babies and growth percentiles

[Inda]

Nurse her on demand and ignore your ped. You know if she's growing well or not .

 

[PA Princess]

Thank you everyone for your input! I was a little concerned, because she is the smallest baby at her daycare (all of the others are cute little chunky monkeys). Anyway, she is nursing and I think that may have something to do with it.

She is a happy baby all of the time and doesn't give us any problems unless the "milk" doesn't come fast enough for her!

All 3 of my breast fed babies were lower on the charts percentage wise at the nine month well check. My ped said as others have mentioned that steady progress along the growth curve was a better indicator that all was going well.

She also agreed with you and stated that she has seen this repeatedly with breast fed babies vs. bottle fed babies. She said that the difference was probably in behavior...a breast fed baby eats basically until satisfied and at this development age babies are so busy and so much is happening that they may actually consume fewer calories, but how is a mom to know?

A bottle fed baby, on the other hand, is fed by ounces determined by a parent/care giver and the amount consumed is monitored in such a way that even a busy baby is probably kept on track in consumption during this busy developmental time. This explanation made a lot of sense to me.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I wish I'd had you all when DS was little!! We were scared by docs into a lot of tests too, and it turned out he was just the size he was meant to be. But I really took a hit to my confidence as a parent, because I kept wondering what I was doing wrong. (We also started some tough-to-break habits because everything was about eating.) I know it's hard to "just not worry about about it", but as long as she's acting like a normal, energetic child, try!

 

[Rylee]

All 3 of our daughters were between 15 - 17 pounds, and 26 - 28 inches, on their first birthday.

The girls, now ages - 18, 23 & 27 are 5'1", 5'2.5" and 5'3.5". I'm 5'6" and DH is 5'8". I was expecting the girls to be a little taller.

Our sons are 7y/o @ 48.5" and 10y/o @ 52.5".

The boys are 3 years apart in age, but only 1/2 a shoe size and 4" apart in height.

The 10 year old does not like being one of the smallest in his class, (his best friend is 9" taller than he is) but that's the way it... for now, anyway.

 

[momofbcs]

She sounds fine.

 

[crisi]

My question is "why is your doctor worried?" - unless you have a horrible doctor who doesn't understand the concept of average and that some people need to be on the high end and some people on the low end (in which case, switch doctors - this one shouldn't have gotten INTO med school), he wouldn't say he is worried unless there is something to worry about OTHER than the growth chart. Ask him that question - "lots of people have petite kids - after all someone has to be little so other people are big. Why does this have you worried? What else are you seeing other than a small child - who seems to be hitting milestones?"

I'm not saying anything is wrong. I'm saying asking your doctor who has been medically trained and has seen your child is a much better way to find out that asking a bunch of people on the internet.

 

[Sparkie]

I'm saying asking your doctor who has been medically trained and has seen your child is a much better way to find out that asking a bunch of people on the internet.[/QUOTE]


I dont think she was asking a "bunch of people on the internet" specifically for medical information but for validation. Just the same as you would ask your mom, your friend or your co-worker. Being able to express ideas with others gives you feedback to be able to go back to the doctor and ask those specific questions.

 

[crisi]

I'm saying asking your doctor who has been medically trained and has seen your child is a much better way to find out that asking a bunch of people on the internet.[/QUOTE]


I dont think she was asking a "bunch of people on the internet" specifically for medical information but for validation. Just the same as you would ask your mom, your friend or your co-worker. Being able to express ideas with others gives you feedback to be able to go back to the doctor and ask those specific questions.

A lot of people are telling her not to worry - and while it is PERFECTLY NORMAL to have a kid on the low end of the growth percentages - if her doctor is worried about something (and its also possible that she misunderstood him), the place to be told "don't worry about it" is from her doctor.

What if this IS something to worry about? What if its something that finding out now and running a few tests might save the baby's life? A co-worker had a baby who was "watched" for something similar - turned out to be cancer. Another friend's baby was "watched" - it was TB. (Both babies were fine after proper treatment.) Are you "validating" that it is not something to "worry about."

There are three possibilities here: There is something to watch - perhaps something to worry about - perhaps something that a more aggressive doctor would start tracking now. She and her doctor miscommunicated and a phone call about her worry will assure her everything is OK. Or her doctor is an idiot. Only the second is "nothing to worry about."

