Growth monitoring | Growth faltering| Child’s growth a concern!

Parents often worry and ask:

"Is my child growing as per his/her age?

My child looks thin. Should I really be concerned?"

• Growth monitoring is an essential component to track the growth and development of a child. It also helps in early detection of growth faltering of a child.

What is growth monitoring?

• Growth monitoring is done by measuring weight, length/height, head circumference, and body mass index (BMI) of a child. The data is collected at regular intervals and growth is calculated as per the World Health Organization (WHO) growth standard charts.

What are WHO growth standard charts?

• WHO has developed separate charts to record weight, length/height, head circumference, in accordance with the child’s age. Also, the charts are separate for both girls (pink colored) and boys (blue colored). They are applicable for all children in the world from any region, race, religion, or community.

Let us understand what weight for age growth charts say?

What we can see?

• Age (of a child) is mentioned on the X-axis and weight (in kgs) is mentioned on the Y-axis.
  Several curves (green, orange, and red) are shown on the chart.
   

How can I monitor if my baby is growing well?

• It is recommended to take your baby for growth measurements every month.
  Once you get your child’s anthropometric measurements (weight, height, head circumference), you or your pediatrician can plot the growth chart and understand the growth pattern of the child.

If you see:

An upward Growth curve: It shows adequate weight gain for the age of the child. Hence, the child is growing healthily.

A flat Growth curve: It shows that the child has not gained weight and requires attention.

A downward Growth curve: It shows that the child has lost weight and requires immediate attention.

• It is important that starting from the birth weight, each child follows his trajectory of growth. If the trajectory slows down or drops down, then the child requires attention. It is recommended to consult the pediatrician/health care provider before taking any decisions on growth faltering in a child.

Source:-
1. https://www.who.int/tools/child-growth-standards/standards
2. https://www.unicef.org/uganda/key-practice-monitoring-growth-and-development-child

Disclaimer:-This information is not a substitute for medical advice. Consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your treatment. Do not ignore or delay professional medical advice based on anything you have seen or read on Medwiki.

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