By Rowena Espiritu
Real Moms and Their Growing Babies
“When I was six months pregnant, I got so excited when I learned I was having a baby girl; I bought varied sets of clothes, cute dresses, and shoes,” shares Clyde Reyes, mom to Althea Casey. But just like with many other first-time moms, Clyde’s excitement turned into somewhat of a frustration. “Almost all the dresses I bought for Althea were only used when she was 6 or 8 months old. Then after a month, she was already too big to fit into them,” she laments. She adds that the baby shoes and slippers she bought were used for only one to two months.
Clyde muses, “As a new mom, I was glad that my baby was growing fast at that time—gaining a kilo or more every check-up with her pediatrician. But had I known about these drastic growth changes and their effects, I would have been a smarter shopper for Althea’s clothes and shoes.”
Babies Grow Overnight: Fact Or Exaggeration?
Babies naturally go through many stages of development. In the early-year stages, they have growth spurts or sudden growth changes. According to Michelle Claudio-Bautista, M.D., a
pediatrician at the Friendly Care Clinic and Doc’s At Work, growth spurts for babies and young children are very irregular and don’t have a clear-cut pattern.
Dr. Claudio enumerates several reasons for babies’ growth spurts:
• Genetics
• The food baby eats
• Baby’s environment
Possible Signs of Babies' Growth Spurts
Although babies have different growth patterns, Dr. Claudio-Bautista suggests that parents, together with their pediatrician, should monitor some noticeable signs that may indicate babies’ growth spurts.
Some pediatric studies show that locomotion activities such as walking, running, or even standing may strain—and as a consequence inhibit the growth of—muscles responsible for these activities. “But since children have less physical activities during their first year, growth is not inhibited,” she explains, “the fastest and biggest growth spurts are experienced when a child is age 0 to 12 months.” She also says that there are numerous growth plates or soft areas near the edges of the bones that fully fuse or calcify only after a few months. Hence, the noticeable transformation from fragile newborn to hardy baby.
“Parents often ask in jest if babies grow overnight. Probably not overnight, but growth development is really faster and easier during infancy,” Dr. Claudio-Bautista stresses. Aside from having minimal locomotion activities, infants also go through numerous and vital nurturing: breastfeeding, intake of all sorts of vitamins, immunizations, plus regular check-ups with the pediatrician. All these also boost babies’ growth.
Pre-Shopping Ideas
Growth spurts are rapid and unpredictable during the infant and toddler years. “We cannot pinpoint the exact months of growth changes,” Dr. Claudio-Bautista says. “Development, whether physical or mental, is very different from one baby to another.” So when shopping for baby and toddler stuff, stick to essentials first. It would be a waste if that pricey designer baby frock spent all but five minutes on your child because she found it too itchy, not to mention or was fully outgrown after just a few months.
Sources:
• Michelle Elaine Claudio-Bautista, M.D., D.P.P.S., pediatrician in Doc’s At Work (Mandaluyong) and Friendly Care Clinic (Cubao and Shaw Blvd.)
• Growth and Development by Edward M. Santos, M.D.
• Websites: scribd.com, health.dailynewscentral.com, emory.edu, theparentreport.com, pediatrics.about.com
by http://www.smartparenting.com.ph/baby/development-child-care/baby-s-growth-spurts-why-they-happen-and-how-to-handle-them/page/2
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