician should measure your baby on a regular basis to assess how she's growing. He will plot your baby's growth on a growth chart, which allows him to assess how your baby is growing compared with babies who are the same gender and age, according to KidsHealth from Nemours. Your baby will be given a percentile based on how she measures up; for example, if she's in the 40th percentile, she weighs more than 40 percent of female babies the same age and less than 60 percent of females babies the same age, says KidsHealth.
Talking to the Doctor
Your baby's percentile is less important than his overall growth. As long as he is consistently growing, you likely have nothing to be concerned about. However, your pediatrician may be more concerned if, for example, he notices that your 6-month-old jumped from the 40th percentile down to the 10th percentile for weight from one appointment to the next, says MayoClinic.com.
