Weight Percentile Decreasing

knottief0dc2e1427ff4c94

6 month olds weight percentile keeps decreasing ~5% every 2 months at checkups. Still within a good range but I keep hearing that staying consistent in percentile is what’s important :/

complexity

First, I would discuss it with your baby’s pediatrician to be sure everything is okay.

Having said that, my second daughter went from 90th percentile to 10th percentile when she was a baby (she’s 30yo now). It was never a problem. I nursed her until she was 11mo. she started solids at 6mo. She ate very well, was on target or ahead on all her milestones, was very active and happy, and overall doing great.

One day, her pediatrician asked me if I was worried about her weight, and I told her no because she was doing so well. I figured that her initial weight was influenced by my body, and after she was born, she went to her body’s natural weight. My pediatrician agreed everything was fine and there was no need to worry. She only asked because many parents do worry about the percentiles and she wanted to be sure I was okay.

My daughter went on to be a competitive gymnast, a black belt in taekwondo, qualified for Mensa as a child, and pretty much did great in most anything she tried (except keeping her room clean 😂). In fact, she was so talented, I eventually discouraged her from competing in more sports, insisting that she just be a child and have fun (everyone kept trying to recruit her). She learned to read on her own by 3yo and was 2nd place in her school’s spelling bee without ever practicing how to spell. She turned heads when she was reading the ingredients off of potato chips bags at 4yo (she was bored waiting for her sister to finish her gymnastic classes 😂). I could go on and on about her achievements, but the main point is to illustrate that she was perfectly healthy even though her percentiles changed so much early in her life.

So it’s possible that your LO is perfectly fine. Consider not only the percentile charts, but also consider how well she’s eating, sleeping, and talking, if she’s meeting her milestones, and how happy and energetic she is overall.

Still discuss it with your LO’s doctor (although I assume the doctor already knows from checkups) just to be sure.

burningbagel

Hi! I also have 2 LOs that have had their percentile drop to below 5% -- they started around 25%. It's scary and definitely nerve wracking, but I agree with the prior comment -- your pediatrician might recommend a few things but trust your intuition as a caretaker. You see them all day. You know their habits and development best. It's good to take the steps back to compare but remember your child is a piece of you and your partner and unique so they might not fit in the box. My kids seem to stay around 1-3% as a reference.☺️ best of luck. I pray things are fine and you continue to see them grow well. 

mintynerd007

Just check with your pediatrician. But honestly my baby has been between 4-12% at her checkups and the pediatrician was like “yup looks like she’s growing with her curve”. One month she didn’t even gain weight and they were like, she’s fine.

also I had trouble gaining weight my whole life. I was labeled a failure to thrive baby and at every dr visit when I was little I literally remember them saying I need to gain weight and that I’m below average in weight and low BMI blah blah blah. I’m 33 and haven’t had any major health issues. 

I’ve had other friends who have “failure to thrive” babies. They don’t have any health issues and they absolutely look like they’re thriving and happy and enjoying life. A lot of the time, weight concerns are just BS