Ask any new parent how their baby is going and you will most likely get an update on recent weight gains.
Regular baby weigh-ins are a rite of passage, but many parents look back at this time with a deep sense of failure; when told their child isn’t “gaining enough” they’re left feeling like they didn’t try hard enough with this whole feeding business.
Numbers on the scale have become a defining measure of an infant’s progress. And the message given to parents is that more weight gain is better.
Yet, in the research world, we have known for a decade that being big and growing fast in infancy is a strong risk factor for obesity in childhood, adolescence and adulthood. This evidence has not filtered down to our front-line health professionals and importantly, the advice given to parents. We need to talk about why.
Dr Rebecca Byrne writes a practical guide to reading baby growth charts.
Great article Dr Byrne. Thanks for demystifying such an emotional element of new parenthood!