Low weight gains v's being petite??

[*EJ*]

DD is 15 months old, she was 3.180kg (7lb) at birth.

She has always been called 'petite' and yes when i see her with other children her age she is small but for me at home i don't think twice about it. She eats well, i feed her until i am happy with what she's had and/or she shows me she does not want anymore. She is still breastfed and could have approx 6 feeds a day/night and has a small cup of milk morning and afternoon.

At 12months she was 8.115kg and had put on 450g in 4 months.

Just over 3 weeks ago she was 8.350kg. She is now on the 3rd percentile and almost off it.

So she is gaining weight but i suppose you could say quite small for her age. She is not skin and bones in any way whatsoever.

So honestly my gut tells me that there is no need to get all wrapped up in the numbers and the graphs, she is happy and healthy and i think it's just her.

But the point of all of this is we're about to attend a sleep school next week and they wanted to know if there were any weight gain issues, i couldn't tick yes or no as i don't belive there is so i wrote down that she was 8kg at 12 months. Her weight has already been mentioned in conversations over the phone so before i go there and am possibly going to have to justify why i don't see her weight gain being a concern i just want to see what she may be compared to other 15 month olds out there.

Is she really that small??

[UntoldAngel]

My DS was 9kg at 13months (born 3.1kg). He had slow weight gains but always gained.
Your DD does sound on the small side, but what are you, DH and your other children like? If you are all tiny, or you are, then I wouldn't be concerned as genetics have everything to do with it. You said she eats well, and if she is happy and meeting developmental milestones, don't get caught up in the graphs. If the sleep school asks, I would tell them you aren't concerned because she is doing everything she is suppose to be, is happy, healthy, active and eats well et cetera
Good luck

[skybie]

Does she follow her own trend on the graphs? DD2 is petite (not as small as your DD but at 29 months is 13kgs and ir took her 6 months to put on that kilo! but she's perfect, happy and healthy. just little!

[onthefly]

Have you looked that WHO charts that are for bf kids? They're quite different.

WHO | WHO Anthro (version 3.2.2, January 2011) and macros
WHO | The WHO Child Growth Standards

[Trillian]

I don't think she's that little. I think you should just follow your gut on this one - you know she's happy and healthy and eats well, she's just not a big kid.

[*EJ*]

Thanks for the replys girls.

DS1 was my chunky boy, DS2 is quite petite also but not as much as DD. DH and I are slim....ish Not as slim as our younger years though

The graph in my blue book hasn't been filled in but from memory seeing it on the nurses computer screen she is kind of dropping on the weight side of things but staying in the middle following a consistant line for her height.

She has been my one to crawl (late 11 months) and walk (so close now) later than my boys but is very active and alert and communicates well.

MadB i will check out those graphs and see how she compares on those. Thank you

I'm just trying to prepare myself to be a strong mum if they try to focus on her weight at all.

[Sagres]

I have a DD1 that was very similar size at that age (and is still only about 11kg at 2 1/2) so I totally understand what you are saying. I often feel like we are at a real disadvantage, kids higher up the charts go up and down a bit a different times and not much is said about it, but our below 3rd percentile little ones go down a bit and alarm bells starting ringing, even if the decrease was fairly small and could be put down to normal stuff like learning to walk and burning off that baby fat. And I think you are right, some people definitely get a bit too wrapped up in charts, numbers and graphs. I often think about when I was a baby and a similar build to DD1, and then they weren't plotting me on charts and comparing me to this and that, they were just happy to say I was petite like my mum, and my sister, and my aunties, and their mum etc etc etc. you get the picture.

But on the other side, we have had some health problems and plotting my DD1s (quite rapid) decline down the charts has been part of the larger picture of working out how big the problem was and what options we took with treatment. I'm not really sure if my answer helps you at all LOL! but I think I'm trying to say that these charts have their place but I agree that some people get too caught up with them and don't look at the bigger picture.

