Infant weight chart & Weight Guidelines

Weight loss and weight gain in babies

Are you worried about baby losing weight?

One of the main concerns many Moms may have is the weight of their babies. Most babies will lose weight right after birth, but it may be cause for concern if they lose too much weight. If a baby is picking up weight well, it is a good sign that they are getting in enough milk. At the bottom of the page, are infant weight chart resources available online.

Weight loss straight after birth

Average baby weight loss:

The average weight for baby to lose is between 5 and 7% of their birth weight in the first few days, this weight loss usually stops after 5 days.

Newborn baby weight gain:

The baby will then usually have picked up the initial weight lost by two weeks after birth.

Losing too much weight after birth:

Infant not gaining weight:

A baby that loses more than 8% of their birth weight is seen as an under weight baby and will need to be checked. Mom and baby will be observed for signs of breastfeeding problems. If a baby has sucking problems it could delay the onset of mature milk which could cause a drop of 10% in birth weight or more.

Healthy baby weight gain

After a baby has regained the normal initial weight loss after two weeks, breastfed babies usually pick up on average the following amounts of weight:

• Breastfed baby boys usually pick up about 40g per day.

• Breastfed baby girls usually pick up about 34g per day.

Infant weight gain should not be less than 20g of weight daily.

Growth of formula fed babies compared to breastfed babies

• A breastfed baby will usually grow more rapidly in the first 2-3 months than a formula fed baby. After this period, their growth slows down. This is why it is important to check your baby’s weigh gain according to breastfed baby growth charts, if your baby is breastfed.

• The newest WHO growth charts can evaluate each individual baby’s growth according to breastfed or formula fed differences and individual ethnicity. (link below)

Looking for an infant height weight chart or baby weight calculator?

Here is a list of some online baby weight charts...

Baby weight percentile calculator by www.pediatrics.about.com

Baby weight and height calculator by www.kellymom.com

Baby height and weight growth calculator by www.nutropin.com

Baby height and weight percentile calculator by www.babycenter.com

Premature baby weight charts by www.biomedical.com

Baby weight percentile standards. (WHO) Downloadable baby weight chart listing weight-for-age, baby height and weight chart, length/height-for-age, and body-mass-index-for-length standards.

Tracy Behr, CBC, CLD (CBI)
Reference:
Physiology of lactation course on the normal weight gain and weight loss of infants.
www.childbirthinternational.com

Other pages on breastfeeding problems in connection with this page on “infant weight chart”

- Can you overfeed a breastfed baby?

- Failure to thrive / growth failure

Want to share your thoughts on baby weight and height expectations?

End of infant weight chart page