OUR BABIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3315, 26 September 1917, Page 52

OUR BABIES.

By Htgeia

Published under the auspices ot the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health ot Wom&n and Children.

"It Is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom."

WEIGHT AND HEIGHT. An Inqtjibt fbok Otago.

" Would you toll mo the weight an average child gains during the second, third, and fourth year? I have been considering six pounds an average gain for tho second year, and rather less for the third, hut cannot find out if I am correct." REPLY.

I have received several inquiries from time to time as to the average normal height and weight of infants. The question of weight in early infancy is dealt with in the feeding table, page 34-, " Feeding and Oare of Baby," but I am glad to supplement this with data as to height, as well us giving the weight and chest measurements in later infancy. The following- summary regarding weight and height, mainly adapted from data given by Dr Leroy Yale, of New York, in answer to questions submitted to him, conveys practically all that most mothers want to know on tho subject:—

THE INFANT'S NORMAL WEIGHT. HOW MUCH OUGHT THE NORMAL CHILD TO GAIN IN ONE WEEK? WHAT IS THE AVERAGE GAIN IN THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS ?

Growth varies according to age. During tho first week there is usually a slight loss. After this is overcome the gain is continuous, but not uniform. It varies first of all with different children, depending somewhat, but not entirely, upon the original size and strength of the child. Five ounces per week is a fair gain for the first few months; but the gain often reaches as much as half a pound weekly during this period. By the age of four months the rate of growth is slackening, being usually not much above a quarter of a pound per week. Tho weight of that age will be on an average about 131b —sometimes 141 bor more, —but owing to the progressive retardation of growth the weight at a year is on the average lees than double what it is at three months. Thus a child who weighs 141 b at three months cannot be expected to •weigh above 241 b at 12 months, if so much 1 and the weight at one year will not, on the average, bo again doubled before the sixth or seventh year is reached. It is usual to consider that the birth-weight should be doubled at five or six months and trebled at one year; but this is not true if the birth-weight is exceptionally high.

MEASUREMENTS AND WEIGHTS OF BOYS AND GIRLS AT VARIOUS AGES. " Will you pleas© give me the average height, weight and chest measurements of a two-year-old, also of a three-year-old, child? Is there found to bo a difference between an average boy and average girl of these ages in regard to size and weight?' While we have a good many figures regarding the first year, and abundance concerning the school age—six years and upward, —we have few regarding the interval from one to six years. Dr Holt has recorded the results of weighing and measuring 372 children from the second to tho fifth year. His results are as follow: Two Years—Weight: Boys, 2641 b; girls, 2541 b. Height: for both sexes. Chest (middle of inspiration): Boys, 19in; girls, 18£in. Three Years— Weight: Boys, 311 b; girls, 301 b. Height: 35in for both sexes. Chest: Boys, 20in; girls, 20in. An easy figure to bear in mind as an average is that when five tears old a CHILD SHOULD WEIGH IN FOUNDS ABOUT eight times its age—in other words, about 401 b. Knowing that for several years before and after five years of age the yearly increase is about 41b or 51b, one can easily arrive at what a child should weigh for any year from two to eight by merely subtracting or adding these figures, as the caso may be. Tho average normal height at fivo years of ago is about 42in for boyß and about 41Ain for girls j and _at 10 years of ago 52in tor boya and 51£in for girls. Tho average weight of a 10-year-old normal boy is about 66£lb and that of a girl 541 b \ but at 16 years the average boy weighs about 10lb or 111 b more than tho girl, and he should have shot 4in above her in height.

EH H O a fl i d ? 0 5; a <3 8 5 a % E s | £ s 3 N Eh oo Ph —i W § Ph P P OQ % pq Ch O r-1 <M J3 .fcp H 0 OO l> £3 a- § 8'iS (6 t^<£ C3 *"& H 10 38 la r 3 be S 8-5 3 1—1 Is i* »4 3i "3 s w 5 if .1 MM ff '3 0 > .9 s a d a* 0 ,fi O © s rESaXSiJ 05 fS 0 £1 M | I 3 3 P5 Baby girls boys slightly ence in weigh about half a some natural] much exceed bog 'qjt-i w