Small Babies

PatchChild

I took Kins to her one year appointment today and we have officially been introduced to the bottom of the growth chart. My DH and I are both small, but Kins is 18lbs which puts her at the 20%ile but her height is at the 1%ile. Not a huge surprise but her curve is dropping off as well which concerns me some. She's right on track for every milestone, almost running already, eating great, a good handful of signs and words. Anyone with tiny babies want to give me some encouraging words?

ReeceFamily

I wouldn't say DD was "tiny" but she is small - running in the 32 percentile.  This always surprises me, because I'm not very small myself (I'm almost 5'10") although DH is only 5'7" so it might be his genes!  At our last appt, the ped was pushing me to get her to gain weight.  Good luck, she's teething and has NO interest in food right now.  Sigh.  Other than that, she is completely normal.

lulamagoo

DS is pretty small, never been above 3% for height or weight.  I am concerned that he will be short, but there is not a damn thing I can do about it.

He walked at 9 months, is happy, eats like champ, and still nurses 6 times a day.  Someone has to be at the bottom of the chart.

Wild_flower25

I know V is less than 20 lbs.  They all catch up eventually.

gagirl2004

My DD is pretty tiny and has always been below the 10th percentile. We don't go for her one year until the 31st. But she only weighs about 18lbs and is about 28 inches. Our pedi doesn't seem concerned as she is meeting all her milestones.

littleheaven

dd was even 20lbs yet at her 12month check up...she was always in the 25th percentile for weight or lower, but i think now she's in the 50th?...and i was just surprised because dh and i aren't the skinniest people....

but, the dr didn't say anything, just that she's healthy and hitting all her milestones...he didn't seem concerned at all with her weight...

i might be, but he's not, so that helps

but she's also like, 30" so she's in the 75th percentile for height...so she's tall and skinny....but very active...girl doesn't stop going and going!

she is always hungry it seems and she eats a lot....but like i said, if the dr isn't concerned than i'm not.....

gagirl2004

I didn't mention it earlier but I had a lady ask me if my daughter was a little person as in a dwarf. I said no she's just short but even if she was a little person we would love her just the same. Needless to say she didn't ask any more questions people are just ignorant sometimes. They are babies and even looking at adults we all range in size.

==N==

My dd was 19lbs at a year and 26 inches, a little less than 25th % I think.

She used to be on top of the chart but her ped said a lot of times breastfed babies are bigger at first then plateau for a while.

ungraceful13

DD was in the 14% for weight and they talked about needing to get her to gain weight but of course she has had a tummy bug and doesn't want to eat anything at all so I am sure she is losing not gaining.

holly52

DD was 18lbs 7oz at her 12 month appointment and she was 18lbs at her 9 month too. She started walking at 9 months and is super active so her dr thinks that's why she hasn't really gained. I know she was like 48th percentile at 9 months I don't remember the number from her 1 year appointment but know she dropped. She's 50th for height too. I was tiny when I was a baby like really tiny and I didn't like to eat. DD eats pretty good though so I'm not worried.

ohiodoxiemama08

My DD is far from tiny (roughly around 24 lbs) ...but in regards to her curve declining I feel like she has definitely plateaued or gone down weight/height wise since her 6 month appointment. In fact I don't think she's gained a pound since 9 months and seems to have slowed down height wise too.

I think that like everyone else said, there is a wide range of normal. As long as baby is happy, healthy and meeting milestones I wouldn't be concerned. My sister is a pediatrician and always says that baby height/weight is always really different.

this decaf life

I'm ore concerned about DDs head. At her 1 yr. appointment she was a little over 19 pounds, 28.5 inches but her head is only 43 cm. She went from about 55% to 8% in head circumference.

Allycat11

DD was 8lbs 3 oz at birth and then quickly went from the 70some percentile down to the very bottom of the charts and even off the charts at some points.  We spent a lot of time meeting with several specialists only to find out that she is just petite.  For most of her life she has been below the 5th percentile for weight.  She actually is up to 16lbs 9oz now which is huge for her.  

Allycat11

jcar2 said:

katrine_05 said:

DD was only 16 lbs 8 oz at her 1 yr appt. She has been at the bottom of the weight charts since she was born. Our dr has never been concerned. She's never been a big eater and continues to be quite picky. Im not worried she's healthy and meeting all milestones.

I almost want to reach out and hug you or tell your DD that I love her.  And not to sound crazy; ever since DS was born, we have been struggling with him not gaining weight.  He was a chunker at birth (9 lbs 8 oz) but then just stopped really gaining.  He was at 16 lbs in July, down to 15 lbs in November for his 9 month checkup, and then had to do another weight check so in December he was back to 16 lbs 4 oz.  We get so many comments about how little he is.  It gets old. Not every baby is a chubby little thing.  I'm not worried about his weight and he has been hitting all the milestones as well.  Pedi is not really concerned as long as he is gaining somewhat in height and/or weight.  He did gain an inch in height between November and Dec.

I completely get this.  People are always commenting on how tiny DD is and it gets SO old.  For a long time we were actually concerned about her weight and I was close to tears some days when people would comment on it.  We aren't concerned anymore but the comments still get annoying.  

Allycat11

katrine_05 said:

DD was only 16 lbs 8 oz at her 1 yr appt. She has been at the bottom of the weight charts since she was born. Our dr has never been concerned. She's never been a big eater and continues to be quite picky. Im not worried she's healthy and meeting all milestones.

At the risk of sounding like a total creeper...your DD totally reminds me of my DD when I see pictures of her on IG and they were within an ounce of eachother at their 1 year appts.  

82Sonia

I was a small baby/kid/young teenager and I turned out to be a normal sized human (I'm 5'2").  I wore a size 6 when I was 10 years old. 

ETA I was 8lbs. 6 oz. at birth

mellie86041

DD is teeny tiny too. She started out right smack in the middle of the size charts at birth, and slowly moved down to the single digit percentiles as she got older. Her weight at her 12-month was only 18 lbs 6 oz. and her height was 26.5" (only 6" more than her birth length). She's still wearing mostly 9m sized clothes, and her feet are still too small for size 2 shoes, which has made finding her appropriate shoes quite difficult now that she walking!

Her pediatrician did not seem concerned in the least as I'm only 5' and DH is 5' 6", so she said DD's small size was to be expected. We would have to worry if she were on the opposite ends of the growth charts!! 

DD has also always hit all her milestones either right on time or early.

I think as long as your LO is happy and healthy and seems to be learning new things like they should, they're fine no matter their size!