Question

Question

My 6 month old baby girl put on 100g from her 4 month weight. She fell from above 50th percentile to 25th percentile. She is fully breastfed latching on demand. Should I be worried?

Stephanie Goh · Accepted Answer

Cool! She is growing longer/taller. Now I feel more assured. Other than that she was indeed recovering from a bout of fever and cough when the measurement was taken. She is also very active - crawling and trying to stand all the time. Maybe that plays a part too.

Jamie Koh · Answer

Unless your baby is malnutritioned, you don't have to be too worried about growth charts. There will always be people on either end of the chart. You may want to consume foods high in healthy fats to increase the fat content in your breastmilk. http://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-healthy-fat-foods

Hui Qun Ng · Answer

Comparing against growth charts is just to give an indication of how your baby is developing physically by comparing to averages of children in the same age group. Fluctuations in your baby’s percentile could be due to growth spurts (rapid changes in weight or height). It could also be due to minor illness (which could result in weight changes due to changes in appetite). If your baby’s weight gain is slowing down but he/she is still growing taller, you can try increasing the number of feedings. This is because the main worry behind slower weight gain is that the baby may not be getting enough to eat. Still, it is best to speak to your doctor if you are worried. Your doctor could look out for signs of any nutritional deficiency and also compare against other developmental milestones to advice on the situation.