Spring is the season for all things to grow. Our baby is also growing fast in this vital season. Height is a very important index to measure the growth and development of babies. What will you do for babies during the annual growth peak so as not to miss this golden period of development?
- Spring is the season for babies to grow tall.
According to a report by the World Health Organization, the growth rate of children varies from season to season. The fastest-growing month is May, with an average growth amount of 7.3 mm. The slowest-growing month is October, with an average growth amount of only 3.3 mm. Therefore, April and May are the best time for babies to grow taller.
- Regular Height Growth
The growth of the baby’s height has a certain regularity. The average height of the newborn is about 50 centimeters. The growth of the baby’s height is the fastest in the first year of life, about 25 centimeters. The growth rate of the baby’s height in the second year slows down, about 10 centimeters. The growth rate of the baby’s height after two years tends to be stable, with an average annual growth of 5-7 centimeters.
Do you want to know the baby’s future height? I recommend you a formula for estimating the average height of children aged 2-12: height (cm) = age * 7 + 70
Through this formula, you can know the future height of the baby, of course, the above values are only in general, each baby’s height will be affected by gestational age, gender, maternal nutritional status, intrauterine development, heredity and other factors.
- Skeletal development determines baby’s height.
Height is an important index reflecting children’s skeletal development. The height of a baby is determined by the quality of skeletal development. The skeleton related to height includes skull, spine and long bone of lower limbs. The growth rate of each part is different, the head grows fastest in the first year of life, followed by the spine, and the lower limbs grow fastest in adolescence.
Development of the skull
The skull grows with the development of the brain. The development of the skull can be measured by the size of head circumference, the time of closure of cranial suture and fontanel.
Medical tips: The small or premature closure of the fontanel at birth indicates a problem in the development of the baby’s brain; the large and delayed closure of the fontanel may also be pathological, and pediatricians should be consulted for further examination.
Spinal development
In the first year of life, the growth of the spine is faster than that of the limbs. Baby’s motor development is adapted to the development of the spine, that is, when the baby is 2-3 months old, he can raise his head; when he is 6-7 months old, he can sit by himself; when he is 8-9 months old, he can crawl; when he is 10-11 months old, he can stand up; when he is 12-16 months old, he can walk. If the baby is not old enough, don’t let him learn to sit and stand too early, in order to avoid excessive spinal flexion, which will also affect their height.
Development of Long Bone
The long bone structure of limbs is divided into three parts: the diaphysis, epiphysis and metaphysis. During the whole process of the baby’s growth and development, bone growth continues in the ossification center and cartilage plate of the epiphysis at both ends of the long bone, so that the length of the bone increases gradually, and the height increases accordingly.
- 6 Factors Affecting Baby’s Height
The baby’s height is greatly influenced by heredity, so the height of parents can predict the baby’s future height to a certain extent. There are formulas as follows:
Boy’s future height (cm) = (father’s height + mother’s height) *1.078/2
Girl’s future height (cm) = (father’s height * 0.923 + mother’s height)/2
The influence of genetic factors on the baby’s height is not absolute, because the final height is also affected by other acquired factors.
Gender
For full-term newborns, boys are slightly higher than girls, the gap is about 2 cm. This gender gap may exist throughout childhood until early adolescence.
Nutrition
Babies with adequate nutrition grow faster. When the baby’s nutrition can’t meet the needs of bone growth, the growth rate of height will slow down.
Sleep
Babies who sleep well grow fast. Because the baby’s growth is regulated by growth hormone secreted by the pituitary gland, and human growth hormone secretion is the highest during sleep.
Exercise
Exercise can promote the blood circulation of the baby, improve the nutrition of the skeleton, accelerate the growth of the skeleton, compact the bone, and promote the growth of the height.
Diseases
Generally, acute diseases affect body weight, while chronic diseases affect height.
Environment
Generally speaking, the children in the north of China are higher than those in the south; in areas with good economic conditions and high educational levels, the children also grow up higher.
- Baby’s Height and Measurement Method
Height is a very important index to measure the physical development of a baby. It refers to the length of the whole body from the top of the head to the sole. Babies under 3 years old should be measured in the supine position because they can’t stand or stand unsteadily.
