Too small?

Michelle - posted on 06/28/2012

trust yoru doctor and don't worry about what others say

Julie - posted on 06/18/2012

If you are not concerned, and the Pediatrician is not concerned, then don't let the comments bother you. If you are concerned then get a second option, or have some simple blood test done. Otherwise, people will comment on weight, size, height, activity, lack of activity, hair/no hair, teeth/no teeth...forever!
My kids were always, "so big" but they were in the norms, or maybe a bit above average. The truth is all kids should level out around age 6-7. Until then ENJOY and simply "nodd and smile"

Tena - posted on 06/01/2012

People will always have something to say. As long as she is thriving and hitting her milestones and the doctor is fine with her size then there is nothing to worry about. Big, small or average people will always have something to say as they tend to compare children to others they see. Actually your daughter sounds about average weight for her age. Be thankful she is not one that is big for her age so you won't have the backaches that I did. My younger 2 both are big for their age despite both being preemies. They think my 2 1/2 year old is closer to 4 and my 7 year old they think is 10 or 11

Heather - posted on 05/30/2012

My now 6 year old (almost 7) was 6 lbs 10 oz at birth and at a year weighed 15 lbs 9 oz. She still is very tiny...weighing 35 lbs. My 11 year old was 7 lbs 10 oz at birth; at a year was 17 lbs. My little guy who will be a year on friday was 8 lbs 1 oz at birth (yikes!) and he weighs
18 lbs 3 oz. So as you can se, they have all grown at about the same rate. All three were ebf and are very healthy. A cold here or there, but nothing more serious than that. We will see where baby 4 weighs in...when that time comes.

One more thing...I only gained 13 lbs with my little guy, so the c-section was pushed back from 39 weeks to 40 weeks and one day. They thought at our last appt he was on the small side (maybe about 6 lbs), so they rescheduled the c-section to give him another week to grow. When he was born, my dr said guess he isn't so small after all. :)

So if your ped is not concerned, then I wouldn't worry what other people think. If she was chubby, I am sure they would comment on that too! Enjoy your little angel!

Michele - posted on 05/30/2012

13 lbs for 5 months does not seem that small, it seems pretty healthy. My first daughter was born at 6 lbs 13 oz and hit 13 lbs at around 6 months, she was ebf as well. She has followed the 10% growth curve her entire 3 years and all of the pediatricians at the practice we go to have said how healthy she is. As long as baby is gaining weight at a good pace, the actual weight is not as much of a concern.
My second daughter was just born 2 weeks ago at 6lbs 3 oz, I imagine she will be petite and healthy as well. I have already gotten a lot of comments about how small she is. She is perfectly healthy, I think alot of folks (non medical professionals) are just more comfortable with the trend of overweight formula fed babies. Sounds like you are doing a great job of giving baby the best nutrition! Good luck!

Mercede - posted on 05/29/2012

My son was always tiny till the age of 4 and people would drive me nuts by the same comments as you get. Once someone even asked me: are you sure he is not a midget?? it's amazing how stupid and rude some people could be.
My son is a healthy 8 yr old boy now and the same size as his peers, weight wise even heavier.
so, just ignore people and refer to your own common sense and instinct when it comes to your child's health and wellness.

Sylvia - posted on 05/29/2012

My DD was small as a baby, too (she finally hit 20 lb when she was 2). I got a TON of comments, many of them from random strangers asking if she was premature (she wasn't -- she was born the day after her due date -- and anyone who asks if a 6 lb newborn is premature has obviously never seen an actual preemie!!). I eventually started telling them she has two aunts who are under 5 feet tall -- which is true, DH's sisters are super short -- so there wasn't much I could do about it :P

She's almost 10 now, about average height but still really skinny. Since she's running twice a week after school and doing 45 mins of karate twice a week, I'm thinking the skinny is not a sign of poor health but just how she is. (Also, it gives her a big advantage on the monkey bars: way less weight to lift than some of her friends ;))

When you have a baby, especially when it's your first, you CANNOT WIN. If the baby is small, people will tell you you're not feeding it enough; if it's chubby, they'll tell you you're overfeeding it. If it's got one layer of clothes on, they'll tell you it's going to freeze to death; if it's got more than one layer, they'll tell you it's going to die of the heat. And so on. There is literally no parenting choice you can make that somebody won't criticize you for. At a certain point you just have to tune 'em out!

