How to Measure Your Child and Why It’s Important for Their Health and Wellbeing
Measuring a child’s growth may seem like something parents do for fun, but there’s much more to it than that. Measuring your child is something you should do for your little one’s health and wellbeing. When you have a growth chart and keep track of accurate measurements, you can make sure that they’re growing the way that they should throughout the weeks, months, and years. If your little one suddenly stops growing, it could be cause for concern, and you’d need to talk to the paediatrician about your concerns to see if any underlying conditions are developing.
Height Tells a Story
Most people don’t realise that a child’s height tells a story about their health and wellbeing. Between the ages of 0 and 12 months, babies will grow roughly 25 cm. Of course, this can vary from one baby to the next, with some growing bigger and some growing less throughout that period. Therefore, it’s essential to track the growth early on to identify any potential issues. If you notice problems because your child doesn’t grow for several months, it’s vital to bring this up with the paediatrician. The paediatrician may perform tests or provide referrals to specialists to determine if any medical-related issues stunted growth.
Keep Track Over the Years
While some may believe that it’s only essential to track growth throughout the first year, this isn’t the case. Between one year old and four years old, your child will grow about 10 cm each year. Much like babies, some toddlers grow faster and are in a higher percentile than others. Just because your child is smaller or taller than other children doesn’t mean anything is wrong with them.
However, it’s always helpful to discuss height with a paediatrician to identify any potential issues in advance. Between the ages of four and ten, the point where your child may begin to go through puberty, growth is still important. However, there may come a time when you have concerns. For example, you may feel like your child is shorter than other kids in the classroom. While this may be due to genetics, you can still bring it up to the paediatrician. It’s also a good idea to consider the height of any other children you might have. For example, some people naturally have smaller children. So if you’re short and thin and your partner is short, there’s a good chance that you will have short children, too.
How to Measure Your Child
Measuring your little one is easy. Buy a growth chart and hang it somewhere in the home, such as the child’s bedroom. You can have them stand against the wall and use a pen or marker to mark their current height and the date. When measuring younger children, you can place the growth chart on the floor and lay it down, measuring from their head to their toes before jotting the information down.
More Than Height
More Than Height features an interactive height calculator that parents can use to monitor the growth development of their child. So go ahead and check it out to see how you can start checking your child’s height and more!
Measuring your child is vital for their health and wellness. In some instances, a lack of growth could indicate a developmental delay or underlying condition. Be proactive by taking measurements each month to see how much progress your child makes.
