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44 2.1 Measuring and Assessing Growth

Weight gain in infancy and the final height centile to be reached following
the pubertal growth spurt.
From about 6 to 8 weeks of age infants usually
follow along a weight centile line or space but there BMI and body fat differences in girls
will normally be some variation above and below it and boys
(see Figure 2.1.3).
BMI varies throughout childhood and this
Following length centiles in the first variation is slightly different between boys and
2 years girls. Hence there are gender-specific BMI-for-age
centile charts. BMI increases during infancy,
Some catch-up or catch-down in length centile is decreases between 1 and 5/6 years and then slowly
usually seen in the first 2 years to compensate for increases throughout the rest of childhood.
any constraints in intrauterine growth. By 3 years
there is good correlation between the height centile The body fat content is similar in boys and girls
at 5 and 7 years old but thereafter begins to increase

13.5 GIRLS WEIGHT (kg) 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52
13 0–1 year 3 4 5 67 8 9 10 11 13.5
Age in weeks/ months 13
12.5 4 8 9 10 99.6th 12.5
16 18 Age in weeks/ months 34 36 38 40 42 44 98th 12
12 567 91st 11.5
20 22 24 26 28 30 32 75th 11
11.5 50th 10.5
25th 10
11 Some degree of weight 9th 9.5
10.5 loss is common after birth. 2nd 9
Calculating the percentage 0.4th 8.5
10 weight loss is a useful way 8
9.5 to identify babies who 11 7.5
need extrra support. 46 48 50 7
9 6.5
6
8.5 5.5
5
Weight (kg) 8 4.5
4
7.5 3.5
3
7 2.5
2
6.5 91st 98th 99.6th 1.5
1
6 0.5

5.5 52

5 50th75th

99.6th 25th
9th
98th 4.5 20n.4dth

91st 4

75th

50th 3.5

25th 3
9th

2nd 2.5

0.4th

2

1.5

1
0.5 1 2 3

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Figure 2.1.4 Faltering growth in an infant girl showing weight falling through 2 centile spaces.
Measurements after 6-8 weeks show a fall across two centile spaces.