November 2011 Moms

Realistically... how fast DO babies grow??

So I'm a first time mom. I was with my MIL at Target today looking at baby stuff. She found this cute pair of PJ that she wanted to buy for LO - long pants and sleeves. She picks up a 9 mos. size, so I say "Keep in mind, she just going to be born the end of Nov, probably better to grab a 3mo, or if you want to be safe a 6 mo." She proceeds to tell me "You can't go by the size, babies are never the size on the tags. Babies are like 21 inches when they're born, look at this 3mo one, doesn't it look tiny?? Remember your DH is 6'1" So I respond with "Well, I don't really know. I was just over 5 lbs when I was born, plus I'm only 5'2." I'll spare you the rest. She bought the 9mo size. (Her other grandchildren are probably in the 99th percentile for height, BIL is 6'3" and his ex-wife is 6'1")

When I talked to a friend when I got home her first reaction was "well, that's typical of her, she only ever considers her family, no one else." Which I realize is pretty true. I'd like for my child to have at least SOME of my traits, maybe she just wants a little DH clone? I guess my height, curly hair and brown eyes are undesirable to her, but DH seems to like them!

For some reason this whole thing just really upset me, it's sort of weird that my feelings are so hurt by such a dumb thing, but when I got home I just cried (darn these hormones).Thanks for letting me vent.

The crazier thing is she may be right, I really don't know. I always just assumed that these sizes we a relatively good reference. How fast DO they grow?

 

 

image
imageimage image Lilypie First Birthday tickers

Re: Realistically... how fast DO babies grow??

  • megs68megs68 member
    You have no way of knowing.  With DS, I assumed I'd have a big baby because my nephew was very big.  Well, DS is a peanut and fits almost exactly with the sizes or a little behind.  And my niece is 2 months behind him and always has been bigger than him.  So I had bought a lot ahead that didn't get used.  It's really hard to buy ahead and have to estimate, you just never know!
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • Every baby is completely different.  My DD was born at 37 weeks - left the hospital under 6 lbs and in preemie clothes.  She was in preemie for a nearly a month, and still wearing newborn sizes when she started daycare at 3 months.

    Other babies are too big for newborn sizes when they are born.

    For us (keeping in mind that my dd is on the smaller size - though she is tall) I have found Carters fairly true to size, Gerber smaller than the stated size and Gymboree slightly larger than stated size.  Other moms will tell you different for their kids though :)

    Also, who cares if she bought a Target outfit.  IMO, Target clothes are generally poor quality and I don't spend my money on them (unless I want some super cheapy back-up clothes for daycare or something).  I shop clearance racks at Gymboree and the like, end up with better quality clothes and don't spend any more than I would have if I shopped at Target/Walmart.  No big loss to you if a Target outfit doesn't fit!  ;)  

  • Loading the player...
  • Thanks for the tips, Becca - and yeah, I guess it's not so much the size or even the fact that she bought the outfit, but the sentiment behind it that got to me. I'm sure I'm oversensitive.
    image
    imageimage image Lilypie First Birthday tickers
  • The clothing sizes are based on weight I believe (and they use the "average weight" to put an age size on it).  If you have a 9lb baby, you may not need any newborn size clothes and will start in the 3-6 month range.  I doubt your baby will wear a 9mo pajama set shortly after birth, but instead of being upset by it try to be happy she cared enough to buy the baby a gift.  It's the thought that counts right?
    Lilypie Pregnancy tickers Lilypie Second Birthday tickers
  • Typically, babies double their birth weight in the first 5 months, and triple it by a year.  I learned with DD to NEVER buy clothes ahead.  Almost everything I bought early went into the storage bins with tags still on.  She was 7.12 at birth (not tiny at all) and wore NB for almost 3 months.  Even now she's 3, wears a size 4 or 5 in dresses, but can still wear 12-18 month leggings because she's so skinny.  I only buy what I need, when I need it.   For this baby, I am buying 10 NB sleepers for each gender, and will figure out the rest later!

    As far as not considering your traits, I think every family only thinks about what their side brings.  My MIL was so offended that my mom and sisters were shocked at DD's brown hair at birth.  There's not one brunette in our family to be found.  Since DH's whole family is dark haired and eyed, it was clearly a possibility but we (myself included) had never considered anything other than a blond, blue eyed baby!  DD's brown hair fell out and now she's as blond as can be, but I've never seen such dark brown eyes on a blond.  I guess she got a little of each of us!

    Big A 06-07-08 Little A 11-11-11
  • Every baby is different. My DS was a big baby when he was born 9.2. He still fit in all the sizes for the month he was in. Right now he is able towear 24 to 2T shirts and 18 to 24 month pants. He has a small waist. There is no real way of knowing the sizes until they are here.
    ~I Lilypie Fourth Birthday tickers Lilypie Second Birthday tickers Daisypath Anniversary tickers
    Posting from an Android sorry for any errors
  • I understand how you feel. I was weepy yesterday about pretty much everything/nothing! It seems like soon to be grandmothers play the "know it all" card because they have already been through this with however many children they have had. While I do agree that they have quite a bit of knowledge I don't necessarily think it's fair to be condescending the way that some of them are. It would definitely be a lot harder for me to argue with my MIL than my own mother. 

    As for the sizing what everyone has already said is right. There's just no way to know. My cousin's son is almost 5 and he can still fit into 3T clothes. He doesn't have any developmental delays or anything, he's just a little guy.  

    Lilypie Fifth Birthday tickers Lilypie First Birthday tickers
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"