Dr. Greene’s Answer: Msfho, I speak with parents all over the
world who express concern that their babies are eating too
little – or too much. Some parents think that 90th percentile is
an ‘A’ and 80th is a ‘B’. If their baby is at the 50th
percentile, they are concerned that something is wrong. But
healthy babies come in many shapes and sizes. The 50th
percentile is a wonderful weight, sometimes called the target
weight. Half of the healthy baby boys at that age weight more,
half weigh less. If he is taller than average, a more useful
measure of his growth is the weight-for-length percentile (or
for older children, the BMI percentile). Whatever you look at,
keep in mind that (if he is in the healthy range) most of us
would rather be on the slim side of healthy. I understand that
feeding our babies is a core part of our role as parents that we
deeply want to know that we are doing it right. Comments by
friends, relatives, or strangers can heighten our concern: “He
barely eats a thing. You need to feed him mor