What is the average newborn size

At each checkup, your doctor will measure your child's height, weight, and — if he's younger than 2 — head size and plot the results on a chart to compare him with other kids the same age and sex.

So if your 2-year-old son is in the 75th percentile for height and 50th percentile for weight, that means he is taller than 75 percent of boys his age and weighs more than half of them do.

Don't stress about your child's specific percentile: "It doesn't really indicate how well she's growing," says Richard Ball, M. If she slows down in length, for example, or shoots up in weight, we're more likely to be concerned. Here's a snapshot of infant height and weight averages by month based on the WHO growth charts to give you an idea of how growth is tracked:.

In addition to measuring weight and height at well-baby visits, your pediatrician will measure the distance around your baby's head. This measurement, known as the head circumference, is used to gauge baby's brain growth. A baby's skull, and consequently her head, needs to increase in size to accommodate the growing brain. The soft spots on your baby's head, called fontanels, remain open in the first 18 months to allow for this expansion.

Your baby will experience rapid head growth, particularly during the first four months, and by the end of the first year, her head circumference will be about 18 inches. She will add another inch in the second year, bringing her head close to the adult size. Any number between the fifth percentile and the 95th is considered "normal. It's important to keep in mind that one measurement neither predicts how your baby will grow nor does it necessarily suggest a growth problem.

As long as your baby is growing steadily and consistently, there's usually nothing to worry about. Not to mention, there are lots of factors that affect the growth of healthy growing babies.

For example, whether you decide to breast- or bottlefeed will influence your baby's rate of growth in the beginning. Exclusively breastfed babies typically gain weight faster in the first two months of life compared with formula -fed babies.

But these infants also tend to grow less rapidly than their formula-fed peers through about 1 year. For breastfed babies, it could mean that the baby is not getting enough breast milk. When it comes to weight gain, breastfed babies are less likely than formula-fed infants to gain too much weight too quickly. However, breastfed babies can gain too much if a mother has an overabundant supply of breast milk , the child spends too much time nursing, or solid foods are started early.

In general, during the first six months, a baby grows about one inch per month. The factors that determine height are:. This chart shows the average length or height of healthy, full-term babies from one month to one year. Infants don't grow at a consistent rate. They have times when they grow slowly and times when they experience more rapid growth. A big surge of growth that occurs in a short period of time is known as a growth spurt.

Growth spurts can happen at any time, and they do not necessarily follow a pattern. Some of the ages that your child may experience a growth spurt are at ten days, three weeks, six weeks , three months, and six months. During and after a growth spurt, your baby will need more milk. You may need to feed your baby as much as every hour or two, a phenomenon often referred to as cluster feeding. This tends to happen more often with breastfed babies.

Since breast milk is made based on supply and demand, your baby will breastfeed much more often around the time of a growth spurt, signaling your body to make more milk. Luckily, these frequent feedings only last about a day or two as your milk supply adjusts to your growing baby's needs.

After that, your child should settle back down into a more regular feeding routine. Growth charts and percentiles are just tools that help track the growth of children over time. The 50th percentile means average, not "normal. While some children fall on the average line, many children fall below or above it. So, if your baby is not in the 50th percentile, it certainly doesn't mean that they are not growing at a healthy rate.

Healthy infants can be in the 5th percentile as well as the 95th percentile. Growth depends on many factors, including genetics, diet, and activity level. Every child grows at his or her own pace, and doctors look to make sure kids are on track for what is expected for them given their history.

It's difficult to compare one child to another, even if they are brothers and sisters. Just as all children are different, it is important to realize that not all growth charts are the same. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC provides a set of growth charts that include older data and information from a combination of feeding methods.

The CDC recommends using the WHO growth charts for all babies whether they are breastfeeding or taking formula during the first two years. When you compare your child to other babies, you may worry if you notice that they are smaller or heavier than their peers. Luckily, there is an easy way to ease your fears and find out for sure if your child is growing as expected.

You just have to follow the regular schedule for well-child visits that your healthcare provider gives you. The doctor will weigh and measure your baby each time you see him.

And, they will keep track of your child's growth and overall health over time. Topic Overview In the first month, your doctor will pay close attention to your baby's increasing weight, length, and head circumference, which is measured around the largest point of the head, usually starting at a point on the forehead. In general: Boys are usually a little heavier than girls. First babies are usually lighter than later siblings.

Large parents generally have large babies, while small parents generally have small babies. Do not be alarmed if your newborn has: An irregularly shaped head, often referred to as the "cone-head. Bruising may also occur. A normal head shape will gradually return in a baby's first few days to weeks. Usually the head shape returns to normal in a few days to a week. Squinty-looking, bloodshot eyes. This is caused by swelling during labour and delivery.

Also, if antibiotic eye ointment was given in the hospital, it can make your baby's eyes look gooey or small. Your baby's eyes will start to look larger and brighter within a couple of weeks. Downy hair on forehead, cheeks, shoulders, and back. This is especially common in babies who are born earlier than their due date. It will usually go away within a few weeks after birth. Swollen breasts or genitals. This occurs in both boys and girls when the mother's hormones pass to the baby during birth.

Some babies may even have some milky fluid come out of the nipple. Baby girls may have blood-tinged fluid from their vagina. Other physical developmental issues to be aware of in your baby's first month include: Hair loss.