Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Flip

Original poster

Just been to get ds2 weighed and had a bit of a shock ...

20 replies

Miaou · 09/04/2008 15:12

Last time he was weighed (at 6 weeks!) he was on 25th centile.

He is now 8 months and below the 2nd . It came as a surprise to both me and HV! She was going to chat to me about it but as she weighed him the clinic suddenly got an influx of people so she is going to make an appointment with her colleague to come round and talk to me about it. (they are nice hv's and I'm quite happy with the type of advice they give).

Anyone else been in this situation? I'm quite happy with his food/milk intake but not sure if I should be a little concerned at such a drop.

(incidentally, dd1 started off around 25th centile and rose to 50th, dd2 and ds1 both hovered around 50th from birth).

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Original poster

Miaou · 09/04/2008 15:24

bump

OP posts:

Original poster

Miaou · 09/04/2008 15:37

bump - I am the equivalent of the toddler going "mummymummymummymummy" and tugging at your sleeve to get your attention

OP posts:

BellaBear · 09/04/2008 15:39

Can't help , but wanted to say hello!

CarGirl · 09/04/2008 15:42

I wouldn't be concerned, all my dc are on different centiles and are different body shapes. Do you and your dh and extended families tend to have a few lean people in them? Genetics are very unpredictable. If he eats and drinks and is active he is healthy!

If he's been bf then has he been plotted on a bf chart?

chibi · 09/04/2008 15:42

my dd was born on the 75th, was probably still on 75th at 6 weeks and now at 10 months is on 9th. Her rate of weight gain slowed to the 9th centile by about 4 months or so.

After a lot of stressing about this I have come to the conclusion that she was meant to be this size. I don't think that it necessarily indicates anything bad - some babies are born 'bigger than they ought to be' I think. As long as ds2 is happy active alert etc., I wouldn't worry.

soph28 · 09/04/2008 15:43

Hi! I don't think you should get too worried. Many HV would not be concerned at this. Babies tend to settle on to their natural percentile after a few months.

Ds started on the 85th centile until about 14wks and then started dropping until he was on the 9th which he is still on at 3.

DD started on 50th and is now between the 4th and 9th centile at 21mths.

As long as they are healthy and they are not losing weight it is fine. Some babies have to be on the lower centiles just as some have to be on the high ones!

ScubaDuba · 09/04/2008 16:00

As long as your ds is feeding and has normal bowel function, then perhaps he has just found his 'home' on the centile charts. My dd started life on the 75th centile for weight but has since remained on the 30th centile (between the 25th and 50th) and this suits her. My ds, however, started life on the 50th centile but decided he preferred the 98th centile, where he has remained for years. All kids are different and the fact that your ds's weight came as a shock is surely evidence that he is OK? i.e you'd have noticed something was amiss otherwise?

Original poster

Miaou · 09/04/2008 16:08

Sorry, after I posted I flounced took dd2 to brownies

BellaBear - hello
CarGirl - yes, plotted on bf chart. We are all short but of average (or more in the case of dh ) weight.
Chibi - I do agree about "settling" to a weight - just seems so different to the others! I wish I had taken him to be weighed before, then I could have seen if this was a sudden drop or a gradual sweep downwards.
Scuba - absolutely - I know you are right! That is just what I was trying to articulate to myself but just gibbering instead . I was actually reassured that the HV was as surprised as me - he obviously doesn't look too skinny then.

Stupid isn't it - he's my fourth, I haven't taken him to be weighed because I'm laid back and happy with his development, but took him just out of interest because so many people had commented on how small he was - and now I've given myself something to worry about

OP posts:

Original poster

Miaou · 09/04/2008 16:09

And soph - thankyou - you are right, in fact I will quote myself "anywhere on the percentiles is within the normal range"

OP posts:

Twiglett · 09/04/2008 16:10

have you just started weaning? I think babies lose weight when they start on 'food' because there's less calories in it .. he wasn't exactly big to begin with was he? it's not that big a drop across 5 months I'd think..

is he healthy active and alert?

Sidge · 09/04/2008 16:12

If you hadn't been to get him weighed would you have thought anything was wrong?

Is he growing?

Does he need new clothes and shoes?

Is he weeing, pooing, full of beans?

If he seems absolutely fine I wouldn't worry, he may just be settling into his genetics and may 'weigh light'. Also remember that all scales weigh differently

Original poster

Miaou · 09/04/2008 16:17

Twig, he's 37 weeks and I weaned him at 26, so not just started really. He loves his food and eats tons though, and definitely takes on less milk than he did.

He's a very happy, contented baby - doesn't whinge or grizzle ever, even when teething.

Sidge - no I wouldn't have guessed he was so light otherwise.
Growing - um, well he is in 6-9 month clothes but they are big on him - if he wasn't in washable nappies (therefore big bum!) he would probably still be in 3-6 months stuff
Need new clothes and shoes - no
Weeing and pooing - fine I think, full of beans - definitely! Just started crawling today, though he still can't sit.
True about the scales!

OP posts:

Twiglett · 09/04/2008 16:19

yes but what are you feeding him? good healthy stuff isn't it? not exactly fat laden .. food vs milk = less calories if you ask me

numptysmummy · 09/04/2008 16:22

Mine all started on the 50th and dropped off to the 4th to 9th,except my first who started on the 4th and after 9yrs of worrying about her smallness is now on the 50th for height and the 75th for weight. They are what they are,not what a book says they should be. TRust yourself - if he seems o.k he probally is o.k.

Original poster

Miaou · 09/04/2008 16:44

He eats what we eat, Twig - probably too many carbs , fruit, veg, curry, tuna, pizza (!) etc. No biscuits/choc/sweets etc yet.

Numpty'smummy, yes I know I should (and deep down probably do) trust myself, it just came as a shock though.

I think I could b/f him more/longer than I do - he loses interest pretty quickly and goes off exploring. Makes life easier for me as I can then do things with the others but maybe I should be giving him a bit more of my time. ARgh.

OP posts:

Twiglett · 09/04/2008 16:46

give him chocolate and add butter to his food if you're worried

numptysmummy · 09/04/2008 16:59

My dd4 is the opposite - nearly 2 and i think i should be bf less and for not so long as she doesn't want proper food. Or at least not very much.

Meandmyjoe · 09/04/2008 17:52

I wouldn't worry. My ds was born on the 75th centile, dropped to the 50th but now at 8 months he is on the 98th! He's enormous. What I'm saying is that we are all different and if he seems healthy then I wouldn't panic. Their weight fluctuates so much in the first couple of years tieing in with developmental milestones and how active they are. I'm sure he's fine.

Original poster

Miaou · 09/04/2008 18:32

Thanks all for the reassurance - all stuff I know if I apply my brain but was stressing too much to think straight about!

Told dh when he came home from work - his reaction was the same as mine - face followed by "but he's fine, isn't he?"

OP posts:

mrsmcdreamy · 09/04/2008 18:37

When I recently took my ds to be weighed, the hv actually said that she thought people weighed their babies too much & that the best gauge of whether they're doing well is you and your instinct. That may be a little touchy-feely, but I agree to a certain extent. I think what Sidge said is true - you'd have taken him to be weighed if you thought something was wrong.

Flip