How much should a baby weigh at 3 months? Child's height and weight

The first month after birth is an adaptation period for a baby. Then the baby begins to develop intensively. Every month parents notice more and more changes.

The development of a 3 month old child has its own characteristics. It is useful for parents to know what a child should be able to do at this age and help him master new skills.

Baby's weight at 3 months: normal

In the first three months, babies gain approximately 200-250 g every week. At one month, the baby should weigh approximately 800 g more than on the day of birth, at 2 months - by 1.6 kg, at 3 months - by 2.4 kg. If a baby was born weighing about 3.5 kg, then by the age of three months he should weigh on average 5.9 kg. But in some cases, children gain a little more or a little less than normal at 3 months.

However, the normal weight of a child does not have a clear and strict framework. After weighing the baby, pediatricians check the data using a special table. This helps them understand the level of physical development of the baby. Indicators “below average” or “high”, if they are the same for height and weight, only indicate that the baby is either simply compact or will grow up to be a large child. But if, with an “average” height, the weight indicators are high or too low, this is a reason to consult a pediatrician.

Irina, mother of 5-month-old Vitya: “Vitya was born with a small weight - just under 3 kg. And at 3 months, with a height of 60 cm, his weight did not reach the norm - 5.6 kg. But now, at 5 months, both height and weight have returned to normal, even a little more than average - 7750 g and 67 cm!”

Table: Baby's weight at 3 months

The WHO table clearly shows the height and weight of a baby at 3 months:

If the baby's weight and height correspond to the figures given in this table, parents do not have to worry. As a rule, children whom nature has endowed with a large physique grow rapidly and gain weight. Children who grow slowly most likely inherited short stature from one of their ancestors.

If the baby weighs less than the lower limit or more than the high limit of normal, it is necessary to begin taking measures to normalize his body weight.

Developmental norms for a newborn at three months

There are WHO standards and average indicators approved by the Union of Pediatricians of Russia, what a child’s development should be at three months.
When examining the baby, doctors compare these data with the actual ones. Minor deviations from the standard are not a cause for concern. After all, each child’s body is individual and develops at its own pace.

Weight, height and other parameters

Every month, it is recommended to show the baby to the pediatrician. This is necessary to assess health status, physical and mental development. At the appointment, the doctor measures the baby’s height and weight. How much a baby should weigh at 3 months depends on what body weight he had at birth.

During this short period of time, the child gains about 2.5 kg. For example, if a baby was born weighing 4.3 kg, then at 3 months his weight should be about 6.8 kg. There are also no difficulties in determining normal growth. Every month the baby's body length increases by 3 cm.

If the baby was born with an indicator of 56 cm, then after 90 days his height will reach 65 cm.

The physical development of a child depends on the following factors:

• type and mode of nutrition;
• gender;
• the presence of pathologies of organs and systems.

Norms of weight, height and other body indicators for boys at 3 months, approved by WHO and the Union of Pediatricians of Russia in the table.

The norms for weight, height and other body indicators of girls at 3 months, approved by WHO and the Union of Pediatricians of Russia in the table.

Reflexes of a 3 month old baby

A reflex is understood as the same reaction of the body to any influence. The response to a stimulus occurs with the participation of receptors, under the guidance of the nervous system. In three-month-old babies, most reflexes disappear. The child is already in a sufficiently developed state, so he does not need them.

The presence of neurological problems is indicated by the presence of the following reflexes in a three-month-old baby:

• proboscis . Pulling the lips into a tube when touching the mouth;
• search engine Turning the head and opening the mouth in response to touching the corner of the lips;
• Babkina . Pulling the head forward and opening the mouth when pressing on the palm;
• Moreau (in a strong form). Sharp spreading of arms to the sides and opening of palms when frightened.

At three months, the child only has crawling and sucking reflexes. The baby needs them for further improvement.

Emotional achievements and behavioral characteristics

Many parents note that three-month-old children begin to show their emotions and character. The baby expresses a good mood in the form of a smile and laughter. This is how he reacts to the appearance of people he knows. When seeing strangers, a child may become frightened and cry.

