During the first years of life Babies grow spectacularly. They gain height and weight at a dizzying pace and your needs change quickly as they develop.
It is a complex process in which various factors are involved, so knowing and knowing how to adapt to it is key to the child's well-being. With these tips you can also adapt the home to each of its childhood stages.
How much babies grow
Although the growth of each child is different, in the first years of life there is an increase in height and exceptional weight that follows a certain pattern. The proportion should always be calculated according to the size of the baby at birth, although it is usual for one year to increase half its size.
Can you imagine having to change almost your entire room with each of these lugs? Thanks to extendable furniture such as closets, cribs or IKEA children's beds It is not necessary. No matter that they grow at a dizzying pace, they will always reach them.
You have to be prepared because considering that the average of newborns is 50 centimeters, during the first year children grow about 25 centimeters. A pace of growth that will not be repeated in the rest of your life!
During the second year the children grow about 12 centimeters on average. Approximately half that of the previous year. At 24 months it is estimated that babies have increased to 37 centimeters. About three quarters of what they measured at birth.
In this way, at two years of age the baby will be between 85 and 88 centimeters tall. And after two years, it will continue to grow at a constant rate, but at a slower rate.
At what rate does it grow during early childhood?
During the first 12 months of life an increase in size of two centimeters per month is estimated on average. Development during this period is not uniform: babies grow faster during the first months and their growth slows down as they approach the year of life.
The growth rate during the second year is reduced by half. The child grows about 12.5 centimeters on average, one centimeter per month, approximately. Between three and four years children grow 7 centimeters, between four and five, 6 centimeters; and from 6 years, an average of 4 centimeters per year.
How to adapt the home to your needs
Until 6 months of life, Babies need a safe and comfortable environment Where to develop calmly and grow happily. From that moment on, most children reach the stage of sitting.
With half a year of life, babies are already able to sit and maintain their own balance. Very soon they will begin to crawl, climb and stand up with the help of the furniture around them.
To anticipate the different needs that arise in this short stage, it is best to choose flexible furniture as the cradle with IKEA GONATT drawers. It can be mounted at two different heights, and remove one of the sides when the child begins to enter and leave the bed alone.
By 10-12 months children begin to take their first steps and become much more active and autonomous. Walking upright allows them to move better and reach many more sites. A new stage of exploration begins! They can now go up and down the bed alone and open doors and drawers. They also accumulate many more toys.
In this phase, it is best to surround them with modular furniture that can grow at the same pace and have a large storage capacity. The IKEA STUVA / FÖLJA series offers a multitude of storage possibilities with flexible furniture that allow us to choose the structures and expand them as they get older.
In order to favor their personal autonomy, a space is completely customized, with furniture that leaves their clothes and toys within their reach and facilitates daily habits and routines. So It’s easier to teach them to pick up their play materials and to dress alone.
From 12 to 24 months children experience another rapid stage of growth. Even your clothes are not able to keep up! To save expenses, accompany their growth and be able to transform their bedroom in just one minute, the extendable beds as the SUNDVIK bed can be lengthened as they grow.
Finally, between 24 and 36 months, the little ones leave the diaper. It is time to remove the changer, or transform it into a dresser, a chest of drawers or a bookcase. The STUVA / FÖLJA changing table is capable of transforming even into a painting table or study desk to accompany the child from birth and throughout his childhood.
In this way, furnishing the children's space with practical and versatile solutions that are expanding and transforming to meet the different needs at each stage, we will make possible that the little ones grow in the most appropriate and stimulating environment for them: one that constantly changes to adapt to its biological and maturational rhythm.
And remember, they will never grow back so fast, so… enjoy the moment!
Images | IKEA
