In need of reassurance - is she really that small?

[heartinthecountry]

dd2 is 11 months old. She was referred to the hospital as she has dropped on her percentiles from the 50th at birth to now just below 9th. Her height did drop to just below 9th but is now back up to nearly 25th. She is 71cm high and weighs 7.9kg (17.7lb)

I'm not obsessed by the growth charts (she has only been weighed 5 times since birth) but I am beginning to worry a little as people have commented how small she is. And, at baby and toddler group this morning I did notice that she was smaller than nearly all the babies from about 6 months up! But, most of them are boys.

I really wasn't worried until I saw the doctor on Tuesday who I thought was going to say that as she seemed well she was probably just small but he just kept looking serious and has sent her for blood tests.

Sorry, this is really waffly - I suppose I really just want to know if she seems that tiny compared to most of her peers? Anyone else got a girl about the same age/size?

Thanks

[ExSpawniamusChorus]

Arse...have just read all this thread and see it's moved on since the OP. Sorry!

[ExSpawniamusChorus]

DD (now 2.6) was similar. Started on 51st centile and gradually dropped to approx 5th centile by 12 or 13 months. In contrast to you I was the one stressing about it I dragged her off to the doc/HV about it several times, but they were never worried. They assured me that she was bright, alert and full of beans, so there wasn't a problem. She was (and is) a very very tiny eater. Oh, and she was always fairly 'tall' (over 50th centile), which I actually found even more worrying (God knows what her BMI was)!

She is still a real skinny minny, but I have (at last) chilled out about it.

[berolina]

ds at just short of a year : 70cm, 7.1kg. He is still small now (at 2.2), in both respects. But he is absolutely up to speed developmentally, healthy (has the odd cold he shrugs off, has had one very brief and mild sickness bug) and happy. Paediatrician has said that there is clearly nothing wrong. (dh and I are both small, dh unusually so, so part of it is possibly that). Sometimes one does get the feeling that small, slight babies/children are not quite (for want of a better word) acceptable somehow. The paediatrician also commented that he could have growth hormone if he ended up being bullied at school about his height [FFS emoticon] I'm actually rather proud of ds somehow for that reason - he shows people how healthy a small child can be.

[funnypeevesculiar]

dd is 15 months and still doesn't weigh 20lb - she hovers JUST on the percentile charts. So I see your small & raise you one! Asked the hv last time I had her weighed - she looked at me & said, I'm not worried - are you?
Both me & dh are small/slight, so I assume she is too.

I occassionally owrry that I should get someone to 'look into it' - but as she is otherwise fine/happy, I haven't bothered

[SlightlyMadSpider]

I wouldn't be overconcerned by her weight. My 15m DD weighs just over 9.5kg.

What they will be more concerned about is the fact that she is slipping down the percentile charts.

[cmm]

meant to say, she is 11 months

[cmm]

Dear all - think the thread hasn't been in use for a while but just wanted to add to it (as I know that I have searched the forum before for low weight babies!). My daughter was 6lbs at birth. She has been on the lowest line (bottom line) all the time until a month or so ago when she has fallen off the chart with being ill with colds etc but is now climbing back to it but is still kind of 0/0.2 centile ish. I saw a consultant with her (for a diff thing) and mentioned her weight and he was fine about it. He said she is just a small baby and not to get her weighed as often (which is good!). She is crawling and standing yet still in some 0-3 clothes!!! It is a worry sometimes but she is healthy and so cute - think it is the pressure from others when they say 'isn't she tiny!' I still breastfeed and found it hard as people will say give her a bottle to fatten her up! Used to be offended but not anymore. I'm not saying bottles are an absolutely no no for everyone but it wasn't something I wanted to do. Everyone is different, including our little ones!

[NoodleStroodle]

Don't worry - I had a little baby and she has grown up into a little "big" girl. She is happy and healthy but petit. Remember for there to be 100% there have to be people at the top and bottom - as long as she is happy and healthy then don't worry

[kels666]

I have teeny babies too. DD (2) 23.5 lbs and ds (10 mths) 17.5 lbs

[heartinthecountry]

Oh, I am quite tall - 5'8 and dh is 5'10. dd1 is also quite tall. I have no problems at all with dd2 being little, as long as it is just that she is little IYSWIM.

