All children grow at their own pace. When you go for your child’s regular health check, the paediatrician often hands you a baby growth chart. This chart helps them track your child’s growth and development. However, the chart might be daunting.
In this article, we will speak about some of the questions that you might have about the baby growth tracker.
What are baby growth charts?
Baby growth charts are the essential tools that paediatricians use to keep a tab on the growth and development of your child. These charts help to assess how your child is growing. They also help to detect any early signs of nutritional and physical deficiency. This information allows the paediatrician to plan a proper diet for your child.
Through these charts, healthcare providers compare your child’s growth with that of the certified growth standards and check if your child is growing properly. Some of the growth standards use in the baby growth charts are:
- Head circumference
- Weight-for-length
- Weight-for-age
- Length-for-age
How are the growth standards measured?
Head circumference:
The head circumference of the child is measured by soft tape. The tape is wrapped around the widest part of the head, from above the eyebrows and passes above the ears, and covers the back of your
Length:
Healthcare providers ask your baby to lie flat and stretch their legs out to get an accurate measurement. This measurement is taken from the top of your child’s head to the sole of his/her feet.
Weight:
The weight of your baby will be measured according to the standards set by the health ministry. Unlike adults, while using a baby growth tracker, children are asked to undress themselves to get the accurate weight.
When are these charts necessary?
Baby growth charts are crucial during the stages of growth and development. With these charts, it becomes easier to comprehend how well is your child adapting to both – internal and external environments.
How frequently will you have to visit the paediatrician for the growth check-up?
When your child is born, the growth check-ups will take place every few weeks, until your child turns a year old. Depending on your child’s overall growth and development, the paediatrician will tell you when you should get your child next for a check-up. However, different age groups have different frequencies to visit a paediatrician. Some of them are as follows:
- 1st year- once a month
- 2nd year- every 2 months
- Up to 5 – 6 year – every 3 months
During the growing years, feel free to ask your child’s paediatrician as many questions as you want or raise doubts if you have any. These years are crucial for your child; hence, you must ensure that everything is fine with your child.