Babies are people, and people come in all different shapes and sizes. If your baby is gaining appropriately, hitting her milestones in the normal range, is happy and healthy, and is deciding for herself when and how much to eat (i.e., demand/cue feeding), odds are she's absolutely fine.

Deborah - posted on 05/29/2012

Hi Imaura,

IGNORE what everyone is saying, your baby is healthy and happy as long as you and the health visitors are happy with her progress don't worry.

My daughter was very small aswell at 6months of age I put her into newborn clothes and they swamped her, she is now 13 and a very bright and beautiful young lady.

If this is your 1st child I can undrestand how scary it can be when everyone is saying this, your daughter may just be small, but believe me once she starts school you will see she is not the smallest, children are all different sizes, enjoy your daughter, don't let these people put doubt in your head. Tell them she is beautiful, happy and as far as the health visitor is concerned there is no problem.

I bet these people also gave you horror stories while you were pregnant to, well again no 2 pregnancies are the same either so why should children.

hope you have alot of lovely times and memories with your daughter

Laura - posted on 05/27/2012

My first daughter Ashleigh was born on time and she weighed 4 pounds, 11 ounces. She is now four years old and weighs approximately 26 pounds. She has always been petite, and I can remember at our one week checkup at the pediatricians office, a woman across the waiting room yelling and asking how old she was in front of a roomful of people. She herself was quite obese, and while I was taken aback by the comment, I refrained from commenting on her weight! My pediatrician watched her closely, but felt that as long as she was gaining weight, that she was okay. She, too, has reached her milestones on time and has been steadily gaining weight. Our pediatrician said she had her own growth curve. She most recently finally made it into the 3rd percentile, and we were happy that she was finally somewhere on the growth chart! Hang in there and don't let other people get you down.

Antoinette - posted on 05/27/2012

Kids are all different. People said the same about my 4 yr old and now about my 11 month old. Along as your child is healthy, you are fine. Someone even asked me if my baby was a premie.

Tabitha - posted on 05/21/2012

I agree with the other comments. People always have something to say. If you're concerned, bring it up at her next ped appt. If Dr. isn't worried about it, I wouldn't worry bout it.

Elaine - posted on 05/21/2012

'people' will always have something derogatory to say...always...my youngest daughter was a chunky baby at birth but in kindergarten when she was 7 she was only 25 pounds...very thin and petite and incredibly active...ate like a little horse at time...she's grown into an adult just fine in spite of all the all knowing mothers telling me how to feed her to fatten her up...I don't think everyone needs to be supersized in out society...personally I'd rather have a petite child who's active than a child who's been chubby from day one who doesn't want to move at all...mind you this coming from a portly well rounded mom/grandma...your baby is just fine!

Rachel - posted on 05/20/2012

I would tell others that say that thank you...she is my petite angel. My daughter was 5lbs at birth and is four now and is still tiny...25% for weight..

Kimberly - posted on 05/19/2012

I've learnt the hard way no matter what it is you do people will always have a comment. She is a healthy happy baby and as long as she is growing and gaining weight then you dont have to worry. My daughter was born 9lbs 1oz and when she was around 7 months she stopped gaining weight, which they said was normal but a the months went by and she was still not gaining weight or very little the started to get concerned. I was admitted to feeding clinics and seen a ped and they pretty much said if she didnt start eating and gaining weight they were going to tube feed her, long story short we had on hell of a 12 month battle but we did get her eating and gaining weight, not much but some they said as long as she was follow a line on the growth charts even the bottom one that way find. She's now 2.5 and weighs just under 24lbs, she is very fine boned and is classed as small for her age but I know she eats healthy and is very active and happy. Kids are always going to be too small or too big, short or tall, talk too much or not enough etc we just have to believe in ourselves as mothers and know our child. If you feel something is wrong then get her to see someone but otherwise enjoy your beautiful baby

Louise - posted on 05/19/2012

So she is petite, as long as she is growing steadily and reaching her milestones dont worry about it. I have to say 13lbs is small for 5 months, but is she had a low birth weight then you can not expect her to gain more than this. If you personally are concerned then ask to speak to a consultant to put your mind at rest.

Happy - posted on 05/18/2012

Oh My! Those people need to get a life! Your baby is just fine!