How do you know the baby's height is short (short)?

Since newborns, the baby's body development has been measured to ensure it is within the normal range. Apart from body weight and head circumference, other developments that are no less important to know are the baby's height or length. When is the baby's height or length less and what needs to be considered?

How tall is a normal baby?

Source: MRC Epidemiology Unit

A person's growth is defined as an increase in the size, number of cells and tissues that make up the body.

The combination of these various things that affect the increase in physical size and body shape as a whole or only partially.

The Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) explained that one of the indicators assessed to measure the baby's growth is height or body length.

At the age of the baby, how to measure whether his or her height is classified as less, normal, or more is by using the age-based body length indicator (PB / U).

As long as the baby is not able to stand upright, measurements of his height or length are usually taken in a lying position.

This is why measuring a baby's height is actually better known as measuring body length.

The reason is, body length measurements are more identical to being carried out in a lying position, while body height is carried out in an upright position.

The indicator for measuring body length for age (PB / U) is generally performed for infants under two years of age. Meanwhile, when your little one is able to stand upright, this measurement is called height.

According to WHO and the Indonesian Ministry of Health, the baby's height or length is said to be normal and not less or more when it is in the following ranges:

Baby boy

Based on the WHO table, the normal body length for male babies up to the age of 24 months is:

Age 0 months or newborn: 46.1-55.6 centimeters (cm)
Age 1 month: 50.8-60.6 cm
Age 2 months: 54.4-64.4 cm
Age 3 months: 57.3-67.6 cm
Age 4 months: 59.7-70.1 cm
Age 5 months: 61,7-72,2 cm
Age 6 months: 63.6-74.0 cm
Age 7 months: 64.8-75.5 cm
8 months old: 66.2- 77.2 cm
9 months old: 67.5-78.7 cm
10 months old: 68,7-80,1 cm
11 months old: 69.9-81.5 cm
Age 12 months: 71.0-82.9 cm
13 months old: 72.1-84.2cm
Age 14 months: 73.1-85.5 cm
Age 15 months: 74.1-86.7 cm
Age 16 months: 75.0-88.0 cm
17 months old: 76.0-89.2 cm
Age 18 months: 76.9-90.4 cm
19 months: 77.7-91.5 cm
Age 20 months: 78.6-92.6 cm
21 months old: 79.4-93.8 cm
Age 22 months: 80.2-94.9 cm
23 months old: 81.0-95.9 cm
Age 24 months: 81.7-97.0 cm

If the height or length of the baby boy is between these ranges, the sign is not said to be taller or less.

Baby girl

Based on the WHO table, the normal height or length of a baby girl until the age of 24 months, namely:

Age 0 months or newborn: 45.4-54.7 cm
Age 1 month: 49.8-59.6 cm
2 months old: 53.0-63.2 cm
Age 3 months: 55,6-66,1 cm
Age 4 months: 57.8-68.6 cm
Age 5 months: 59,6-70,7 cm
6 months old: 61.2-72.5 cm
Age 7 months: 62.7-74.2 cm
8 months old: 64.0-75.8 cm
9 months old: 65.3-77.4 cm
10 months old: 66.5-78.9 cm
Age 11 months: 67.7-80.3 cm
Age 12 months: 68.9-81.7 cm
Age 13 months: 70.0-83.1 cm
Age 14 months: 71.0-84.4 cm
Age 15 months: 72.0-85.7 cm
Age 16 months: 73.0-87.0 cm
17 months old: 74.0-88.2 cm
Age 18 months: 74,9-89,4 cm
19 months old: 75,8-90,6 cm
Age 20 months: 76.7-91.7 cm
21 months old: 77.5-92.9 cm
Age 22 months: 78.4-94.0 cm
23 months old: 79.2-95.0 cm
Age 24 months: 80.0-96.1 cm

It is the same with boy babies, if the height or length of the baby girl's body is below this range, the sign is that she is less or short.

Meanwhile, if it is above this range, it means that your little one's height is somewhat higher.

When is the baby's height said to be less?

According to IDAI, the easiest way to find out how normal a 12 month old baby's body growth is is to measure whether his body length has increased by 50% since birth.

Even so, parents must understand that the speed of growth of children is different from one another. That is why it is important to take measurements regularly to ensure that your little one has no abnormalities or problems.

There is a frequency or schedule of measurements that should be done until the baby is 12 months old. You can check your little one regularly every three months until he is three years old.

Furthermore, the baby's growth checks can be interrupted every six months until he is six years old and once a year after he is over six years old.

Based on Permenkes No.2 of 2020, the category for assessing the length of a baby's body by age (PB / U), namely:

Very short: less than -3 SD
Short: -3 SD to less than 2 SD
Normal: -2 SD to +3 SD
Height: more than +3 SD

The unit of measurement is known as the standard deviation (SD). The explanation is this, the baby's height or length is said to be normal, aka not less and more when in the range -2 to +3 SD in the WHO table.

If it is under -2 SD, the baby is said to be short or short in height. Meanwhile, if the baby is more than +3 SD, it is said to be high.

An easier way, you just need to look at the ideal height range above. If the baby's height is less than that, this is a sign that he is short.

What causes the baby's height less?

The length or height of the baby that is not enough can be caused by several things. The cause of low stature in babies that is not related to medical conditions is due to heredity.

Even though he is still very small, the short stature of one or both parents can be passed on to the baby.

Idiopathic short stature (idiopathic short stature) includes other causes of stature or stature in infants.

Launching from the Healthy Children page, there is no specific cause for idiopathic short stature. In fact, children with this condition generally look healthy.

In addition, the cause of the baby's low height can also be due to certain medical conditions or problems.

If indeed the baby's underweight is caused by a medical condition, it will usually be accompanied by certain symptoms.

Various medical conditions that can cause the baby's height to be less, namely diseases that attack the body's organs. These diseases include heart, kidney, colitis, asthma, and anemia in babies.

Poor nutritional intake, routine consumption of certain drugs, lack of hormones in the body, and genetic conditions contribute to low infant height.

Lack or poor nutritional intake of babies can be from exclusive breastfeeding until the little one gets to know complementary foods (complementary foods).

When to see a doctor

The first thousand days of life are the period of the child's most rapid growth. The first thousand days are not counted from the time the baby is born, but from the beginning of pregnancy until they are even two years old.

During this period the process of forming the brain and other important organs of the body takes place. In fact, the baby's height growth is also determined by whether nutritional intake can meet their daily nutritional needs.

If the baby has growth problems during this time but it is not detected and treated properly, this condition can have long-term effects.

It is not impossible, this long-term effect can make the quality of life decline until he is an adult.

So, you should not delay to check your baby's health condition to the doctor if you feel that his growth is not running like children his age.

This can be seen easily when the baby's height is less or lower than its normal range.