The baby begins to make various sounds, by which it is easy to understand what he wants. For example, when a baby is left alone, he whines to attract the attention of his parents.

If adults ignore the baby, then he begins to cry loudly. When he sees mom or dad, the child immediately calms down. Babies at 3 months pronounce not only vowels, but also consonants.

They begin to develop speech skills. If you start talking to the baby, he will answer in his own language. Most babies love to swim. They especially enjoy splashing water with their feet and hands.

Reasons for deviation from normal weight

Pediatricians say that infants are underweight for several possible reasons:

Prematurity

Babies born prematurely lag behind their peers in height and weight.

Disease

During illness, children refuse to eat and lose strength and weight.

Zinc deficiency in the body

In this case, pediatricians prescribe vitamins to the mother if the baby is breastfed, or to the smallest patient if he is artificial.

Malnutrition

Perhaps the child is not getting enough nutrition. If the baby is bottle-fed, this is easy to track. But the volume of milk that a baby sucks in one feeding is not so easy to measure. If you are underweight, you can resort to simple measures.

What to do if a three-month-old baby is underweight

Monitor whether the baby has enough milk

In order to determine whether the baby is getting enough nutrition, pediatricians recommend observing his urination. If a baby wets its diapers at least ten times during the day, it means that it does not need additional feeding. If he walks around the little one less often, the baby may be starving. In this case, the mother needs to take urgent measures.

Establish breastfeeding

To do this, the mother needs to drink enough fluids and eat right.

Under no circumstances should you express breast milk; emptying the breast is the baby’s task.

If you express milk, there may not be enough milk for subsequent feedings.

Feed your baby on demand, as often as he asks for it. Give breastfeeding at the slightest sign of anxiety, do not wait for the baby to cry from hunger.

Introduce supplementary feeding

Pediatricians often advise mothers to supplement their thin children with formula. This usually gives good results.

Christina, mother of 7-month-old Egor: “Due to my difficult pregnancy, Egor was born weakened and did not gain weight well. At 3 months, the local pediatrician advised me to supplement him with formula and explained how best to do this. I immediately bought Nestozhen. Fortunately, Yegorka agreed to eat it. After just 2 weeks, I noticed that Yegor had recovered. Even after the weight returned to normal, I decided to leave him on mixed feeding. Apparently breast milk alone is not enough.”

Make milk consumption easier

If the mother decides not to switch the baby to mixed feeding, she needs to start feeding the baby from a bottle with milk expressed from the breast. It is easier to suck milk from a bottle, so babies often begin to eat better with this method of feeding.

Conduct a medical examination of the child

If, after supplementary feeding is introduced, the baby still gains very little, it is necessary to conduct an examination to identify the cause of the pathology. Perhaps the child’s body is infected with parasites. It happens that babies do not gain weight due to lactase deficiency. In this case, the problem can be solved by taking Lactase-baby, a drug that breaks down milk lactose. This drug not only solves the problem of low body weight, but also eliminates discomfort in the baby.

Katya, mother of 4-month-old Arina: “We were diagnosed with lactase deficiency at 2 months. Lactase-baby was prescribed. After a week of taking the drug, my tummy problems disappeared completely.”

What can a three month old baby do?

1. At 3 months, the child confidently holds his head, and lying on his stomach, raises his shoulders and upper chest.
2. Some children at this age can roll over from their back to their stomach.
3. The baby enthusiastically examines the objects around him and tries to grab them with his hand.
4. In response to the noise, the baby turns its head in the direction of the sound.
5. The child actively walks, pronounces vowels and consonants. Babbling begins to form.

What to do with a three-month-old baby while awake

Train rolls from back to stomach and vice versa Put various bright toys in the baby's hands You can leave the baby on special developmental mats, with hanging toys Talk to the baby, sing songs, tell poems, nursery rhymes, fairy tales Show the baby different objects, describe them in words Do gymnastics, massage, air baths Walking with your baby in the fresh air

How much should a 3 month old baby eat?

