1.Physical growth
This period is the most rapid physical growth of children, with an average monthly weight increase of 750-1000 grams and an average monthly length increase of 2.5-3.0 cm.
2.How to weigh your baby
Weight is a sign of children’s health, and is an important indicator to determine the physical development and nutritional status of children. A normal child’s weight is increasing with age, the younger the age, the faster the weight increase, and there is a certain pattern. The average weight of a full-term newborn is about 3 kg; between 2.5 and 4.0 kg is the normal range. Almost every newborn will experience weight loss in the first 2-3 days after birth, which is called physiological weight loss. Physiological weight loss generally falls to the lowest point 3-5 days after birth, and the decline can reach 6%-9% of the birth weight, but up to 10% of the birth weight. Later, with the increase of milk consumption, the weight gradually increases, mostly in the 7-10 days after birth, the weight can be restored to the level at birth. By full term, the newborn’s weight can increase by about 1000 grams. In the first three months after birth, the weight increases rapidly, averaging about 750 grams per month.
There are several ways to weigh your baby, which are also very simple and can be done at home.
(1) First pocket the child with a small sheet, weigh it with the scale, then subtract the weight of the small sheet and all clothing including diapers, that is, the baby’s weight.
(2) parents holding the baby standing on the scale weighing, minus the weight of adults, that is, the baby’s weight.
When measuring weight, it should be noted that it is best to fast before measurement, defecate, and try to remove the baby’s clothes, shoes, hats, diapers, etc., wearing only single clothes and pants; the measured data should be subtracted from the weight of the clothes and diapers worn by the baby.
Each time the baby’s weight is measured, a record should be made, and while noting whether the baby’s weight has reached the reference standard, attention should also be paid to the rate of weight gain. Some babies are born light, but their growth rate has reached or even exceeded the normal level, although the measured weight has not reached the reference standard, parents can not worry, because the baby is not only growing healthy, but also trying to “catch up with the growth”. On the contrary, some babies, although the measured weight is still in line with the reference value, but the growth rate is relatively slow, but to seriously look for the reasons, and take appropriate measures in a timely manner.
3.How to measure the baby’s height (length)
Height (length) is a major indicator of a child’s bone development, which includes the sum of the head, spine and lower limb length. The growth rate of height and weight is the same as the younger the baby, the faster the growth. In the first month after birth, the baby’s body can grow about 5 cm taller. During the first three months after birth, the length increases by an average of 2.5 cm per month.
Children under 3 years old
The length of the child should be measured lying down. There are specific measuring boards available in the hospital to measure the length of the child. Remove the child’s shoes, socks, hat, outerwear and diapers before measuring. The child is placed on his or her back on the midline of the bottom of the measuring board with the head touching the headboard and facing upward. The measureer stands on the child’s right side and presses the child’s knees straight with the left hand so that the two lower limbs are straight, together and close to the bottom of the measuring board; the right hand moves the footboard so that it is close to the child’s soles and reads the scale of body length. At home, if there is no measuring board, you can also let the child lie on a table or a plank bed and stick a soft ruler on the table or the edge of the bed. Two pieces of cardboard are placed on the top of the child’s head and the bottom of the feet, and the measurement method is the same as that of the hospital’s measuring board, and the length from the inside of the head board to the inside of the foot board is read, which is the child’s body length. When measuring the length of the child, it should be noted that the footboard must be close to the sole of the child’s foot, and not only to the toe, otherwise, the measured length will be greater than the actual length of the child.
Children over 3 years old
The height can be measured standing up. Measurements can be made with a height meter or by pinning a ruler to the wall. The child stands upright with his back against the height meter post or wall, so that the heels of both feet, hips, shoulders and head are in contact with the post or wall, both hands are perpendicular to both sides of the body, both knees stand straight, not bent, heels together, toes slightly apart, both eyes are looking straight ahead, head cannot be tilted up or down. A horizontal board is pressed against the top of the head and the value is read, which is the height.
How tall a child will be in the future is a concern for every parent. The height of a person is affected by many factors, such as genetics, endocrine, nutrition, disease and activity and exercise. Generally speaking, before the age of 5, children’s height is not greatly affected by genetics, but mainly by nutrition, chronic diseases and endocrine factors. after the age of 5, genetic factors play a certain role, and children whose parents are taller generally grow taller. However, there are many short parents whose children’s height far exceeds that of their parents, which means that in addition to genetic factors, environmental factors are also important to ensure that babies have reasonable nutrition, adequate sleep, and a certain amount of activity to promote healthy growth.
4.How to measure your baby’s head circumference
Just born
Head circumference is a reflection of brain development, the size of the brain volume is also an important indicator of physical development. The first two years after birth, the baby’s brain develops rapidly and the head circumference grows rapidly. After two years of age, the growth rate of head circumference gradually slows down. The average head circumference at birth is 34 cm, and the average head circumference increases by 1.5 cm per month in the first three months of life.
When measuring the head circumference, use a soft ruler, use the left thumb to fix the zero point of the soft ruler at the upper edge of the left eyebrow, then press the skin through the highest point of the occipital tuberosity around the head circumference a circle back to the zero point, the value read is the head circumference.