 

[Jenvenza]

I dont see how being in the 34th percentile is even cause for concern. She is on the charts and not going to be a basketball player, but I am sure you werent expecting her to be tall!

Our DD was somewhere around there for her height at 9 months as well. She was maybe a little over 27 inches and they said she was in the 50th percentile. So, I wouldnt worry!

And I dont think the way they measure them is very accurate anyway.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I posted this on the CB, but it doesn't seem to be attracting any answers.

ello all . . . I have a quick question.

My daughter is 9 months now and weighed in at 17 lbs and is 26 3/4 inches long. The doctor said she was overall in the 34th percentile and was a little concerned about her height. She is currently nursing and receives solids 3 times a day. She is an active little bugger!

Everything else is going along fine. For over a month now she has been crawling. She started pulling herself up over 2 months ago. She has the pincer grip down. She is trying to talk and form words (yesterday is sounded like she said "bah-bye") but she never said it again.

So, how many have you had/have children on the low range? We are thinking she is just petite because everything else is going well with her. Also, our doctor said if she had any concerns she would let us know, but she (our daughter) seems to be developing fine!

A lot of people are telling her not to worry - and while it is PERFECTLY NORMAL to have a kid on the low end of the growth percentages - if her doctor is worried about something (and its also possible that she misunderstood him), the place to be told "don't worry about it" is from her doctor.

crisi,

Please reread the OP post. She says the doctor will let her know if she has a concern. It's not as if the doctor is really concerned at the current time and we are telling the OP to ignore her doctor's concerns. We are trying to provide reassurance that small babies do exist and it's not something she should lose sleep over. I'm sure the OP will continue to take her daughter to her pediatrician for regular checkups and if the doctor does feel this is a bigger concern, she will respond accordingly. But at the current time, her doctor has told OP that her DD is developing fine. That is what the OP should focus on, not just a percentile number.

 

[crisi]

My daughter is 9 months now and weighed in at 17 lbs and is 26 3/4 inches long. The doctor said she was overall in the 34th percentile and was a little concerned about her height. She is currently nursing and receives solids 3 times a day. She is an active little bugger!

So does the doctor have concerns or does the doctor not have concerns? Only the doctor can explain this inconsistancy.

(My guess is its a misunderstand on the OPs part, but if SHE is concerned about the doctor being "a little concerned about her height" the person she needs to talk to is the doctor.)

 

[3goofyboys]

Both of my kids are on the small side of things. In fact, my older DS is a teeny, tiny peanut, consistently in the 5-7th percentile. My pediatrician isn't concerned so much with their size, but with how well they maintain their personal growth curve. If they were in the 75th percentile and then suddenly fell into the 15th percentile, he would look closely at what might be happening. Because they both maintain their growth curves, we don't worry about it.

Also, both of my children were exclusively breast fed, and breast fed babies tend to be a bit smaller. Here are growth charts based on breast fed babies http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/growth/growthcharts.html

Good luck, isn't it crazy how much worry these tiny little people can create for us parents?

 

[DVCJones]

It sounds like she is fine. I do believe a child's size has everything to do with genetics. Tall parent= tall kids. Small parents= small kids.

I am 5'8" my DH is 6'2 my first born DD was 10 lbs 5oz at birth Yeah I was a little shocked. however, her pediatrician did explain the we were both tall and he wasn't surprised at the size of our baby. We were both healthy during and after the pregnancy. She has always been in the 90th percentile for height and has dropped in the weight as she got older. She will be a tall woman someday. Perhaps there is a basketball scholarship in her future

My second DD was five weeks early and was 5lbs 10oz and quickly got to the 90th percentile in just 3 months. She probably would have been a big one too it she had gone to term. She is 3 now but looks more like a 4yo.

So, yeah I think genetics are a HUGE factor. Don't worry your DD sounds happy and healthy!

 

[disneyandme]

She's fine. I belong to a mom's group and I just looked back at our kid's stats...my kids were the same weight of your 9 month old when they were 12 months old.

My youngest is 4.5 and still only weighs 30lbs.

My kids have always been in the 5-10%. They were born at 50% and went down to 5-10% when they started being able to get around on their own. They were both so active that they settled in the 5-10 percentile...and that's where my 4 year old has been ever since.

My 8 year old finally got out of that by the time she started the 2nd grade. But she was the smallest for a long time until she hit a major growth spurt.

