Your baby's weight gain is closely monitored during his first months of life. He'll be weighed at every well-baby checkup, his gain since the last visit will be calculated, and his weight will be plotted on a chart to see how he compares to others his age. Certain guidelines are in place to make sure your baby is healthy, thriving and growing as he should, and you can adjust his feeding schedule and calorie intake accordingly.
Percentile
Your baby's doctor will plot your child's weight on a few charts, both by age and by length. You'll be given the percentile his weight and height falls under for his age, which means if he's in the 70th percentile, he weighs more than 70 percent of babies his age. If he's in the 10th percentile, he only weighs more than 10 percent of babies his age.
Average
During the first three months of his life, your baby will grow faster than he ever will again. He'll be gaining about an ounce a day, or 30 grams, which works out to 2 pounds a month, or 900 grams. By the time he's 4 months old, a healthy baby that's born at full term will double his birth weight.
From his fourth month until he turns a year old, his daily weight gain will drop to .7 ounces a day, or 20 grams. That will turn out to be about 1 pound, 5 ounces every month, or 600 grams. By his first birthday, a healthy baby has usually tripled his birth weight.
Variations
Despite these average rules, every baby grows at his own pace. Your baby might gain more or less than the standard guidelines, and either a large or small baby can be healthy. Also, the weight gain isn't always steady; you'll find growth spurts and fluctuations along the way. That means your baby might be in one percentile at one doctor's appointment, and a very different percentile at another.
If he starts off large, your baby might grow slowly for the first few months, and be on par with others his age by 6 to 8 months old. If he was born small, or premature, he'll likely catch up to normal weight by the time he's a year old.
Problem
Even though some variation is normal, if your baby isn't growing enough over time, he could have a bigger problem like a failure to thrive. If untreated, the child is at risk for emotional and behavioral problems, delay in development, and a short stature.
The diagnosis will be given if your baby weighs less than the third percentile on the growth chart; if he weighs 20 percent less than the ideal weight for his height; or if he's on an established growth curve, and then falls off.
Treatment
If your baby is failing to thrive, he should be assessed to figure out what might have caused it. Chances are he'll need extra calories to catch up to where he should be. That might mean more breast milk or formula, or starting your baby on solids, depending on his age. If you're breastfeeding, you might be asked to see a lactation consultant to make sure the feedings are going well, and your milk supply is adequate. You'll also probably have to take him in for more checkups and weight checks with his doctor until proper weight gain is restored.
Related Measurements
Besides weight, your doctor will measure your baby's height (called "length" before he's able to stand) and his head circumference. All three measurements are important in determining whether your baby is growing properly.
Head circumference growth is directly related to a baby's brain growth. A head that's exceptionally large, or growing faster than is normal, could indicate extra fluid in the skull. An unusually small head size, or one growing too slowly, might mean the brain isn't properly developing.
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