Baby weight and the Lottili baby hammock
At Lottili, a baby's weight matters more to us than their length. Parents often ask us when their baby can start napping in the baby hammock, and naturally many also want to know at what age or weight it's no longer a good idea.
From the newborn days on, babies have a safe place for daytime naps in our baby hammocks. That's because our baby hammocks are designed for babies from 3 kg, which for most children means right from birth. And the earlier you start using the baby hammock, the better. It's the best place for your baby to have a restful nap, and it helps them settle down quickly.
Our baby hammocks have a maximum weight limit of 12 kg, but it's very unlikely your child will still be napping in it for that long. Once babies can roll over on their own, they should no longer sleep in the baby hammock. Most children manage this by 8 months. As you can see from the tables, that point is usually reached well before a baby weighs 12 kg.
On average, an 8-month-old boy weighs about 8,600 g (8,800 g according to the RKI, Germany's public health institute), while a girl the same age weighs about 7,900 g (8,100 g according to the RKI). At 8 months, almost all children can already roll over on their own.
Baby length and weight at birth
Birth weight goes on every birth announcement card and email. Weight and length also tell doctors and midwives a great deal, which is why your baby's size and weight are checked regularly even during pregnancy.
Babies grow incredibly fast in their first months. In practice, a newborn gains around 150 grams a week. After the first birthday, growth and weight gain slow down.
Newborn weight
According to studies by the World Health Organization (WHO), newborns weigh between 3,300 and 3,500 grams, and a birth weight between 2,800 and 4,200 grams is considered normal. Your baby will lose some weight at first after birth and then gain steadily. These ups and downs are completely natural and depend on many different factors.
So don't let the numbers stress you out: every baby develops in their own way and at their own pace.
A rule of thumb:
Babies double their birth weight within the first six months and triple it by their first birthday.
Weight charts and percentile curves help you and your doctors keep track of your child's healthy and individual development.
Baby weight, length and percentiles
The word “percentile” comes up again and again when people talk about baby weight and length. Percentiles are reference values for comparing statistical measurements at health check-ups. More precisely, the percentile curve shows whether your baby is developing healthily, even if their weight and length differ from the norm. So even if your child is growing at a very different pace from the average, the percentile curve shows whether their measurements are within the normal statistical range.
The doctor plots the percentile curve at your baby's regular check-ups. They measure the current values (weight and length) and use them to judge whether your child is developing normally. Ideally, the curve keeps rising steadily.
Statistics on baby weight and length
According to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), these are the average weights (in kg) for your baby. All figures come from the RKI, laid out clearly for you here.
|
You can read the Robert Koch Institute's scientific data in more detail here:
Average baby weight (in German)
What does the percentile curve tell you?
The WHO also offers some of the clearest charts on this. The graphs below come from the World Health Organization and show reference values for baby weight from 0 to 2 years of age.
(Source: Growth Charts • WHO)
First: the 50th percentile is the green line in the middle and shows the average values. All values between the two outer curves are still considered acceptable.
Second: if your baby's values are on the lower 3rd percentile, only 3% of children the same age are lighter, and most are heavier. If your child's values are on the 97th percentile, it's the other way around: 97% of all children the same age would be lighter.
Regular checks of your baby's weight and length are especially important in the first two years. They let you make sure your baby is developing healthily. If the values differ significantly from the curve, specialists can also draw conclusions from this that may point to nutritional deficiencies or growth problems.
Every child is different
So try not to worry or feel unsure if your baby isn't average. Experience shows that lighter babies simply catch up with a growth spurt at some point, sooner or later. If your child is heavier than others, they'll work off the baby fat by the time they start crawling or walking at the latest, so that's no reason to worry either. Your doctors will tell you if something really isn't right. Anything else is normal individual variation.