The size of the head circumference is also like the weight, height as a normal range, and not as some people think that the head is certainly developed brain, children are smart, which is not correct. If a child is born with a normal head circumference of about 34 cm, by 3 months when the head circumference quickly grows to 42 cm, it should be suspected of hydrocephalus, rickets or other diseases. If a child is born with a smaller than normal head circumference and the growth rate of the head circumference after birth is slow or even stops growing, then it is highly suspected that there is brain dysplasia and the possibility of a small head deformity. Therefore, when the baby’s head circumference grows too fast or too slow, are abnormal phenomenon, parents should promptly take him to the hospital for further examination.
5.How to measure the baby’s chest circumference
Newborn
Chest circumference is used to evaluate the development of the child’s chest, including the development of the lungs, the development of the thorax and the development of the muscles of the chest and back and the degree of subcutaneous fat. The newborn’s chest circumference at birth is about 32 cm, which is 1-2 cm smaller than the head circumference, and increases rapidly in the first year of life, with an average increase of 12 cm. In general, the head circumference of a child is larger than the chest circumference up to 1 year old, and the chest circumference gradually exceeds the head circumference at 1 year old.
The measurement of children under 3 years old is done in the lying position, with the baby lying flat on the bed and both hands naturally flat, with the zero point of the soft ruler fixed at the lower edge of the nipple, so that the soft ruler touches the skin and goes around the chest circumference by the lower edge of the two shoulder blades to the zero point, and the value read is the chest circumference. 3 years old and above are measured in the standing position, with both hands naturally hanging down, and the measurement method is the same as above.
The size of the chest circumference is related to physical exercise and clothing. Small babies are in a period of rapid growth, growing day and night, and some parents like to give the baby wear chest pants, artificially restrain the development of its chest, a long time can lead to the baby’s ribs sunken, turned out, chest circumference is too small. Therefore, parents should pay attention to the baby wear loose clothing and pants. At the same time, often do passive exercises for babies to exercise their muscles and bones, such as chest expansion exercises, exercise the child’s chest muscles, to promote the development of the baby’s chest muscles, leading to the development of the thorax and lungs.
6, regularly take the baby to health checkups
Looking at the growing baby, parents are always a little uneasy and have doubts: Is my baby growing healthy? Then the best way to solve your doubts is to take your child to the child health department for regular physical examinations.
Regular physical examinations, first of all, can systematically understand the baby’s physical growth at all ages, through regular multiple measurements, not only can we know whether the child’s current growth level reaches the reference standard, but also can keep abreast of the dynamic changes in the baby’s growth over a period of time, and observe whether his growth rate is similar to the reference standard, so that abnormal growth can be detected in time and the cause can be carefully searched for, so that some diseases with no obvious symptoms can be detected and diagnosed early. It can detect growth abnormalities and carefully search for causes, so that some diseases with less obvious symptoms can be detected early, diagnosed early and treated early. Secondly, the child’s intellectual development will be evaluated to see if the child’s intellectual development is at a normal level. If there is any doubt, a comprehensive evaluation of the child’s intellectual development will be done through neuropsychological testing, and children with delayed intellectual development and deviations in psychological development can be promptly treated with appropriate interventions and early rehabilitation programs. In addition, during the regular physical examination, you can also get scientific childcare knowledge guidance from the health care doctor, and learn many new ideas about child feeding, care, health care and early education, which will help your baby grow up healthier.
Take your baby for regular physical examination, generally speaking, every 1-2 months for infants within 6 months; every 2-3 months from 6 months to 1 year; every 6 months from 1 year to 3 years; and once a year after 3 years.
A comprehensive physical examination should include.
General condition Ask in detail about the baby’s general condition such as eating, urination and defecation, sleeping, outdoor activities and diseases.
Whole body examination
Measurement and evaluation of weight, height, head circumference, chest circumference; closure of infant’s fontanel, teeth eruption or caries, any abnormalities in eyes, ears, lymph nodes, as well as comprehensive examination of chest, abdomen, external genitalia, limb joints, bones, skin, etc.
Developmental assessment Assessment includes gross and fine motor development, speech and language development, social adaptation and ability to interact with others.
Necessary laboratory tests Such as hematocrit tests should be performed 6-9 months after birth. The results of the tests will be used to provide appropriate guidance.
Each physical examination should be recorded in the baby’s health booklet, and parents should keep this baby’s health booklet, which is like a health passport for the baby, recording every step of the baby’s growth. Remember that wherever you go to the doctor, you should bring your baby’s health booklet with you so that the doctor can systematically understand your child’s growth and development process.
7.Neuropsychological development
At 1 month of age, the baby is able to raise his head slightly for a moment while lying prone, and at 3 months, he can raise his head 45 degrees while lying prone, while his eyes can follow objects and turn his head over the center line. Small hands gradually began to relax, no longer always clenched fist, sometimes will be two hands open, sometimes see the toy will be dancing hands, the whole body moving; 2 months, feeding will use small hands to touch the breast, touch the mother’s face, and occasionally sucking fingers; 3 months can play with their hands in front of the chest, touching objects can grasp at will. The legs begin to stir and kick powerfully, holding the baby’s armpits, the legs can already support part of the weight. At this time the baby will smile when happy, and cooing guttural sounds, and adult communication.
