Premature Infant Question?
I’m not too familiar with premies, but I have a child in my room at the daycare I work at. He is 14 months old, size 3-6 month clothes are baggy on him, his soft spot is about the size of the top of a soda can and it is sunken in a pretty good bit. He crawls and pulls himself up but when assisted to walk he stiffens himself up to where he is very rigid and wont move anything. Is this normal for infants this age and being premature, or is there something wrong.
Also the childs physican has stated that he is normal size for his age group and that he has no medical problems at all when the child has sever exemia.
He was a month premature
Per talking to another relative of the child that comes to the center. The parents put regular baby lotion on his skin and it does nothing for it. I have asked the parents question about this child and they seem very distant, the only thing I have obtained from them is that he will be on formula until he is two years old.
Tagged with: age group • baby lotion • clothes • daycare • google • medical problems • parents • physican • premies • script type • soda • soft spot • text javascript • wont move
Filed under: Baby Clothes
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
Unfortunately its not your child so you can’t do much about it. It’s nice that you are worried about him though. If I were his mother (if she is concerned about this) she needs to switch Dr’s and get another opinion. I have had two preemies and mine were not that small at that age, but every child is different.
For one he sounds pretty normal overall in terms of what he can do, but there is such a thing as gestational age – that his gestational age is his calender age minus how many months premature he was when he was born. It would be more appropriate to compare him to those with a similar gestational age – like if he were 2 months premature he would be compared to 12 month olds.
However, if he’s wearing 3-6 month clothes and his fontanel is sunken then he’s not well. Babies should not have sunken in fontanels, its a sign of dehydration.
Well first off I have a hard time believing any 14 month old child only wears 3-6 months, and has a giant soft spot, let alone that they could crawl if they were in that physical condition. And if they were I would assume they would be in the hospital not going to daycare.
If it is true and the physician has stated this is normal he is an idiot and they need to find another doctor.
That doesn’t sound right. He’s only 1 month behind. In theory, he should be the size of a 1 year old, not a child half his age. She needs to get a second opinion. My niece was 10 weeks early and was bigger than that at 14 months. She wasn’t walking yet, but healthier overall. Unfortunately, though, I don’t know what you can do. I would speak with your director and let her know your concerns and go from there.
that doesnt sound too healthy…
The fontanelles (soft spot) should feel firm and very slightly concave to the touch. A noticeably sunken fontanelle is a sign that the infant does not have enough fluid in his or her body.
My son was not a preemie… but he is now 10 months old, and wears 3-6 month old clothes. He weights a little less then 16 lbs.. size two diapers.
He is diagnosed as failure to thrive. He’s developmentally on track, just very tiny. So, in regards to that, the child’s size may be normal for them.
Altho, I’d be very concerned if the kid has a large soft spot.. and eczema…
You can not do much. Altho if you work in a child care setting, you guys are obligated to report abuse or neglect to proper authorities. I’d ask your supervisor at work, and tell them you are concerned about this baby.
Keep in mind that a premature babies developmental stages will most likely arrive later than full term babies. If a baby was due say March 10th and was born February 10th, the doctor will evaluate him a month behind his peers. As though he was still in the womb or just a month younger than the other children. So if all the other children are able to walk with assistance, he will catch up, but you should expect it about a month later. Eczema is very common among young children. The parents are seeing a dermatologist I’m sure, if its severe. All you can do about that is, IF the parents supply some cream to put on it, you may do so. But don’t put just anything on it to try to help it. It may make it worse. I know the feeling of seeing a child with severe eczema. I had one and his parents finaly got his blood tested for allergies and his skin cleared up
very well. And they did light treatment which is like tanning but they just stand in front of the lights for a few minutes, a few times a week and it makes the skin produce oils that hydrate the dry areas. Like I said, his parent(s)_are fully aware if its severe I’m sure. If it gets worse, or breaks open and bleeds, you may choose to call and ask his parent what to do. Also, when the child in my class was itching his hands (the hands were really bad) we put the cream they provided and socks on them. They would come off though, so we put some masking tape around the cuff above the wrist (not on the skin!) so he could move it. That way he couldn’t itch it. We took them off for meals though. Talk to his parents before you do that though. They might not like the idea.
My son was born 6 weeks early and has stayed in the 97th percentile for both weight and height for all of his 8 months. He was born at 8 lbs. 4 oz. (his sister was 8 lbs. 3 oz. and was full-term). He was 24 lbs. at his well check a few weeks ago and wears size 12 months clothing. I hear about other babies that were as premature as my son was (or less, as in this case) and am amazed by how different babies can be even when premature.
My son was born at 24 weeks and 6 days weighing 1lb 10oz. Today he is 11 months old (actual. 7 months adjusted)and weighs 21lbs. He wears 6-9 months and sometimes can fit 12months depending on the brand. The stiffness is common in preemies but that kid seems pretty small for his age. I don’t know how far you are willing to get involved but as much research as I’ve had to do on preemies, I don’t think I’ve seen a case like this.