Percentile, part II

Back in my early days of parenthood, at Isaac's 18-month well-baby exam way back in spring 2007, I was slightly alarmed to learn that his weight percentile had dropped another ten points, from 45% to 35%. Since birth, Isaac's weight percentiles had been slowly yet steadily declining, although he was holding steady in height and remaining above the 90th percentile. The doctor reassured me that everything was fine, and indeed it has been.

In the three months between Isaac's 15-month and 18-month appointments, he grew an inch and a quarter and gained half a pound.

In the three months between Laurel's 15-month and 18-month appointments, she grew an eighth of an inch and lost two ounces.

Yep, she lost weight.

You may recall my post about that 15-month appointment, where I noted that over the previous 12 months Laurel's weight percentile had gradually dropped 50 points, decreasing at each well-baby exam: 60%, 45%, 40%, 25%, 20%, and then 10%. Now she is at 5%. (Do they even go below that?)

Perhaps more disturbing, her height percentile, which had always held steady, has suddenly dropped from the measurements of the past year: 75%, 80%, 75%, 75%, 70%, and now 40%.

Here are her numbers from today (which can also be viewed at her Trixie Tracker measurements page):

Height: 31 1/8 inches (40th percentile)
Weight: 19 pounds, 12 ounces (5th percentile)

The doctor wanted to know if Laurel was a very picky eater (no) or if she had been ill lately (no). He wants to follow up, so he scheduled a weight-check for Laurel to be held while we're in the office for Isaac's five-year exam, which is five weeks from now. I asked him if it was unusual for a toddler to fail to gain weight, and he said that it was -- but he also emphasized that Laurel seemed physically and mentally healthy and well-developed.

Am I worried? Not much. I mean, I'll certainly be more aware of Laurel's eating habits now, but I don't think I'm going to change her diet or the way I feed her. The doctor didn't ask us to do anything different, and I trust his advice. Sure, I'm hoping she will grow a lot over the next five weeks, but she's so vibrant and energetic, and she's learning so many new things every day, that it's hard to imagine that anything is seriously wrong.

- - - - -

What looks like a failure to gain weight might actually be a recent weight loss, perhaps explained by our recent week-long visit to my parents' house where Laurel was unenthusiastic about eating strange food. And although that doesn't explain her sudden failure to increase in height, there was something weird about how she was measured at her 15-month appointment: first the nurse got 30 inches, which would mean she hadn't grown at all since her 12-month appointment, so then the doctor measured again and got 31 inches. Probably the truth lies somewhere between those two numbers.