Can you predict how big your child will be just by the birth weight and height?

Just like adults, newborns come in a range of healthy sizes. Most full-term babies (born between 37 and 40 weeks) weigh somewhere between 6 pounds, 2 ounces and 9 pounds, 2 ounces. Their average length ranges from 19 to 21 inches. But does this birth weight say anything to how they will grow.

I was curious about this so I asked a few friends that had babies. I asked about all their children, how big were they at birth and how big are they now.

It was all over the charts. Some people that had big babies their kids are small now. Ones that had little babies have big kids now.

For example, One friend had a 6 pound 3 ounce, 19 inches long boy. As a child he was usually between the 50^th to 75^th percentile for height and weight. Seems a little small but he is now 20 years old and 6 feet 2 inches tall and thinks he weighs about 190 pounds. Now in the 89^th percentile for weight and 94^th for height.

Another friend had a 8 pound 9 ounce, 20 inches long girl. By the time she was two she didn’t even make the charts for percentile because she was so little. She is now in her twenties and is 5 feet tall and 95 pounds.

Another baby was 7 pounds 13 ounces 19 inches she is now 3 years old and is 35 pounds and 3 feet tall. At the 75th percentile for weight and at the 10th percentile for height. Her brother 7 pounds 12 ounces and 18 inches long. He is now two years old weighing 26 pounds and is 2 feet 9 inches. He is at the 35th percentile for weight and at the 24th percentile for height.

My oldest daughter was 6 pounds 10 ounces 19 inches long.She was usually in the 5^th percentile for weight and height. She is now 6 years old and about 46 inches tall and weighs 40 pounds. She is at the 10th percentile for weight and
at the 38th percentile for height.

My son was 7 pounds 4 ounces, 19.5 inches long. He was usually in the 50^th percentile for weight and height. He is now 4 and about 36 pounds and 40 inches tall. He is at the 44th percentile for weight and at the 31st percentile for height.

My baby 7 pounds 4 ounces 19 inches she is now 4 months old and 11 pounds 5 ounces and 24.5 inches. She is at less than the 3rd percentile for weight at less than the 3rd percentile for height.

So as it appears from the few that responded to my question being small or large at birth doesn't necessarily mean a baby will be small or large later in childhood or as an adult. There are lots teenagers that began life as small babies, and the biggest baby can grow up to be a petite adult.

Some factors that can influence the size of your baby at birth is:
kidshealth.org

Parents Size. Tall parents may have larger-than-average newborns; short parents may have smaller-than-average newborns.

Multiple births. If you're having twins, triplets, or more, you can count on your babies being relatively small. Multiples not only have to share their growing space in the uterus, they also are often born early, which leads to small size at birth.

Birth order. First babies are sometimes smaller than brothers or sisters born later.

Gender. Girls tend to be smaller, boys larger, but the differences are slight at birth.

Mother's health during pregnancy. Factors that can lead to a lower birth weight include a mother's highblood pressure, heart problems, or use of cigarettes, alcohol, or illegal drugs during the pregnancy. If the mother has diabetes, the baby may have a higher birth weight. All conditions that can affect a baby's weight should be closely monitored by the mother's doctor. In addition, women should not smoke, drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs during pregnancy.

Nutrition during pregnancy. Proper nutrition is essential for a baby's growth in the uterus and beyond. A poor diet during pregnancy can affect how much a newborn weighs and how the infant grows.

Baby's health. Medical problems, including some birth defects and certain infections acquired during the pregnancy, can affect a child's birth weight and later growth.

TIRED OF BEING PREGNANT-TRY ACUPRESSURE TO NATURALLY INDUCE LABOR

Stranger Danger

Recently we had an attempted child abduction. Our town has been on alert again since the kidnapping of Jaycee Dugard. She was kidnapped here in our town. It is odd that since she was found people are being extra careful as if they should not have been being careful for the past 18 years. But two weeks ago a ten year boy was almost kidnapped by a man driving a white truck. He jumped out and try to grab the boy. He road his bike away very fast and got away from the stranger. My kids have been having stranger danger classes in school and learning about self defense. I think it is great that the schools teach this. But I also think that it needs to be taught at home. (Same with sex education) Parents need to talk to there children about being safe and what the family plan is at all times. Here is a nice article just going over the basics by a man named Frank Skellington.

STOPPING CHILD ABDUCTIONS Stopping child abductions is something every parent takes interest in. This article has been written to share seven things you can do to help reduce your risk. They're simple things people don't think about sometimes.

