Children with congenital heart disease tend to grow and develop more slowly than their peers and are prone to various diseases. How to detect congenital heart disease early, you should pay attention to the growth and development of children from the moment they are born and seek medical attention early. If congenital heart disease is treated in time, it can prevent the growth and developmental disorders of children and relieve the worries of families and society. The following are the main stages of pediatric growth and development and the characteristics of each stage. 1.Perinatal period: It is from 28 weeks of gestation to 7 days after the baby is born. This period is an important time to protect the normal development of the fetus and newborn, reduce the morbidity and mortality before and after birth, and promote its healthy growth. Routine physical examination after birth can determine whether a child has congenital heart disease based on the presence or absence of heart murmurs and cyanosis of the lips. At this time, the most commonly detected heart diseases are ventricular septal defect, tetralogy of Fallot, transposition of the great arteries and other cyanotic congenital heart diseases. 2.Neonatal period: From the time the fetus is delivered and the umbilical cord is ligated to 28 days after birth, it is called the neonatal period. During this period, the fetus leaves the mother’s body and turns to live outside the fetus, and great physiological changes occur in the organism, and the functions of all systems and organs of the body change from immaturity to initial construction and consolidation. The morbidity rate of normal newborns in this period is high, and the mortality rate and prevalence rate of newborns with congenital heart disease are higher than those of normal newborns, such as arteriovenous ductus arteriosus, single atrium, single ventricle, large ventricular septal defect, ventricular septal defect, etc. Children with feeding difficulties, easy to catch a cold or pneumonia, etc. Physical examination can reveal a heart murmur, which should be diagnosed in time. 3.Infancy: From 28 days after birth to 1 week old is called infancy. This period is the first peak stage of growth and development of children. At the age of 1 year, the weight is 3 times the weight at birth and the length is 1.5 times the length at birth. Therefore, adequate nutrition must be given at this stage. After 6 months, the immunity that infants get from their mothers gradually disappears, while the acquired immunity is still weak, especially in children with congenital heart disease, because it is difficult to feed, the resistance is even worse, and they are very easy to suffer from upper respiratory tract infections. 4, early childhood: from 1 week old to 3 years old is called early childhood. This period is slightly slower than the growth and development of infancy, but the central nervous system is developing rapidly, immunity is still low, and susceptible to various infectious diseases. Therefore, it is important to receive various vaccinations in this period. As long as there is no serious organ weakness and allergic performance, children with congenital heart disease should be vaccinated with various vaccines to enhance resistance. 5. Preschool period: From 3 weeks old to 6 years old, it is called preschool period. During this period, children’s growth and development are slowed down, but their ability to imitate language and movement is enhanced, they have a strong desire to learn, and their own immunity is improved. 6.School age: From 6 weeks to 12 years old, it is called school age. During this period, all systems of the body, except the reproductive system, gradually mature, the morphological and structural development of the brain has been basically completed, is a good time to grow intelligence and study hard. During this period, children’s life is well managed and their ability to tolerate surgery is obviously enhanced, so it is also a good period for surgery of congenital heart disease, but for some serious congenital heart disease, such as children with large ventricular septal defect and transposition of the great arteries, the difficulty of surgery may increase due to the presence of severe pulmonary hypertension, and the timing of surgery may even be lost. The average weight of our newborns is 3kg, with a minimum of 2.5kg and a maximum of 4.65kg within the normal range. 3-4 days after birth, physiological weight loss can occur due to evaporation of large amounts of water from the lungs and skin, excretion of urine and stool, and less food intake, etc. The weight loss is about 7% to 8%. If the weight loss is more than 10%, attention should be paid to whether there is improper feeding or congenital heart disease. After 4-6 months of life, the weight increases 150-180g per week, and the weight increases about 3kg in the second half of the year. The weight of a child is about 2 times the birth weight at 5 months of age, about 3 times the birth weight at 1 year of age, and about 6 times the birth weight at 6-7 years of age. The approximate formula for estimating the weight of each age group is listed below for reference. Weight of children aged 1-6 months (kg) = weight at birth (kg) + (age at birth × 0.6); weight of children aged 7-12 months (kg) = weight at birth (kg) + (age at birth × 0.5). Average weight after 1 year of age: weight of urban children = [(age × 2) + 7 or 8] (kg); weight of rural children = [(age × 2) + 6 or 7] (kg). Newborn height is about 50 cm, the fastest growth within six months after birth, with an average growth of 2.5 cm per month, and the growth rate slows down in the second half of the year, with an average growth of 1.0 to 1.5 cm per month, that is, the height growth of 25 cm in the first year after birth, the growth rate slows down in the second year, with an average growth of about 10 cm in the second year, and an average growth of 4 to 7.5 cm per year after 2 years of age. The average height at the age of 4 to 5 years is about twice the height at birth, and the average height after the age of 1 year can be estimated by the following formula: [(age × 5) + 80] (cm). Generally speaking, children with congenital heart disease who are not seriously ill have the same growth and development as children of the same age, and if there are no obvious growth disorders or special conditions, surgery can be performed at the age of about 3 years. Because of the higher weight and increased resistance after 3 years of age, the tolerance to surgery is increased, the operation is relatively easy for the surgeon, the success rate of surgery is increased, and the postoperative care is good. If there is a serious growth disorder, difficult to feed, and frequent infections, it is advisable to go to the hospital as early as possible, and after a clear diagnosis, the doctor will decide when it is appropriate to operate. Do not deprive the child of surgical treatment. Early treatment can promote the normal growth and development of the affected child after correcting the heart malformation, which is beneficial to its growth.