I did ask the dr what he was testing for and he was very evasive despite me pressing. All he would say is 'standard tests'.

You are all right. I probably just need to not worry.

[SchroedingersCat]

I agree with Harpsichord - stop weighing, its what I did, she had her 8 month check and not been back since. If I become worried I will go back to see GP of course, but not otherwise (however, I was told she gets a 1 yr check? Might go to that for curiosity!)

[heartinthecountry]

Oh I have avoided getting her weighed a lot!

I think the reality is that because of dd1s disabilities I was always going to worry about dd2. As developmentally she is doing well, I am instead a bit worried about her health.... I suppose I just live in a world where shit does happen.

[Desiderata]

Have you done the calculations in your red book, Heart? Somewhere in amongst all the charts is a method of finding out how tall your dd will be when fully grown - you take your height, your partner's height and divide it by this and that, and voila!

I wouldn't worry if she's petite at the moment. Her genetics will determine her eventual size - and she'll no doubt have several enormous growth spurts.

At that age, my ds was 20.7lb - but boys are often heavier than girls anyway. She doesn't sound too far off

[slalomsuki]

DS1 merrily bubbled along the 2nd percentile all the time unitil he was 4 and then shot up. He weighed 24lbs a month short of his 3rd birthday and everyone used to comment.

He was sent for tests, blood tests, scans on bones and found nothing. He is very active and eats well.

Don't worry too much. I always thought it was normal since DS2 was similar but then I had dd who weighs 28Lbs at 18 months and is catching them up fast.

they are all different

[harpsichordcuddler]

hello! I have teeny tiny babies too - but then again my family and my ILs are all pretty small.
dd1 is on the 0.4% centile for weight . she is four and weighs 28 lbs.
dd2 is on the 9th. she is 19 months and weighs about 22 lbs.
they are both small in height too.
but they are both active and healthy.
my advice to you - stop weighing her

[coppertop]

Your dd2 sounds similar in proportion to mine. Her weight was on the 75th centile at birth but she dropped right down and is now on the 9th for weight and 25th for height. The HV was involved for a little while as at one point dd dropped down to 0.2 after illness and gave us a month to see if things improved or dd would have to see a Paed. As soon as it became clear that dd was once again following the 9th centile we were left alone. I think they usually say that if your baby is following a centile line it doesn't generally matter if they are small.

Dd seems tiny compared to the other babies at her toddler group. She's nearly 15mths but people still ask when she'll be 1. Ds1 was always on the 91st for height and 75th for weight so it's a bit of a novelty having such a small child.

[CarGirl]

what are the hieghts and weights like of you and her Dad and your wider family, there may be some rogue "small" genes that she has inherited.

I'm only the 7th centile although I started off average and slowly slipped down over the first 6 months........

[rebelmum1]

I give my dd nutritional supplements now though as eating can be hit and miss at times and I want to play it safe.

[rebelmum1]

My dd was at the bottom of the charts too, we had some tests for things while she was in hospital with a chest infection. But I'm small and dad's small so the doc wasn't overly concerned, they may just want to keep a watchful eye to make sure that all is well. For example my dd had a chest infection which alerted them to possibility of cystic fybrosis as she is small too. There is a really simple and quick sweat test they can do. Find out why they are so concerned and what tests if any are appropriate. My dd's weight went down too, but she has suddenly sprouted now at 2 yrs and 10 months and people now say she might be tall ?!!

[heartinthecountry]

Thanks for messages.

She has had reflux (or at least bringing up quite a lot of feeds but not diagnosed as reflux) since birth. Still does a bit but not much. Shes not the best eater in the world either but does okay.

She is also very active and I'm not at all worried about her development (dd1 is disabled so I am only too aware of that).

My instinct is that she is fine but there is a niggling worry that there could be something underlying.