Baby’s Growth Spurts: Why They Happen and How to Handle Them

Growth spurts or sudden changes in height and weight of babies and growing kids can be, to some extent, overwhelming for parents. It’s important, especially for first-time moms, to clearly understand different growth changes not only for the purpose of baby-stuff shopping but also to properly monitor ift heir children’s growing and development are on track    

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

Click here to read on about the possible signs of babies' growth spurts and about pre-shopping ideas.