Newborn and Infant Growth

How much should my baby be growing every month?

One of the main questions I get asked by parents is how much should my newborn or infant be growing every month? And, it’s an important one! It is nerve wracking for parents when trying to make sure their child is getting enough nutrients to gain weight. Breastfed and formula fed infants might gain weight at a little different rate, but as long as they are steadily going up, that is what is most important! As always, if you have concerns about your child’s weight gain, talk to your Pediatrician! Read on to learn more about newborn and infant growth!

Expected growth in a breast-fed infants is similar to growth in bottle-fed infants. Any infant who is gaining weight steadily is doing exactly what they need to be doing and not a cause for concern. Infants may increase at very slightly different rates, but that is ok!

Also, it is normal for a breast-fed infant to lose 5% to 8% of birth weight in the first few days of life and not begin to gain until the fifth to the seventh day, with birth weight being regained at 10 to 14 days. Infants fed formula often lose only 1% to 2% of body weight and regain birth weight by the first week.

Just follow your baby’s lead and for most healthy infants they will eat when hungry and gain weight as expected. See this link from Healthychildren.org to read more on how much and how often your baby should eat. Your Pediatrician will advise you if you need to change what you are doing.

And, if you have questions about your child’s development, see this post here for more info!

This is one item that I would consider a “splurge” and wish I had when my kids were young. A changing table scale! Takes the worries away as to whether or not your babies are growing enough!