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What does this percentile thing actually mean? I'm guessing the aim is to be in the same percentile for length and weight?
My son was measured this morning and I checked him on the charts after getting home and he is a skinny little thing! I knew that but now I just want to know it's okay!
According to the WHO BFing charts he is just under the 50th percentile for his weight but he's on the 85th percentile for his length. That seems a bit off to me.
My Dr has said as long as they are following the same curve most of the time for each thing then it's ok. By that I mean if they are he is in the 50th percentile for weight then you'd like him to stay there or go to the next one & not a lower one & the same with length, stay in the 85th percentile. By the sounds he's just a long lean little man. FWIW my little cherub is in the 90th percentile for weight & the 70th percentile for height, so she's short & chubby LOL!
Perfectly fine :) Just like there are tall skinny adults and short heavy ones, children will come in all shapes and sizes too. My eldest was on the 97th for weight and height, my 2nd was on the 50th for weight and height, but the last two were and are on the 97th for height and the 50th for weight. Me thinks my last two get their metabolism from their Dad and not their Mum ;)
My son has alwys been in 95th for his weight and for his height but they are happy cause he has follwed the same curve so to speak on his chart....but aslong as they are healthly and happy.
Thanks girls :D
He is thriving so I wasn't really concerned- more just starting to wonder if I was being a neglectful mother and should be worrying :lol: My H is tall & skinny and he's taking after him.
DD has always been about 20th for weight, 50th for height and 90th for head! The MHCN said that is fine.
My DD was born on 75th for weight, 95th for height. She dropped onto the 50th for weight at about 4 months and is still there now. Some movement on the curves can be normal too - it's better to look at the overall picture than the chart. If baby seems happy, alert, thriving and interacting well and feeds ok, with plenty of wet nappies and regular poopy ones then there's nothing to worry about. Conversely if bubs is NONE of those things then they need a doctor, no matter how "great" their chart looks.
Charts annoy me. WHen DD was little i always felt they were looking at the chart instead of the baby....
Bx
this may be old information as my DD is now 3.5 years old, but I was always told that the percentiles in the health record books were based on bottle fed babies only, not breastfed which was a different keatle of fish. No idea why because they are still being 'fed' milk but I guess bottle milk has more 'fat' in it???
Anyway, I would go with the others and just be satisfied if bub was following the same general curve whether over or under. It's just there as a guideline only.
My DD has always been off the chart for weight and pretty much height but never worried about it because she's considered above average height. Her head circumference on the other hand has always been 'below average' 50th percentile or something but is perfectly fine and healthy.
Hey Ren, my DS is on the 10th percentile for weight and the 50th for height! So he's long and lean too. My MCHN isn't worried as he is following the line spot on.
SG
xo
DD was born at the 90th percentile for weight and 75th for height. She is now between 15-20th percentile for weight and still 75th for height. That gave me an enormous freak-out when she slid down the weight percentiles in the first month but as my lovely MCHN said, "you probably just grew a really nice, big baby but now she's getting back to what she should be genetically."
When I actually looked at the chart for 20-year-olds that was spot on because at that age, I was 75th percentile for height and 15th for weight and DP would be about the same. Not now mind you! So that reassured me greatly - just her genes to be quite tall and lean though I wish I'd known that in the first month when she lost weight!
Ren, DS2 was in the 10th percentile for weight and the 75th for height when he was around 15 months. The MCHN wasn't the slightest bit concerned. He is a great eater, and very active. It is obvious he is just a tall and skinny build and burns food off quickly. He is probably still mis-matched now but I see now reason to weigh him. All that achieved last time was to worry me unnecessarily.
DS birth Now
weight - 75th %ile Closer to 50th %ile
Length - 75th %ile 75th %ile
HC - 50th %ile 50th %ile
I think its just to see how they are going in the long term. They only have to have a quick glance instead of trying to decipher notes & you can tell how bubs is compared to most other bubs.
I wouldn't worry too much about it. I've actually never paid attention to them til DS. Even then its just to see how he's going.
They like to see bubs follow a consistent growth curve rather than be at the same percentile for everything. Eg. DD had gastro just before her 12 month check and went down to the 3rd percentile so we had an extra check at 15 months to make sure she was regaining the weight that she lost. She did and by 24 months was back at the 20th percentile.