Some things to look at to determine that your child is getting appropriate nutrition:
- Growth: not necessarily on a curve, but gaining inches/ounces or parts thereof
- Meeting developmental milestones on or near target
- Activity level: alert, happy, active
I have always had a hard time finding information on average toddler growth, so I took a look at the standard CDC growth charts to get these numbers. (Note: these numbers are not for breastfed babies specifically; they come from the growth charts for all children.) This link on checking your child’s growth has some great information on how to monitor your child’s growth using growth charts.
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Age
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Average weight gain
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12 – 18 mo
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7 – 11 ounces/month
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18 – 24 mo
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5.3 – 8 ounces/month
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24 – 36 mo
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4 – 8 ounces/month
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Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. CDC growth charts: United States. May 30, 2000.
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Age
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Average height increase
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12 – 36 mo
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0.3 – 0.4 inch/month
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Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. CDC growth charts: United States. May 30, 2000.
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