Your Guide to Tracking Your Baby’s Growth
As a parent, it’s natural to want to ensure your little one is growing and developing well for their age. This is where a baby growth chart becomes an invaluable tool. It helps track changes in your baby’s length, weight, and head circumference.
Growth charts compare your child’s measurements to others of the same age, providing insights into their overall health and development. By regularly recording and plotting your baby’s measurements, potential medical or developmental concerns can be identified early. Growth is also an important indicator of your child’s nutritional status.
During health check-ups, your baby’s paediatrician will plot key measurements on a growth chart to ensure they’re growing as expected. Growth charts typically have the baby’s age on the horizontal axis and measurements on the vertical axis, with separate charts for boys and girls.
Understanding Normal Growth
Every baby grows at their own pace, and the range of “normal” growth can vary widely. As long as your baby is healthy, responsive, and growing steadily, there’s usually no need to worry if they don’t meet every milestone exactly on time.
Parents can refer to growth charts in the official Health Booklet by the Health Promotion Board. These charts, starting on page 26, show percentiles for head circumference, weight-for-age, and height-for-age for boys and girls aged:
- 0 to 24 months
- 24 to 72 months
- 4 to 18 years
Developmental Milestones to Expect
Aside from physical growth, here are some developmental milestones to look out for as your baby grows:
0 to 3 Months
- Movements are primarily reflex-based, such as swallowing, grasping, and sucking.
- By a few weeks old, voluntary movements begin to appear.
- Your baby’s head is about a quarter of their body size, with a long trunk and short legs.
- By 2 months, they may hold a small object briefly and glance between objects.
- By 3 months, they might lift their head off the floor during tummy time.
4 to 6 Months
- Babies typically double their birth weight by 4 to 5 months.
- They may roll from tummy to back and vice versa and push their chest off the floor.
- Reaching for objects, shaking toys, holding multiple items, and mouthing objects are common.
- By 6 months, they might sit without support.
- Solid foods are introduced between 4 to 6 months.
7 to 9 Months
- Your baby starts pushing up onto hands and knees, leading to crawling.
- They begin following your movements and using a pincer grasp to pick up small objects.
- By 9 months, they might move from lying to a sitting position.
10 to 12 Months
- Around 10 months, they may stand with support, holding onto furniture.
- By 12 months, they often take their first steps.
- They can perform simple tasks like pushing a toy car or placing items into a container.
13 to 18 Months
- By 14 months, many babies walk independently.
- They may scribble with crayons, stack toy blocks, and turn book pages.
17 to 24 Months
- Skills like drawing arcs, turning doorknobs, and zipping large zippers emerge.
When to Consult a Paediatrician
If your child isn’t meeting milestones or you suspect delays, consult a paediatrician. Early intervention is key to addressing developmental issues. Signs to watch for include:
- Lack of response to noises or tracking objects by 3 to 4 months.
- Inability to sit up independently by 10 months.
- Not supporting their weight or using both arms and legs by 12 months.
- Falling significantly behind peers in milestones.
Gain Peace of Mind with our Childhood Development Assessment Plan
Consult our Paediatricians to assess your child’s development during key milestones: 1–2 months, 3–5 months, and 6–12 months. These assessments track your child’s growth and development across physical, cognitive, and emotional milestones, helping you to understand and support your child’s developmental potential.
The Childhood Development Assessment Plan is available at all Thomson Paediatric Centres islandwide. Request an appointment today to learn more.