Average Weight Gain for Breastfed Babies (Metric)

Baby’s Age	Average Weight Gain
0-4 months	155 – 241 grams per week
4-6 months	92 – 126 grams per week
6-12 months	50 – 80 grams per week ‡
† It is acceptable for some babies to gain 4-5 ounces (113-142 grams) per week. ‡ The average breastfed baby doubles birth weight by 3-4 months. By one year, the typical breastfed baby will weigh about 2 1/2 – 3 times birth weight. Now infants can get all their vitamin D from their mothers’ milk; no drops needed with our sponsor's TheraNatal Lactation Complete by THERALOGIX. Use PRC code “KELLY” for a special discount! Sources: World Health Organization Child Growth Standards, 2006. Available at: http://www.who.int/childgrowth/en/. To figure average weight gain, we used the weight-per-age percentile charts for birth – 5 years. The range is a combination of boys and girls 5% to 95%, rounded to the nearest 5 grams.

Baby’s Age	Avg. Length Increase	Avg. Head Circumference Increase
0-6 months	2.5 cm per month	1.27 cm per month
6-12 months †	1.27 cm per month	6.4 mm per month
† By one year, the typical breastfed baby will increase birth length by 50% and head circumference by 33%. Source: Mohrbacher N. Breastfeeding Answers Made Simple, Amarillo, Texas: Hale Publishing, 2010, p. 205.