A child’s growth and development often occur during nighttime sleep, making sleep crucial for development. Parents should encourage their children to sleep early and wake up early to avoid missing the critical growth period.
After the first year, a baby’s physical growth tends to slow down significantly. This is a normal physiological phenomenon. At this age, the baby’s weight increases by an average of about 200 grams per month, and height by about 1.0 centimeter per month. Additionally, the baby’s chest circumference begins to exceed the head circumference, and the anterior fontanelle usually closes before 18 months. If there is a deviation in the baby’s weight or height but it remains within the normal range, there is no need to worry too much. However, if the deviation is significant, it may be necessary to bring the baby to the hospital for a check-up to confirm if there is a lack of trace elements, etc.
A baby’s slow growth may be due to insufficient nutrition intake or metabolic issues. It is recommended to enhance nutrition and supplement calcium and zinc to improve the immune system.
Learning to walk is a normal developmental process for babies, and there’s no need to worry about leg deformities.
Offering advice and precautions for introducing complementary foods for babies
Generally, babies start to learn to use two fingers to pick up things around 4 to 5 months old. When introducing complementary foods, it’s important to consider the baby’s age to provide appropriate nutrition. For example, soft rice, egg yolks, and fruit purees can be introduced between 4 to 6 months, while soft noodles, tofu, and rice dumplings can be added between 7 to 12 months. Additionally, infant nutrition products can also be chosen as supplements.
If a four to five-month-old baby has not yet grown hair, it may be due to malnutrition or a lack of trace elements.
Each baby grows at a different pace, and it’s normal to experience a growth slowdown at six months. Diet can also affect weight gain. It’s important not to worry too much about the rate of growth. Suggesting increasing the baby’s vitamin intake can help promote healthy growth.
