There are many ways to monitor your child’s growth from infancy to childhood. The simplest method is measuring their weight and height and comparing them to the Child Growth Standards or by looking at skills or behaviors that indicate developmental milestones by month. This article discusses briefly the concepts and tools that you may utilize in monitoring your child’s growth.
When you bring your child to the health center or clinic, the first thing they will measure is your baby’s weight and length / height. These values will be compared against the Child Growth Standards (CGS) according to their age. These tables can be freely downloaded from the National Nutrition Council website: www.nnc.gov.ph .
Weight-for-Age Tables: Tells whether child is underweight or overweight
This table tells if your child’s current weight is suitable for their age. If the health worker says that your child is underweight, it may indicate poor weight gain, inadequate breastfeeding or recent illness. Your child’s weight will gradually catch up when these factors are addressed. If the health worker says that your child is overweight, there is no need to restrict feeding because they are still growing. Focus on breastfeeding and nutritious complementary feeding regardless of their weight status.
Length or Height-for-Age Tables: Tells whether child is stunted or tall
This table tells if your child’s current length or height is suitable for their age. If the health worker says that your child is stunted, it may indicate long term poor nutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and chronic illness. Addressing these factors through breastfeeding, complementary feeding with micronutrient powder supplementation, Vitamin A supplementation and complete vaccinations may reverse stunting and lead to catch up growth. Addressing this at the early stage may also reduce the long-term health risks related to stunting during the first 1,000 days of life. But beyond the first 1,000 days, any damage to the child’s physical development brought about by stunting will be irreversible.
Weight-for-Length or Height Tables: Tells whether child is wasted or overweight
This table tells if your child’s current weight is suitable for their current length or height. If the health worker says that your child is wasted, it may indicate recent illness, or recent poor nutrition possibly due to inadequate food intake, intestinal parasites, neglect or due to stress during disaster. This can be addressed by treating the underlying illness or infection then continuing breastfeeding and complementary feeding with micronutrient supplementation. Intestinal parasites should also be considered by giving anthelmintic medications.
The Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Card
Health centers provide each child with an ECCD Card which records their weight and height in a graphical format which can show how fast or slow your child grows every month and how they respond to interventions in case they are growing poorly. It also contains a visual summary or checklist of the core developmental milestones that your child must achieve at a certain age which reflects their motor, language and cognitive skills development which are important for later school performance.
Monitoring children’s growth helps parents become aware about the quality of their nutrition or possible underlying medical conditions impairing their children’s growth during the first 1000 days which can have irreversible consequences in adulthood. Addressing and detecting these conditions at an early stage can help children catch up and attain optimal growth and development. Visit your nearest health center for free supplements and vaccines, growth monitoring and personalized nutrition counselling services.
You may download the above-mentioned Child Growth Standard Tables through this link: https://www.nnc.gov.ph/downloads/category/34-who-cgs-reference-table-0-71-mos
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