Baby’s growth checks (2009)

Description

Growth checks are important to see if a baby or child is developing at a healthy rate. This resource focuses on growth checks and outlines the things that a health worker or health nurse may measure, or talk to a parent or carer about in relation to a babies growth. This may include:

• weighing the baby or child
• measuring the length of a baby or height of a child
• measuring head circumference (size of the head)
• talking about breastfed and formula fed babies and how they grow at different rates
• talking about any growth problems
• talking about a baby or child being overweight
• testing the iron levels in the blood
• reminding families about the ages babies and children should have their growth checked

Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet abstract

When to use this resource

This resource is part of the Growing strong: feeding you and your baby set of resources developed by Queensland Health to help health staff talk with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families about the importance of growth checks for babies and young children. It could be used in individual or group education sessions or left in community centres for families to look at or take home.

Contact details

Growing strong co-ordinators
Southern area
Amanda Allen
Ph: (07) 3000 9131
Email: AmandaL_Allen@health.qld.gov.au

Central area
Maureen Chamberlain
Ph: (07) 4920 7383
Email: Maureen_Chamberlain@health.qld.gov.au

Northern area
Tanya Stiles
Ph: (07) 4753 9035
Email: Tanya_Stiles@health.qld.gov.au

Links

• View resource: Baby’s growth checks (PDF - 372.0 KB)
• View information: Growing strong: feeding you and your baby
• View website: Queensland Health, Population health

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