The baby's low weight often causes concern for the mother. To gain weight well, a child must eat well. A mother will be able to organize proper nutrition for her baby only if she knows how much milk her baby drinks at one feeding and how much a child should eat at 3 months.

It is important to ensure that the baby eats enough milk.

The required amount of formula or breast milk for one feeding of a 3-month-old baby is from 150 to 180 ml.

Insufficient weight of a three-month-old baby is a completely solvable problem. The main thing for parents in such a situation is not to panic, try to determine the cause of the pathology and eliminate it.

Pediatricians say: how much a child weighs at 3 months will determine his later health. It’s bad if the baby doesn’t gain weight. But exceeding the maximum weight limit for babies at 3 months can also have negative consequences.

Baby skills and abilities

The list of skills and abilities of a three-month-old baby depends on his physical and neurological condition.
There are no strict standards in this regard. Conducting developmental activities by parents plays an important role. Babies at 3 months can usually:

• roll over from your back to one side, and then onto your stomach and back;
• hold your head confidently;
• lean on your forearms while lying on your stomach;
• move in the crib using your arms and legs;
• bring your hands together, interlock your fingers.

Three-month-old children react to toys hanging above their heads and try to reach them. Many kids at this age like to look at their hands, feet, and toys for a long time.

They closely follow moving bright objects.

It is important to remember that three-month-old babies get tired quickly. It is necessary to present information in doses and control the duration of the lesson. It is important that the child does not become overtired. This can negatively affect the quality of your sleep.

Obesity of a three-month-old child: possible consequences

Doctors often say during routine examinations of babies that it is better for the baby to pick up than not to pick up, since plump babies often lose excess weight immediately after they start crawling. Therefore, do not panic if your three-month-old baby looks too plump. Most likely, he simply lacks movement.

But, as a rule, excess weight in children at this age is a consequence of overeating.

The Syrian sage Abul-Faraj taught: “Abundant food is harmful to the body, just as abundant water is harmful to crops.”

This statement applies to both adults and children.

Consequences of being overweight

Children who are obese at three months of age often experience the following problems:

• Muscle laxity.
• High load on the heart.
• Tendency to diathesis or diabetes.
• Slow motor development.

What can a 3 month old baby be able to do?

Important and interesting information about what a 1-month-old baby can do is presented in the article by a pediatrician.

An informative article from a pediatrician about what a 2-month-old baby should be able to do and what his basic skills are.

Additionally, it will be useful for parents to know what a child can do at 4 months and how to develop it at this age.

Find out useful information about what a child can do at 5 months and how to work with him, from an article by a pediatrician.

• holds his head confidently;
• learns to roll over from back to stomach;
• with support, stands on a support, straightening his legs;
• tries to grab a close hanging object;
• considers the person who communicates with him;
• Demonstrates a “revitalization complex.”

How to deal with excess weight in a child

Feeding on demand

To prevent obesity from becoming a truly serious problem, pediatricians recommend that mothers whose babies are gaining weight switch to timed feeding. It will be difficult for a baby to get used to such dietary restrictions, so some doctors recommend giving him some water between feedings and offering him a pacifier.

Physical exercise

Parents can avoid serious problems with their baby being overweight if they introduce gymnastics into their daily routine. Physical activity will be a good preparation for the baby to acquire new motor skills and an excellent prevention of many diseases.

Both boys and girls at the age of 3 months are already allowed to perform simple exercises and do gymnastics on a fitball.

For childhood obesity, pediatricians also recommend that mothers start visiting the pool. In any case, this has a beneficial effect on the health of the baby.

Survey

If the baby's weight deviates greatly from the average, it is recommended to have it examined. Perhaps the baby suffers from some kind of illness that cannot be noticed without special tests. Fortunately, modern medicine in most cases makes it possible to find the reasons for the deviation of the baby’s development from the norm and solve the problem. Thanks to this, many babies with any pathology grow up absolutely healthy.