Do you have a lawn or gardening service? Some sort of yard service? After workers leave for the day check all openings to the home. Windows, doors maybe even dog doors when you go to bed.

If you are parents, or a parent who works late have a code word. A word your children and you know in case someone else has to pick them up. Make sure they know, unless someone uses the code word not to leave with them.

You don't want to put your children's names on their clothes. As much as it burns to lose a jacket, it's always worse to lose your child. Jackets will always cost less.

Often if a child screams as loud as they can abductors will flee. Teach your child if anyone tries to grab them scream "KIDNAPPER" or "FIRE" as they are always sure to get attention.

This one can never be shared enough. Know their friends. Know their hangouts. Try and know or even coordinate with parents of your childs friends.

Try and have an after school program with other parents in the neighborhood. Maybe a safe house the children can go to after school. Maybe offer to provide snacks and drinks. Or maybe a movie.

Find out about the security program in place at the school or daycare your child attends. Make sure you are familiar with the outlines. If you see something you think can be better, speak up! Parent's input is usually appreciated if it's constructive. So there ya have it. Seven simple tips you can start practicing today. Sometimes the simplest measures have the biggest impact.

I also think it is very important to teach your kids about people they do know. That they should never go into a neighbors house without permission. Never go with a grown up that they know unless they were told that it is okay. Using the code word as suggested in the article. As we have seen on the news it is not always strangers we need to be cautious of.

PARENTING POTENTIALS - NEED EXTRA HELP WITH PARENTING

Tantrums and Giggles

This has been a crazy week. My four year old has been being very defiant and stubborn.
When it is time to get ready for school he throws a fit. He has been acting out at school and not following directions. He is very aggressive and whines and yells so loud. If you tell him to stop he gets louder. I am really at my wits end and have no idea what to do. I have been super busy lately with work, school, home biz and being a mom to three. I don't know if he is acting out because he needs attention. But when he acts this way, especially when I have a headache. I just want to yell back and put him in time out forever in his bed. He does things like breaking his toys when he is mad. Like it is going to hurt me. He really can be the sweetest kid in the world but lately I do not know what has gotten into him. He has gone CRAZY and somebody else has taken over my sweet, lovable son. Sometimes I feel like I do not have the patience or time to deal with him.
On a positive note my 3 month old baby girl would only smile at my daughter. My son was getting very offended by it. He gets right up in her face and tries to be silly. The baby does not like that. So last night he was acting silly and he got her first laugh. She was laughing really hard at him. He was very thrilled by that.

NEED EFFECTIVE PARENTING TIPS - CLICK HERE

Crazy Life

I started back to work and I am struggling bad. I spend four hours a day with my kids and no time with my husband. I get home from work after picking up my oldest daughter from school. Then my husband leaves for work. So it is me and the three kids (ages 6, 4 and 3 months). I have to help them with their homework, get them bathed make dinner and try very hard to spend quality time with each of them. I stress the try because some nights it feels impossible. I stick to the same schedule but sometimes things do not move as fast as I would like. My 4 year old is really loud and obnoxious while I am helping my 6 year old with home work. My baby doesn't nap during this time and I have to usually hold her because the dog is a spaz. Then the kids fight and they get sent to time out. I feel like I am more stressed out and yelling most of the time. These are not the memories I want for my kids when they grow up. Everyday I set a goal to not get mad and over react. Then the chaos begins and I can't help my self. It is an endless cycle. I swear my work at home is much harder then my paying job. I really wish we got paid to be a stay at home mom. I would gladly take drug tests to prove I am not a freeloader. I started school myself this week. I try to do homework and my home business once the kids are in bed but sometimes that doesn't seem to go as planned. Oh well life happens and I guess we have to go with it.

Learn How to Lose Pregnancy Weight

by David_G_Reynolds

Best wishes on your first, third or even eight kid!! Well done on surviving those 9 long months where that tiny one inside you kicked and attempted to demolish your body. Now that a bulk of you time is taken up by your child or children, how are you going to lose that pregnancy weight?? In this piece we'll go through various methods and tips to get you out of maternity wear and back into your old jeans.

Start using free weights as a replacement for of weight machines:

Using free weights and/or body weight for your resistance training requires much more balance than you might grasp. While doing this, your using more than only the target muscles. Balance and stability are also going on at the same time engaging a number of different muscles. End result being more calories burned with no additional time spent in the gym.

Ultimately Get Back Into Your Pre-pregnancy Skinny Jeans!!

