Small baby... should I be concerned?

Hello all,

Ally was born six months ago at full term and was a heathy 52cm long and 3.98kg! She was in about the 85% percentile for height and weight.

Fast forward six months and she now weights 6.1kg and is 62cm long. I've looked in the Baby Love book and this indicates that she is on the bottom line for percentages, so she has slipped... a LOT...

All I can assume is that she is going to continue this trend and continue to fall behind.

Developmentally she can do stuff like pass a ball from her feet to her hands to her mouth, and knows her name, and can roll... But all the other babies I know at 6 months have teeth, and can almost crawl, pull themselves up etc.... she is far from doing any of those things...

I've just started solids and I think she has put on some more weight, but I'm still worried... should I be????

Nope I wouldn't worry. Some bubs just don't put on weight like others. That whole percentile thing is just mean to us mums! Gemma was always in the lower end and at 12 months I was told if she didn't put on more weight she'll be underweight. Well poo to them cause Gem is a happy, healthy smart toddler that just is very slight for her age, always has been. As long as shes putting on weight each week then I don't see a problem. And you said she can do alot so I wouldn't worry. Babies progress at their own rate hun. Your doing a fab job!!

If you follow the guide in the book ou'll go crazy!!!

M 1st had a head in the 90+%, height was in about 35% & weight in about 75%... So i was told by the Health nurse, she is a short chubby big headed baby!!

Hmm, OK great!!! I left there totally shattered!!! I then realised the woamn was just an old cow making me feel bad, madd now is just perfect in height, weight & headsize!!! she si not out of shape at all! So dont worry at all!

Cee Cee,

I feel the same as Tarleha was born around the same time as Ally was (Tarleha is 7mnths in 2 days time).
She was born at 3020grams and now only weighs 5kgs. I worry to all the time!! It makes it even harder when i have people asking me if i feed her or not, especially when they see she is in newborn nappies still.
But i am slowly accepting that yes i have a small baby but she is happy and healthy and IS being fed, it is just the way she is and i wouldn't change anything now.

Keep your chin up it soundds as if Ally is just fine, just a small bubba. And don't worry!!!
you are not alone in this.

Cee Cee,

Just go with the flow, mothers instinct is the best advice really!!!! If you are really concerned maybe ask the clinic nurse? Never compare your baby to others as they all grow and develop at different stages. Hope that helps!!

Chin up all will work out in the long run and you will think to yourself why did i even stress!! Lol.

jen

CC - I agree with the other girls too. Marley is at a lower percentile for her weight (compared with head and length) but MCHN wasn't concerned as she looks happy and healthy! Marley hasn't got any teeth (and they don't look like they are coming up either), has only just started to roll over and back, is nowhere near crawling and definately doesn't pull herself up on anything and she is over 7 mths old. Maybe once she is on the solids her weight will pick up a little. She looks and sounds like a perfectly normal, happy, healthy baby. :)

Try not to compare little Ally to other babies too much. My neice didn't crawl until well after one year old, and has only just at 17 months started to walk every now and then. She didnt' get any teeth till 12 months either.
I didn't talk until I was 2, and as my family says "...and she's never stopped since". It can be annoying when other mums are going on about all the things their babies are doing, I remember your frustration when you said "ally just lies there like a slug" (!) As long as she is happy and healthy she's great!
It can be worrying to have a drop like that from one percentile group to another, but I would actually have a GP/paed check her out, not a health centre nurse, as they seem to refer WAY too much to charts and don't go with instinct. Plus they say some really really stupid things (see Tracey's post).
She's so cute too CeeCee, plus you don't want her to be too developed, babies walking at 9 months are hard work!

...and even if there was a problem, the first step would be to consider early introduction of solids, and given her age, and the fact that you have already started solids, you are probably on the right track. You may find her weight gain accelerates (or at least keeps pace) now that she is on solids.

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Hello all,

Ally was born six months ago at full term and was a heathy 52cm long and 3.98kg! She was in about the 85% percentile for height and weight.

Fast forward six months and she now weights 6.1kg and is 62cm long. I've looked in the Baby Love book and this indicates that she is on the bottom line for percentages, so she has slipped... a LOT...

All I can assume is that she is going to continue this trend and continue to fall behind.

Developmentally she can do stuff like pass a ball from her feet to her hands to her mouth, and knows her name, and can roll... But all the other babies I know at 6 months have teeth, and can almost crawl, pull themselves up etc.... she is far from doing any of those things...

I've just started solids and I think she has put on some more weight, but I'm still worried... should I be????

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i believe that if you are worried take her to get checked.

booksmook!!! On paper thats how things should go but in the real world it isn't. When I Shanna was born me and my brother we worried because at 6 mnths she was in the bottom 17pertentile..but the pediatrition wasn't worried. She was just small. Now she's 3 and a half and has almost caught up with the rest of her age group. if the doc doesn't see anything wrong then you shoudlnt worry about it

Moving to General Baby & Toddler Discussion

Takes small babies and big babies to make an average baby :)

I wouldn't worry if i were you....although that's easier said than done as a mum! Ella is 17months and only weighs 9 kilos. She didn't get teeth til 8 months (still only has 7) - but got 4 in one hit! Didn't crawl til about the same age and only began walking 2 months ago. I didn't want to begin solids til after 6 months also - but she fed really well and her weigh gain was slow but gradual (it didn't go backwards). She's hardly on the weight or height graph but our peadiatrician isn't worried as she has a good and varied diet and puts it down to her having a small frame (like me). When i was 12 the family pead said i was the average weight of a 4 yr old - ridiculous but true - but i was healthy and that's all that mattered.

Rae, my 8yr old can fit in Indah's size '0' skirts! She is just petite & I agree small babies & big babies make average babies!! so if she is on the small side of average isnt she still OK...

I compared maddy & Indah too & wont be for any future kids!

Maddy was rolling at 9wks, crawling around 4-5 months, had a big head compared to the rest of her (ofcourse as her Mum I never noticed, but others commented & honestly I never saw it, she was so perfect to me!) Maddy began walking all over by 9-10 months, cut her first teeth at 10 months & was talking in long sentences well before her 1st birthday, never woke from 7 days of age thru the night & loves vegetables & fruits & is super thin...

Indah rolled at about 6months, still wakes 3 or so nights a week & grizzles before going back to sleep, she cut her first tooth at 4months, she crawled after 9-10 months & still isnt wlaking all the time at 16months although she can she just wont, she says lot's of singular words & a few 2-3 word conversations but nothing like Maddy had been, Indah will eat Rice 24/7 if we let her... She will currently push most vegies except corn & peas away, she will eat hot curries & pasta though..


Maddy was so placid & rarely cried, Indah is a stubborn, tantrum chucking, sooky la la!!


Love them both to pieces they are different & I am going to let them be different stuff what the health nurses say!!!!!


Unless you are genuinely worried Cee Cee, I think your doing an awesome job!