tell me your tiny baby stories please...

[schlepper]

I have a very little baby -- she recently landed at the 2nd percentile at 7 mos. She started much higher and has consistently slipped.

Most of the time I don't worry at all as she's given me nothing else to worry about -- she's extremely alert, rolls this way and that way, sits up, laughs, plays, has a great attention span and is always in a good mood. However, she's not really a "good" eater (obviously). Also, both my husband and I are on the smaller side.

But every now and then like now I get concerned and would love to hear about people who have had similar experiences and how it all turned out...

ds was always small - weighed a little over 6lb at birth (term, well, 38 weeks) and by, oh, 9 months or so had settled at the bottom of the height and weight centiles. Developmentally he is absolutely, absolutely fine. He's 2.2 and has had one extremely brief stomach bug and two or three 'proper' colds in his life - that's it. He also eats very well - we weaned slowly and gradually and at one point were possibly over-cautious. Now he has a good appetite and eats an extremely varied diet. He is just - small. (dh and I are both small too).

I'd be surprised, tbh, if your dd was a 'good' eater at 7mo (pretty soon after weaning, I assume). No doubt she will get there

DD1 was very similar, I also have a couple of friends whose children are the same. They seem to be the most active and mobile children. (DD1 walked at 10 months)

I had to have her weighed every 2 weeks and the doctor was called in a couple of times just to give dd1 a clean bill of health.

She was alway alert and happy, but it doesn't stop you worrying, eh?

She's now a lively 2 (almost 3) year old.

Oh yes, ds is very active and mobile - he didn't walk particularly early (14 months IIRC - crawled at 7mo), but is quite a livewire, always on the go, and has never needed all that much sleep [exhausted emoticon].

schlepper, this is not particularly helpful but my daughter is at the 98th centile. Strikes me for every one at the 98th c there must be one at the 2nd c and vice versa. I think we should be each other's centile partner so we cancel each other out and end up with two babies nicely on the 50th iyswim!

There's nothing wrong with my dd bar being a giant lump (like me ) and it sounds like there's nothing wrong with your girl either.

I think the little ones get mobile sooner too - my DD still not crawling at nearly 10mo. Too much effort.

DT1 is a wee thing! She's remained on or just under the 2nd percentile. She likes to think she rules our home (and often I fear she does).

She's a small eater but every so often eats as though a famine were about to hit! She's 3.6 now. There's no rushing her with growth. She's very vocal and articulate though! Has been since 18months.

I wanted to give birth in a midwife unit, but was ordered to a consultant unit due to my small size making it likely dc would be 'low-birth-weight'- but she was born just over, without complications. She has always sat about the 2nd centile, I never expected her to be even average due to my size and I've never worried about it, even when the doctor was called in to give her the all-clear at about 5 months. Crawled at 9 months, just cruising now at 14, no teeth still yet! But she is happy, healthy, and alert (3 most important things imo), active and communicative, I couldn't ask for more. The main thing is, don't try to compare your baby to others- they're all different of course!