Lifestyle
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A common concern of new parents is whether or not their baby has gained enough weight during their first year. Parents fear that if their baby doesn’t gain enough weight, the child will be underweight and may have health problems in the future. In fact, it can be extremely hard to know how much your baby should weigh at each checkup, as every baby grows at different rates, and babies within the same age range can weigh vastly different amounts. For example, one 8-month-old may weigh 13 pounds while another weighs 18 pounds!
Babies are built to grow fast
During pregnancy, your baby is building everything from his skeleton to his brain and lungs. By about 12 weeks of age, he’ll have grown five times his original size! If you’re concerned that your baby isn’t putting on enough weight during these early months, talk to your doctor. He or she will look at factors like growth and development to decide if there’s a problem with your baby’s growth rate. In most cases, though, normal babies weigh between 5 pounds, 10 ounces, and 7 pounds at birth—and they continue to grow fast for their first year of life!
Newborns don’t have much control over their weight
While newborns do put on weight steadily during their first two years, they also don’t have much control over it. Sure, there are times when a baby might eat more or less, but experts say there’s no reason to try to control their intake. Their stomachs may be smaller than you think, and researchers have yet to find evidence that giving a newborn extra formula will help them in any way. In fact, babies are more likely to be overfed than underfed; if you’re concerned about your infant’s weight gain or overall health and well-being, talk with your pediatrician—your little one will probably just tell them thanks for dinner!
Not all babies are overweight
If you’re a new parent, you’ve probably been bombarded with information about how to do it right when it comes to your baby’s health. One area where there is a lot of attention paid is to babies’ weight gain. If you are getting stressed out about whether or not your baby will be overweight later in life, take a deep breath and relax. Babies naturally fluctuate in their weight depending on how much they eat, when they eat, and how active they are.
Sleep and breastfeeding affect weight gain
Once your baby is born, you may find yourself struggling to lose weight. After all, now that breastfeeding and changing diapers have become a full-time job, there’s no time left over for meal prep and exercise. But don’t panic: As long as you put your baby to sleep on his back, you won’t need to stress about his weight gain. A new study in Archives of Disease in Childhood shows that placing babies on their backs to sleep (instead of their tummies) can prevent excessive weight gain during infancy and reduce their risk of developing childhood obesity later in life. Why? The researchers say it’s because stomach sleeping makes it harder for babies to breathe deeply while they sleep, which in turn reduces calorie burn. Babies who sleep on their bellies are also more likely to experience frequent arousals from light sleep, which can cause them to wake up more often throughout the night—and therefore eat more calories than they would if they slept soundly through the night. To help combat excessive weight gain and future obesity risks, make sure your baby sleeps on her back at night—and if she does happen to roll onto her belly while she sleeps, gently roll her back onto her back again.
There are more important things to worry about than baby weight gain
Whether it’s your first or fifth baby, it can be hard to not think about how they’re progressing. It’s important to know that while your little one is increasing in weight, you shouldn’t really worry about their rate of growth if they are eating regularly and seem healthy. There are more important things to focus on than baby weight gain like breathing and sleeping patterns. Since babies’ systems work differently than ours, try not to compare them with adults in terms of weight gain and focus on other areas instead. Although some doctors might monitor a baby’s weight gain during their doctor visits, it should never be a primary concern for parents during those early days.
My baby doesn’t have baby fat. She/he is overweight or obese!
Some babies do gain weight quickly, but that doesn’t mean they are overweight or obese. As we’ve learned, a baby’s fat percentage is much higher than an adult’s. Also, newborns have very little muscle mass so they have to consume a lot of calories just to stay warm. It’s not unusual for an infant who is exclusively breastfed to gain 10 ounces in a week! Overweight and obesity are medical terms used to describe ranges of body fat that lead to health problems such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease; being overweight or obese does not necessarily cause these conditions. Children with weight problems should always be checked by their doctor for other health issues first—chances are it is not your baby who needs help losing weight.
