Pediatrics

Baby growth spurt

definition

Growth spurts in newborns are sudden changes in the whole body or parts of the body. This means the change in body size, but also mental development. In this text we want to describe the process of growth.

The growth spurts occur in most children around the same time and are dependent on the calculated due date. The growth spurts are numbered and are assigned to specific mental and physical development steps.

Read more on the topic: Growth spurt

Signs of a growth spurt

Signs of a growth spurt may be that the baby is growing reports more often, because it hunger Has. This is because during this phase increased calories are needed. During these stages, the child may feel like they are never fed up and the stomach is never full. Above all, growth spurts are evident at night. Then the concentration of growth hormones is highest.

Parents notice this above all because children who otherwise 5 or 6 hours have slept through the night, now fall out of this rhythm and get through Scream and Screaming attacks to make noticable. you want to fed more often become. In addition, some children no longer want to sleep even though they are or have been tired Difficulty drinkingeven though they are hungry. Children in a growth spurt are often more strenuous during this time than they were before and are in a sense confused about themselves and the situation they are facing.

You might also be interested in: Development of the child

Concomitant symptoms

Many babies and children change their behavior during a growth spurt.

Were they quiet before and slept a lot, then frighten they are now more often in front of noises, situations or themselves. This horror and dissatisfaction go through Tearfulness, increased need for closeness and also more intense screaming noticeable.

Growing pains

The cause of growing pains is not clearly understood.

The current status is that the different rates of growth of bones, bone membranes and other structures result in imbalances in the complex system of these structures. These are noticeable in that the children experience pain. These very often occur at night and are no longer there the next morning. The pain can persist for several hours, but usually has already subsided before that. They usually come in almost waves.

You might also be interested in:

Growing pains
Growing pains in the knee

Therapy for growing pains

If pain occurs during a growth spurt, it is particularly helpful if the child receives attention and care.

Be it being held in your arms, being cuddled or simply being spoken to. It also helps many children if they are bathed. The warmth of the bath water helps you relax and calm down a little. They are also distracted by bathing.

In general, you cannot say whether warmth or coolness helps. This can be tried out - but it is difficult to assess with smaller children.

If the child cannot be reassured, they can also breastfeed or give the bottle.

Duration of a growth spurt

Growth spurts can be very long in duration differently be.

In some phases and also different from child to child, they just last one or a few days. In other children, a growth spurt can also be a pleasure one week persist in which the child is dissatisfied, apparently always hungry and tearful shows. As suddenly as a growth spurt begins, it often stops again. After a growth spurt, the perception and also Abilities of the baby changes and it perceives its world differently.

How many growth spurts are there?

Some studies have shown that baby growth spurts coincide with developmental milestones. On average, there are eight growth spurts by the age of 14 months, and most children have them at some point in time.

However, the growth of a baby is very individual and cannot be predicted exactly to the day. It is not a cause for concern if a child does not have a growth spurt at the calculated time. In the regular U-examinations, the pediatrician checks whether the baby is developing appropriately.

When do the growth spurts happen?

There are 8 growth spurts in the first 14 months of a child's life.

The first growth spurt takes place around the 5th week of life. During this time, the children notice that they want to be breastfed more often and need more physical closeness.

The second growth spurt starts around the 8th week of life. Many babies no longer want to leave their parents and want to avoid all strangers.

From the 12th week of life, the 3rd episode takes place. This is the phase where daily routines or structures can be introduced, such as times for nap or typical breastfeeding times. Furthermore, the child needs more energy and needs to be breastfed more often and more.

The next episode occurs around the 4th month of life. The children have more periods of wakefulness in the nights and an even greater need for breastfeeding than before. They grow quite a bit. This surge sometimes lasts up to a month and can be very exhausting.

Many children have the 5th episode from six months. The children try to crawl and otherwise move around. First attempts at language become more pronounced and some syllables are tried to be formulated.

Read more on the subject below: When does a baby crawl? - you should know that!

The 6th growth spurt falls in the phase of the 9th month. The babies are able to crawl even longer distances and learn to understand the difference between desirable and undesirable behavior.

The 7th episode begins around the first year of life. Sometimes the children can already speak their first words. You are more independent and can occupy yourself for shorter periods of time. The mania for discovery knows no bounds. Dangerous objects, sockets, doors and cabinets should be secured.

The 8th growth spurt begins from the 13th month of life. After this attack, the children carefully begin their first attempts at running. Many a child is more often dissatisfied and happy in these phases.

Please also read our topic on this Development in the baby

Baby sleeps a lot in the growth spurt

The body needs a large amount of energy to perform its normal functions. In a growth spurt, the small body has to exert additional effort in addition to these everyday functions. In order to generate this additional force, a baby not only needs more energy through food, but also often more sleep.

In addition, babies have a great need for sleep anyway, as many new experiences are processed during sleep and the brain continues to develop. This need for sleep is not always the same and can therefore accidentally increase as part of a growth spurt.

Baby does not sleep in the growth spurt

For a baby, a growth spurt means that the long bones, i.e. the arms and legs, increase in length. Sometimes not all tissues and body parts come along at the same time. This can lead to growing pains. Growing pains are not dangerous, but they can keep the baby from sleeping.

Furthermore, babies' need for sleep varies in phases and it can also just happen to be less while the baby is in the growth spurt. Growth spurts usually come along with new developmental steps, and for some babies this means that the need for sleep as a whole decreases.

The following topic may be helpful to you: My baby is sleeping poorly - what can I do?

Body size according to age and gender

These height values are based on the percentile curve for the height development of children. It should also be noted that the size values in the table below refer to the children of German parents. Ethnic factors also have an influence on height. The size charts for children in China or Africa differ from the German size charts.

Age	girl	Boys
birth	47cm - 56cm	47.5cm - 56.5cm
After 2 weeks	48.5cm - 57.5cm	49.5cm - 59cm
After 1 month	50.5cm - 59.5cm	51.5cm - 60.5cm
After 1.5 months	52cm - 61cm	53cm - 62cm
After 2 months	53cm - 62.5cm	54.5cm - 63.5cm
After 2.5 months	54cm - 63.5cm	55.5cm - 65cm
After 3 months	55cm - 65cm	57cm - 66cm
After 4 months	57.5cm - 67cm	59.5cm - 69cm
After 5 months	60cm - 69cm	62cm - 71.5cm
After 6 months	62cm - 71cm	63.5cm - 73cm
After 7 months	63.5cm - 73cm	65.5cm - 75cm
After 8 months	65cm - 74.5cm	67cm - 76.5cm
After 9 months	66.5cm - 76cm	68.5cm - 78cm
After 10 months	68cm - 77cm	69.5cm - 79cm
After 11 months	69cm - 79cm	71cm - 80.5cm
After 12 months	70cm - 80cm	72cm - 81.5cm
After 13 months	71.5cm - 81cm	73cm - 83cm
After 14 months	72.5cm - 82.5cm	74cm - 84cm
After 15 months	73.5cm - 84cm	75cm - 85cm
After 16 months	74.5cm - 85cm	76cm - 86cm
After 17 months	75.5cm - 86cm	76.5cm - 87.5cm
After 18 months	76.5cm - 87cm	77.5cm - 88.5cm