5 month old weighs 12lbs

[Safewheca]

My ds is 5 months. When he was born he weighed 7lb 2oz. He's always been a super chill baby and has been hitting all his milestones (can sit independently for about a minute, can roll from his stomach to his back and he's currently teething) but he still only weights 12lb 4oz.

Is this normal?

@Safewheca they’re all completely different OP! My little one is a monster compared to yours 🤣😅 How does your health visitor feel about the weight? Where is he sitting on his centile chart?

5.5kg is only just on the red book weight chart for a 5 month old. This means if you lined up 100 babies the same age yours would be the lightest. So yes, it’s within the normal range on the 0.4th centile.

However, my DD, born 2 weeks overdue on 90th centile dropped to 25th and stayed there for quite a while. I think she got back up to 50th at around 7 or 8 months. I was always a bit worried that if she went off food for a see days due to a cold or teething that she didn’t have much weight available to lose.

What does your health visitor advise?

If he has more or less followed the same centile line since birth then he’s likely just petite. But if he has dropped a centile, it might be worth looking into. I would speak to your HV and see what they think. It’s most likely fine, but nice to have the reassurance!

My giant baby is about the same age as yours and weighs 19lb 3oz it’s amazing how much variation there is!

No it's not normal for a baby to drop centiles in such a dramatic fashion. He was born anywhere near under the 5th and he should be tracking far closer to where he was born. I'd have him looked at.

He would have been between 25th and 50th centile at birth and now 0.4th.

Mine is five months and weighs 14lbs - he was 8lbs at birth. It is a worry.

My 5 mo was born at 36+3 so her age is adjusted but only just (wouldnt if she was born at 37 weeks). She was 6lb 2oz at birth and is now probably about 11.5-12lb. That equates to a drop from 50th to 9th centile for her adjusted age. I've had her weighed several times by the HV (I've had to request this) but no one seems concerned, as she's meeting milestones etc. She's the first of the babies in our NCT group to roll, despite being the smallest - I wonder if her lack of mass actually helps with that! It's worth getting HV advice though I'd say.

I don’t know if it’s just my area but I haven’t heard from the HV since January.

@MissHoney85

My 5 mo was born at 36+3 so her age is adjusted but only just (wouldnt if she was born at 37 weeks). She was 6lb 2oz at birth and is now probably about 11.5-12lb. That equates to a drop from 50th to 9th centile for her adjusted age. I've had her weighed several times by the HV (I've had to request this) but no one seems concerned, as she's meeting milestones etc. She's the first of the babies in our NCT group to roll, despite being the smallest - I wonder if her lack of mass actually helps with that! It's worth getting HV advice though I'd say.

Mine was always the skinny minnie. Was climbing stairs and walking before 10 months.

My friend’s daughter was 26lbs at 6 months and didn’t attempt to move until she was much more than 12 months.

That was a decade ago and you couldn’t tell now! In fact my friend’s daughter is an accomplished dancer!

A big drop in centiles can indicate a problem. I’d get him seen by the HV or GP.

@lavenderandwisteria

I don’t know if it’s just my area but I haven’t heard from the HV since January.

It’s normal to not hear from the HV but they are always there for when you need help. They relay on people asking them for help.

I'd call your health visitor to check, my baby was 3 weeks early and weighed 4lbs 14oz, she's now 22 weeks / 5 months and just over 14lbs.

My DS was heavier than yours, but did the same thing in terms of dropping down the percentages - he was born on the 75th percentile and had dropped to the 25th by three months. Meanwhile he was 98th percentile for height. These days he's a tall and super skinny teenager (age 15 and on the 3rd BMI centile).

So I understand your worry. My DS is really healthy and active, met all his milestones, fed well as a baby and eats well as a teen. He's just skinny.

So for my DS it was normal and didn't indicate a problem. But you should chat to the health visitor if you're worried.

My DD weighed 12lbs at 5 months but she only
weighed 3lb 9oz at birth (born at 36 weeks). As others have said, he’s dropped in centiles so if you’re worried I’d have a chat with the HV. Could be nothing though.. my DD is still skinny at 12 months, it’s just her build.