Combine multiple muscle groups in the same exercise:

Here we are going to "Get more bang for your buck." Well this is precisely what we're referring to here. You don't have time to isolate and work out each distinct muscle in your body. And for a new mother this type of training is totally uncalled for. So instead of doing leg extensions, do squats, which works your whole leg, not only your quadriceps. In place of performing pushdowns and kickbacks, complete a bench press or several dips. These exercises work chest triceps and shoulders at the same time.

Do a super set:

A super set is doing numerous exercises in a row without rest, only to take a short rest after the set is completed. This burns tons of calories and speeds up your workout. You can do the same muscle groups if you prefer, but if you get too exhausted try and alternate between two different muscles groups. Case in point being: pushups, straight to curls, then to shoulder press, then you get a rest. This keeps you heart rate elevated for longer and keeps your workouts short and efficient.

Should I do more or less reps??

Although high reps does require more work, research has revealed that the best range lies between 8 to 12 repetitions. It is this sum that is best for building lean muscle. Lean muscle is especially vital to weight loss specially post pregnancy. Lean muscle increases your metabolism and helps burn body fat. High repetitions have been praised for years but it really isn't the key. You shouldn't do your cardio in the weight room. Reasonable weight in this range will help you build that lean strong body you want.

Rest time between sets? 30-60 Seconds:

To many this might not appear like adequate rest time, but true be told there are huge benefits to keeping your rest time below a

minute. Most importantly it helps you maintain an elevated heart rate, while letting you at least catch your breath. Next, it will teach your muscles to recover quicker which in the future will help you speed up your workout and get out of the gym sooner.

Full Body Workouts:

Our body works in unison with all the different systems and particularly muscle groups. For instance, when you bend down to pick up all the toys on the ground, you're working a range of diverse muscles. So if you've taken the time to in fact goto the gym, you want to make sure you're working every one of the key muscle groups. Doing this will stop you from having to get the gym five times a week for each muscle group.

All you need is a 3 day a week total body workout for fantastic results.

Cardio PLUS Strength Training:

Yes, Cardio is a key part to weight loss especially post partum. But a strength training program is required to get rid of that extra body fat that was brought on by your pregnancy. W

eight training increases your calorie output when exercising and also lean muscle burns calories when you're resting....what could be better than that?

These tips will save you time at the gym, and actually teach you how to lose pregnancy weight fast and proficiently.

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE has lots of great tips as well.

Project Organization

I have to return back to work next week. I had 12 weeks off for maternity leave. I am really sad about it. This week I have been organizing before I go back to work and start school again.

While I was pregnant I organized this whole house, all 937 square feet of it, to make room for family member number 6. We count the dog. I got rid of so much stuff. Some I am a little sad I got rid of because I have found uses for them now. For example my college text books, the college would not buy back from me, I have found out that AMAZON
will they pay up to $40 for them and the shipping and handeling. I got rid of over 20 books. Oh well to late now. Somebody else is probably making money on them.

I have to organize my kids room every 2 weeks or once a month. It can be very frusterating. So this time around with a little bit of help from AMAZON

This is what their closet looked like before organizing.

I know what a mess. It drives me CRAZY!

I ordered some boxes and magazine containers from AMAZON

The boxes and magazine holders have a spot to make a label on them. So now there is a place for everything. We will see how long this stays clean. I hoping for awhile since I will not be having too much time on my hands soon.

For more info on organizing see this website now.

Successful Parenting at Your Fingertips

I have a couple of books that I often refer to for help when communicating with my children. I have to read them alot to reiterate the message to myself.
So often when my kids are fighting or whining I just want to yell at them and send them to their room. The yelling never helps it sometimes just makes things worse because the kids are now crying more or acting out more, then I am getting madder. If I over react to a situation I often feel guilty and go to bed crying.
One book is called Scream Free Parenting. This book makes you focus on yourself first. I got this book as an audio version and I listen to it when I am driving.


This is another great resource for having a positive influence on your children. I bought this one to as an audio version. The techniques in this book are for parents who have older children. It was not very beneficial to me now but I will save it for the future.



Here are two great books that help with speaking to your children effectively. I really enjoyed the way that they give examples and explain how to handle situations. Although not all situations in life are not like the book. But they give great guidelines to follow. These are two that I often refer back to.






This one I threw in because I own it but I have only read a little bit. I really need to dive in and read it because my two older kids fight ALL the time.


Please feel free to recommend any books or resources you have that can help other parents.