Count little one ideal body weight with this formula, Mom!

Morinaga Platinum ♦ 6 January 2020

Count little one ideal body weight with this formula, Mom!

As they get older, little one's body weight will also quickly increase. Reported from kidshealth.com, little one’s body weight can gain 1-2 kg in a month. This is because there is lots of nutrition intake from food, snacks, and milk that little one has. If Mom doesn’t pay attention carefully, it can lead little one to obesity.

In a glance, little one may look really adorable with their chubby body. Unfortunately, obesity can lead to serious health problems in their growth period. Blood pressure, heart attack, or diabetes are common to happen to children with obesity. Vice versa, if little one’s weight is below average, their body will be weak to the virus, the immune system decreases, and affecting their brain intelligence.

That is why, it’s important that Mom keep watching little one’s weight and keep it in a normal limit.

How is the way to know little one’s ideal body weight?

Sometimes, Mom likes to compare a little one’s body weight with other children. Though every child has different ideal body weight depends on the age and height. For 1-6 years child, here’s the formula to count ideal body weight:

Ideal body weight (in kg) = (age in years x 2) + 8

For example, a 3 years old child, how to count it is (3 x 2) + 8 = 14 kg. Then, the ideal body weight for a 3 years old child is 14 kg. While if it’s determined by gender, there is a bit of difference from the little one’s  ideal body weight normal limit. Here is a complete table based on Ministry of Health:

Ideal body weight based on gender

Age

Boys

Girls

1 years

7,7 – 12 kg

7 – 11,5 kg

2 years

9,7 – 15,3 kg

9 – 14,8 kg

3 years

11,3 – 18,3 kg

10,8 – 18,1 kg

4 years

12,7 – 21,2 kg

12,3 – 21,5 kg

5 years

14,1 – 24,2 kg

13,7 – 24,9 kg

 

If a little one’s body weight is in normal limit, then we can say that little one has ideal body weight. However, if their body weight is less or more than the normal limit, there should be some dietary adjustments, activities, or even nutritions that little one needs everyday.

Tips to adjust little one’s ideal body weight

Making sure little one’s body weight is in normal limit is a must. Like it explains at the beginning, being overweight or underweight can bring health problems to little one. Unfortunately, to gain more weight often happens to little one when they are in the toddler stage. The cause is various, starting from becoming a picky eater, lack of sleep, exhaustion, to little one sensory problem.

Method Mom can do to adjust little one’s ideal body weight are:

  1. Give high calories food
    Giving high calories food can be useful to little one’s weight gain. However, avoid giving little one fried food. It’s better to choose high calorie fruits like avocado, banana, papaya, and other fruits. Mom can also prepare high calorie snacks like bread with egg and cheese.

  2. Pay attention to food quality not quantity
    There are lots of misunderstandings of fat and eat a lot. In fact, eating high calorie food makes little one don't need to eat a lot to gain weight.

  3. Change little one’s dietary habit if they are overweight
    For obesity little one or overweight, try to change their dietary habits by eating high fiber food like fruit and vegetables. Balance it with daily activities that make them move actively like playing soccer, running around, walking in the park etc. Make sure Mom always checks on little one’s weight every week.

Well,  with the body weight formula and standard, Mom can always monitor little one’s growth and make sure their body weight is ideal. Every child's body growth is different, however, it’s important to note that having an ideal body weight is very recommended for little one so they can be spared from health problems later. Hope this information helps, Mom.