What are the average changes in height and weight per year during middle childhood in the preteen years?
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A child's growth and development can be divided into four periods: Show
Soon after birth, an infant normally loses about 5% to 10% of their birth weight. By about age 2 weeks, an infant should start to gain weight and grow quickly. By age 4 to 6 months, an infant's weight should be double their birth weight. During the second half of the first year of life, growth is not as rapid. Between ages 1 and 2, a toddler will gain only about 5 pounds (2.2 kilograms). Weight gain will remain at about 5 pounds (2.2 kilograms) per year between ages 2 to 5. Between ages 2 to 10 years, a child will grow at a steady pace. A final growth spurt begins at the start of puberty, sometime between ages 9 to 15. The child's nutrient needs correspond with these changes in growth rates. An infant needs more calories in relation to size than a preschooler or school-age child needs. Nutrient needs increase again as a child gets close to adolescence. A healthy child will follow an individual growth curve. However, the nutrient intake may be different for each child. Provide a diet with a wide variety of foods that is suited to the child's age. Healthy eating habits should begin during infancy. This can help prevent diseases such as high blood pressure and obesity. INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT AND DIET Poor nutrition can cause problems with a child's intellectual development. A child with a poor diet may be tired and unable to learn at school. Also, poor nutrition can make the child more likely to get sick and miss school. Breakfast is very important. Children may feel tired and unmotivated if they do not eat a good breakfast. The relationship between breakfast and improved learning has been clearly shown. There are government programs in place to make sure each child has at least one healthy, balanced meal a day. This meal is usually breakfast. Programs are available in poor and underserved areas of the United States. Talk to your health care provider if you have concerns about your child's growth and development. Related topics include:
Diet - intellectual development
Onigbanjo MT, Feigelman S. The first year. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 22. Parks EP, Shaikhkhalil A, Sainath NN, Mitchell JA, Brownell JN, Stallings VA. Feeding healthy infants, children, and adolescents. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 56. Updated by: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. PHYSICAL GROWTH IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD BODY GROWTH Changes in Body Size and Proportions at ages 4.5, 6.5 , 8.5 , and 10, boys slightly later at 4 .5, 7, 9, and 10.5. Girls are slightly shorter and lighter than boys at ages 6 to 8, but by age 9 this trend is reversed. The lower portion of the body is growing fastest at this age period and children during this time appear long-legged. Girls have slightly more body fat and boys have more muscle. After age 8, girls begin accumulating fat at a faster rate. Worldwide Variations in Body Size Secular Trends in Physical Growth Skeletal Growth Brain Development  The frontal lobes of the cortex show a slight increase in surface area between ages 5 and 7 due to continuing myelinization. The corpus callosum thickens, leading to improved communication between the two cortical hemispheres. Synaptic pruning continues, and lateralization of the cerebral hemispheres increases over the school years. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that permit neurons to communicate across synapses. Secretions of particular neurotransmitters are related to cognitive performance. Brain functioning may also change because of an increase in androgens that occurs in both boys and girls around age 7 to 8. http://www.brightfutures.org/physicalactivity/mc/index.html YouTube VideoYouTube VideoCOMMON HEALTH PROBLEMS A. Good nutrition and rapid development of the body's immune system work together to protect against disease. E. Obesity Over 22 percent of American children suffer from obesity. Obesity is a greater-than-20-percent increase over average body weight, based on the child's age, sex, and physical build. Over 80 percent of obese youngsters remain overweight as adults. Causes of Obesity : Fat children tend to have fat parents, and concordance for obesity is greater in identical than fraternal twins. Low - SES youngsters in industrialized nations are more likely to be overweight because of lack of knowledge about healthy diet; a tendency to buy high-fat, low-cost foods; and family stress. 6 percent of American low - SES children are growth stunted due to early malnutrition and are therefore at increased risk for obesity. Parents of obese children use food as a reward and as a way to relieve the child's anxiety, Research shows that obese children are more responsive to external stimuli associated with food and less responsive to internal hunger cues. Fat children are less physically active than their normal- weight peers. Next to already existing obesity, time spent in front of the TV set is the best predictor of future obesity among school-age children. Consequences of Obesity: Both children and adults rate obese youngsters as less likable than children with a wide range of physical disabilities. By middle childhood, obese children report feeling more depressed and display more behavior problems than their peers. Treating Obesity: Childhood obesity is difficult to treat because it is a family disorder. Crash diets deprive children of essential nutrients during a period of rapid growth, and can make matters worse. The most effective interventions are family based and focus on changing behaviors. Positively reinforcing obese children for spending less time inactive is a successful technique. http://www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/growth/ocwm.html HEALTH EDUCATION A. The school-age period may be an important time for fostering healthy life-styles because of the child's growing independence, increasing cognitive capacities, and rapidly developing self-concept, which includes perceptions of physical well-being. B. Health habits are slow to change. 1. Health is not an important goal to children. 2. Children do not yet have an adultlike time perspective, linking present preventive behaviors to future consequences. 3. Health information is often contradicted by other sources, such as television advertising and the examples of adults and peers. http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/blueprint/action.shtml http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/site/aappolicy/ What is the rate of growth during middle childhood?Rates of growth generally slow during middle childhood. Typically, a child will gain about 5-7 pounds a year and grow about 2 inches per year. Many girls and boys experience a prepubescent growth spurt, but this growth spurt tends to happen earlier in girls (around age 9-10) than it does in boys (around age 11-12).
How do you describe the growth rate during middle and late childhood?Rates of growth generally slow during these years. Typically, a child will gain about 5-7 pounds a year and grow about 2-3 inches per year. They also tend to slim down and gain muscle strength and lung capacity making it possible to engage in strenuous physical activity for long periods of time.
What is the average weight gain per year for children ages 6 to 12?While all children may grow at a different rate, the following indicates the average for school-aged children six to twelve years old: weight: average gain of about 5 to 7 pounds a year. height: average growth of about 2.5 inches per year.
What are the physical changes that occur during middle childhood?During middle childhood, physical growth slows down. One result of the slower rate of growth is an improvement in motor skills. Children of this age tend to sharpen their abilities to perform both gross motor skills such as riding a bike and fine motor skills such as cutting their fingernails.
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