How much weight gain is healthy for children and teens?
General guidelines regarding healthy appropriate weight gain during infancy and childhood follow:
- Newborns gain approximately 30 g per day (1 oz per day) until 3 months of age.
- Infants gain approximately 20 g per day (0.67 oz per day) between three and six months of age and approximately 10 g per day between 6 and 12 months.
- Infants double their birth weight by four months of age and triple their birth weight by one year.
- Children typically gain 4-6 pounds per year between 2 years and puberty.
- During puberty this childhood growth rate doubles, but because some kids start developing as early as age 8 and some not until age 14, it can be normal for two kids who are the same gender, height, and age to have very different weights. Children gain on average between 30-40 pounds (13.5- 18.0 kilograms) between ages 11-14. A child can gain 20 pounds (9 kilograms) or more in one year during this time.
