The growth of the baby depends on many factors like the food that the baby is being fed, the environment around the baby, the amount of exercise that the baby is getting, and the hereditary patterns the child has inherited from the parents. The first year of a baby’s life shows the most growth and in terms of growth rate – the baby will double his/her body weight and height at six months from birth. That is – if the baby was five pounds at birth he/she will be ten pounds or so at six months. From six to twelve months the weight and the height of the child will have tripled the amount it was at birth. It is after one year from birth that the growth of the baby slows down considerably and takes on a steady and more leisurely pace of growth. The baby is a lot more active as it will have started to move independently – either crawling or attempting to stand with the aid of tools. There is no specific formula on what is the right amount that a baby grows by but on an average, the increase in weight of the child is about eight to nine ounces on a monthly basis and in height the child would grow by about one third to a half inch every month. More on baby growth spurts
To ensure that your baby has a healthy growth even after the first birthday make sure that you feed the child a diet that is rich with iron and protein. An inadequate amount of iron in the diet stunts growth and limbs of the child will be weak. There are a number of cereals and baby formulas that are rich in iron – available at baby stores.
The best is of course breast milk but regular milk is also a good substitute. Ten milligrams of iron per day is recommended. There are also iron drops which can be administered. To make it easier for the baby to consume the bitter iron you can mash a banana and mix this with milk. This can be mixed with a teaspoon of sugar and the mixture can be fed to the child. Vitamin C is also important for the child’s healthy growth – fruits that are rich in this Vitamin are Oranges. However, this must be introduced into the baby’s diet gradually. You can always consult your doctor for further details.
Submitted by N on May 7, 2010 at 05:50