One month old babies have the initial sensory perception, there are visual, auditory, smell, taste and touch.
Vision
At 1 month of age, infants can look at objects and move their gaze with them, but during the first two months of life, infants can only see up to 20-30 cm. At two months, infants can adjust their visual focus and distinguish colors of different wavelengths. By three months, the range of adjustment is expanded, head-eye coordination is good, and the head can be flexibly turned to stare at bright, colorful places. The color vision has received into the adult, like red, yellow, orange.
Hearing
Research shows that newborns have good auditory sensitivity, a little louder sound will cause some subtle changes in the baby’s movements, such as blinking, moving lips, or speed up breathing, etc. Around 1 month old can already distinguish between the sound of human speech and non-verbal sounds issued by the environment. Babies like to listen to harmonious, soft sounds, and their mother’s voice is the most beautiful music for them. Infants are generally able to perceive sounds from different directions and turn their heads toward the source by 3 months of age.
Sense of smell and taste
At 1 month old, babies can distinguish the fragrance of breast milk and do not like irritating smells, and at 2-3 months old, they will turn their heads to avoid unpleasant smells; babies are naturally fond of sweetness and will show a pleasant expression when they taste sweetness and do not like bitter, sour or salty food. This is one of the reasons why some little babies do not like to eat other milk formulas after they get used to the mother’s milk flavor.
Tactile sensation
Babies have a sensitive sense of touch all over their skin. Babies have a very developed sense of touch and will respond differently when different parts of their body are stimulated. When you pick up your baby, they like to cling to your body and snuggle up to you. When the baby cries, the mother’s warm hand gently strokes his face, abdomen or back, most of which can make the baby gradually quiet down and stop crying. In general, parents should learn to use skin contact to express their love and care for their babies, and daily touch training for babies is good for their physical and mental health.
8, how long does the baby need to sleep every day
Newborns need to sleep 16 hours a day (maybe more), usually lasting 2-3 hours each time. There are several stages of sleep: napping, rapid eye movement sleep, deep sleep, and very deep sleep. As babies grow, the amount of time they spend awake gradually increases.
Your baby’s sleep cycle of 2-3 hours at a time may confuse you because he differs from our adult sleep habits. What’s more, babies whoop and holler during the day and start to stay awake at night with high energy, which is often referred to as sleeping backwards. Be patient! These conditions will change as they grow up and begin to adapt to the rhythms of life outside the womb. In the meantime, parents can try to arrange to keep the baby awake in the afternoon, especially not to put the baby to bed after 4-5 pm, tease him for a while, and then prepare the baby for bed at around 7 pm. You can start to establish some bedtime preparations (such as bathing, reading, singing), which will help the child to relax when he is older. Even if your baby is currently too young to receive these signals, starting sleep habit training from a young age will help to help your baby regulate his biological clock and benefit him.
Where is the right place for your baby to sleep?
In the first few months of life, most parents place their baby’s bed in their own bedroom. During this period, giving your baby a separate room seems too far away from mom and dad. For safety reasons, most pediatricians are against letting babies sleep in their parents’ beds. No matter how you sleep, sleep safety should always be in the back of your mind. Don’t put anything in the bassinet that could block the child’s breathing; this includes long stuffed toys. Avoid putting items with cords and those with sharp corners. Also be sure that the bassinet you buy meets the safety standards for your baby’s sleep.
What to do if your baby is irritable and sleeps restlessly
It is right to rock, kiss and pat, and sing to him in a low voice until he calms down. But to avoid excessive attention to baby’s sleep, baby in light sleep sometimes will appear slight crying, restlessness, this is a normal phenomenon, should let him slowly learn from light sleep self-regulation into deep sleep.
Of course, restlessness can also be caused by many other reasons: hunger, illness, excessive fatigue, colic, too tight pajama restraints, etc. So, when is it time to seek medical attention? If your baby seems excessively irritable and is not being reassured, you may need to consult your pediatrician. Also, if your baby has difficulty waking from sleep and is not normally interested in eating, you should take your child to the hospital immediately for an examination.
9. Why babies startle easily
When a baby is sleeping, if there is a loud noise, the baby will often contract both arms and legs upward at the same time, or the limbs shake rapidly, appearing to “jump” phenomenon, and sometimes even cry loudly. Don’t worry! This is a unique unconditioned reflex of small babies, which is a normal phenomenon. At this time, infant brain development is still immature, the nerve myelin formation is not complete, when the external stimulus acts on the peripheral nerves and into the brain, because of the isolation of the unmyelinated sheath, excitement can spread to neighboring nerve fibers, in the cerebral cortex can not form a clear excitation foci; at the same time, unmyelinated nerve conduction is relatively slow, so the child’s response to external stimuli is relatively slow, and easy to generalize, which is easy to cause fright and crying.