Ideal weight of children: how to calculate the ideal weight based on age and height
The ideal weight of children is not an "indication of absolute value: to calculate the ideal weight, in fact, it is always necessary to consider several factors such as age and the relationship with height. The growth of a child in its first years of life it is very important and closely linked to physical activity and a healthy diet.
For your child to grow in health, it is good to know what his ideal weight should be, to learn how to calculate the body mass index and to know how to read the tables with the growth percentiles. Obviously, to monitor the ideal weight of the children - since there are no absolute laws - it is always good to be able to consult with your trusted pediatrician.
Let's try together to understand how the ideal weight of children is calculated, what it should be according to the tables of the World Health Organization and how to calculate the growth percentiles.
Watch this video and find out everything you need to know about the children's growth rate.
How is the ideal weight of children calculated?
Let's repeat it once again: the ideal weight of children is not a unique and absolute value, but only a "generic indication. What is generally indicated as ideal weight or ideal weight for children is more than anything else a range of values that indicate which it should be the normal weight at a certain age, so don't panic if your baby doesn't exactly match the indicated weight!
The different parameters to be taken into consideration to calculate the ideal weight of children are height and, starting from the second year of life, the body mass index (also called BMI). To calculate the body mass index, simply divide the weight of the child (expressed in kilos) by the height (in square meters).
Starting from these data, the growth percentile can be calculated, that is a reference scale of the parameters considered "normal" which is based on the growth curves generated by the observation of the population from birth up to 20 years.Reading the percentile tables is not immediate: in the next paragraphs we will explain how to do it.
Ideal weight of babies at birth and in the first months of life
A baby, at the time of birth, should have a healthy weight of around 3200-3400 grams, but can be considered normal weight if he weighs between 2500 and 4500 grams. If the weight of the newborn is less than 2500 grams he should be considered underweight , if over 4500 grams overweight.
As paradoxical as it may seem, in the first days of life a child's weight tends to drop by 5-7%, but - if well fed - he regains the weight lost by 15 days of age. From then until the sixth month, it will tend to grow around 150 grams per week. Consequently, by the fifth month of age, her weight should be double that of birth.
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Ideal weight in children up to 10 years
Starting from the first year of age, the ideal weight of a child is approximately three times the weight at birth. From the age of 18 months, however, weight growth begins to slow down, with a normal physiological stop that should not frighten. the parent.
Between two years (in which the weight is quadrupled compared to that of birth) and 5 years, the weight of the child increases just under 2 kg per year, while from 5 years onwards, the growth rate starts to increase little by little, about 2.4 kg per year until puberty.
Height and weight do not always grow evenly, and this can lead - around 6 years old - to an increase in the body mass index (which, as we have said, depends on the relationship between weight and height).
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Tables of the ideal weight of girls and boys
In the tables below we report, for information purposes only, the range of values of the ideal weight of boys and girls in relation to age and with relative indications of height. As already repeated, they are not absolute values and to evaluate the health and your child's regular growth rate is always good to talk to your pediatrician, who will take into account the specific case.
Weight - height table for girls
See also: The evolution of the baby in pictures. From the first weeks to birth
Weight - height table for children
The growth percentiles given by the ratio of weight to height
To calculate the ideal weight of children, the percentile is used which, as we have said, is used as a reference scale to establish the weight parameters to be considered normal. At this address you can download the growth percentile tables drawn up by the World Health Organization and consult them.
If your child's BMI is less than the fifth percentile on the scale, then he or she is normal weight.If the body mass index value is between the 85th and the 95th percentile, then the child will be overweight, while if it exceeds the 95th percentile it will be obesity.
To simplify the consultation of the growth percentiles, even if with a lesser degree of accuracy in the results, the value of the 50th percentile for the statural age (age + height) is usually used. Even in these calculations, however, it is always better to get help from the pediatrician.