But there is nothing wrong with being in the 3rd percentile, the fact that the 3rd percentile is there means that there are other babies there also. I totally understand the line between 'just a small kid' and 'health problem' that we mums of little ones dance along and it does seem to just cause more worry than is necessary.

[nickle730]

My DD1 is just about to turn 9 and she weighs 22kg, born at 2.7kg (full term).

DD2 is 15 months old and has just cracked 8kgs. She was born at term weighing 3.3kg.

DS is 6 and weighs 22kg, but is a couple of inches shorter than his older sister.

My children are all healthy and happy, none of them look too thin. DD1 has a very petite, athletic body. She is shorter than all her classmates. DD2 is small but perfect. She is definitely not 'skinny', she has a little belly and good covering on her limbs. I just make little girls!

My FIL is not very tall, although DH and I are of average height and size. FIL actually descends from a long line of jockey's and I reckon DH's aunt would be lucky to be taller than 5ft. If ever a health professional has mentioned the petite size of my girls (DD1 was off the bottom of the chart) I simply tell them that DH's family come from a long line of jockey's - it shuts them up pretty quickly. If you are confident that your DD is just small but healthy, tell them that you come from a long line of jockey's too!!

[*EJ*]

MadB i had a look at those graphs my goodness there are so many!!

I think i found the right one i'm looking for and it looks like she is more so around the 15th percentile on the WHO graphs.

Like i said i am not too concerned about the graphs but i just wanted a bit of a wider view in comparison to DD if it's needed at all next week. Only if they possibly try and say her weight has anything to do with her quality of sleep, which i believe is definatley not the case.

Sagres thank you for your reply. I understand what you're saying, the charts do have a place but there really are many other factors to take note of before you say there is a 'problem'. That's where us mums need to trust in ourselves.

Nickle70, i remember to use the jockey line if i need to but if they want to start talking horses i could be in a bit of trouble

Thanks ladies

[Eenee]

DD was just over 7kg at 12mths and had only put on 30grams since 8mths. But she is/was fine, she's just very active and petite. At 14mths though she would nearly weigh 8kg although haven't had her properly weighed lately.

[Nai]

DD1 was 2.9kg at birth and didn't crack 8kg until 15m - she is still lean but has shot up and is actually quite tall now at 6yo.

Eta, she was fully bf and slept through the night from about 8m old

[HotI]

i think babies with tummy issues (reflux, slow emptying...) can be more unsettled and have more sleep issues. They may be interested in her weight/eating just to check out if that could be affecting her sleep.

[misty]

It is nice to read this thread. My bubba is tracking along the 3rd percentile (after all three of my others tracked at or above the 97 percentile). I am 95% sure she is fine, and is just a petite bubba (my MIL and SIL's barely come up to my shoulders, so the genetics are there); but there is always that niggling doubt at the back on my mind, because she is so oppersite to what her siblings were.

[Sagres]

Like i said i am not too concerned about the graphs but i just wanted a bit of a wider view in comparison to DD if it's needed at all next week. Only if they possibly try and say her weight has anything to do with her quality of sleep, which i believe is definatley not the case.

Hehehe, I don't think it would be the case, I have a DD2 who even smaller than DD1 and she sleeps through the night almost every night and has done so since she was about 6 weeks old. Being petite isn't stopping her!

[*LittleMissSummer*]

My DD has always been little. Anyone who knows her will agree and i am CONSTANTLY hearing how little she is. She is 20 months and 10kgs. She's always followed the 10th percentile but has since dropped down, not exactly sure where she is at but she is perfectly healthy.

[sweetpea678]

I don't think yoy have anything to worry about. My dd3 who will be 4 in 2.5 months is only 15kg she was born 4.155kg at 12 months she hadn't broken 8kg. She was abot 10 kg at 2. She is a perfectly happy growing developing little girl.

[*EJ*]

Thanks again ladies.

I myself am not concerned. She is so happy and healthy and developing beautifuly, she's just little. I just wanted to have the back up in my mind if became a discussion to know it's all good.