I am 5'4, my hubby is 5'8. We know our kids will be tiny.

I am so surprised to see someone else with a 4yr old at the bottom of the chart. My DD4 barely makes 30 lbs and is in the 3-5% range. We are just happy when she stays on the chart.

 

[GlendaO]

Both my DDs were about 50% until the age of two. They've remained at 30% and 3%, respectively. We did switch doctors when the youngest was three because the Dr. kept on and on about having her see an endocrinologist and having her stared on growth treatment. She's very healthy; just small. I'm 5'2" DH is 5'10 but my GM was 5' and I have an aunt at 4'11.

It's been an issue on occasion for her but we just tell her that she's small, some are, some are huge -- be happy that you're healthy, smart and pretty -- there are worse things than being short!!

 

[3boys4me]

I just brought my 3 boys to the dr this week for annual check ups. My little one is 13 months old and is 20.2 lbs and 28 inches. He is just barley on the chart for weight and didn't make it for height. The doctor is not concerned, Evan is healthy and happy. My 9 y.o. is 40 pecentile height and 80 for weight and my 6 y.o. is right about 45 percentile for both. I asked the nurse to look back at my 9 y.o. when he was this age and he was short too. My 6 y.o. was a longer but he was 2 inches longer at birth. I wouldn't worry.

 

[ColleenG]

I wouldn't worry about the percentiles. It sounds like developmentally she is right on track. As long as she has a good appetite I wouldn't be concerned. As another poster said look more at the tragectory of the line, as long as it is steadily going up she is fine. My nephew at one point was in the 3rd percentile and was considered failure to thrive. There is not a thing wrong with him. He's petite, but my sister is a toothpick and his dad is thin. Just enjoy watching her explore her world.

 

[rt2dz]

I haven’t read all the replies, just perused a few. I may have missed this, but why is the pedi concerned?

We had a pedi who was always concerned about DS#1 when he was little. He was 100% height and about 40% weight. He kept telling me he was too thin. DS#1 eats, and always has, eaten like a cow. I couldn’t put weight on him then, or now! Well, for various reasons we switched pedi’s.

The new pedi looked over the charts and records. Told me that DS#1 was bit underweight, but it wasn’t a concern because he had been that way since birth. It isn’t the percentile that matters, it is how the percentile changes (or doesn’t) that is the concern. Percentiles mean something, where they fall along the majority, but are really used to track steadiness of growth and weight gain. Any big changes, or many small changes that add up to a big change, and there is cause for concern.

If your DD keeps slowly and consistently dropping percentiles in height, it could indicate nothing or a growth issue (many of which are solved with hormones or thyroid medication). It could also just be a normal change. It sounded to me like it is something the pedi is just watching, which is a good thing. It can also just be a normal change.

Oh, and as far as weight/height issues go, I have 3 boys. DS#1 is 100% height, 40%-50% weight; DS#2 is 50% height, 0-5% weight; DS#3 is 50% height, 50% weight. And all three have HUGE feet for their heights. And all were born roughly the same height and weight; DS#2 was a little smaller, the other two were exactly the same. Both DS#2 and DS#3 were early.

BTW, the new pedi has the utmost respect among other Pedis, nurses, OBGYNs and other Drs. The first pedi, no so much. Found this all out later.

 

[proteus]

DD and I were very small in school, she was outside the normal range. Didn't worry, she grew into it, we just had to be patient.

I used to be really skinny, wish I had that problem today, haha.

 

[pigget74]

Anyway, she is nursing and I think that may have something to do with it.

She is a happy baby all of the time and doesn't give us any problems unless the "milk" doesn't come fast enough for her!

Have not read all resposnes but this caught my eye. My DD was alos breastfed and she was and is tiny. We are 10mths and are barely 19 pounds. She is still in 6-9 mth clothes. I nursed her until 7mths and had to stop due to a medication that I ha to take. At this time she was probably around 16 pounds and when I stopped nursing she gained a pound. Now she only takes 6 ounces--would never take any more than that. She does like some food.

My oldest 2 were always off the charts. My DS is now 13 and 5'10'' and weighs about 120. DD is 10 and weighs 112 and is almost 5'. They are both very active. DS is a cross country wunner and DD is on a swim team.

Younges DS was always in the 75th range. He is just as average as they come. DD was lucky just to get to the 35th.