Growth spurt
Also called growth spurts, spurt
A growth spurt is a short stretch when a baby's length and weight increase quickly. Parents often notice it as a few days of extra hunger, fussiness or changed sleep.
How it's said
I've spoken to HV and others and I just keep being told it's a growth spurt.
Classic 6 week growth spurt.
All babies will have "growth spurts", which can last a few days, and you can practically feel and see them growing.
Who says it
Not to be confused with
- A leap, from The Wonder Weeks, is a fussy few days tied to a jump in what a baby can do. A growth spurt is about size, though parents often put the same fussy days down to either.
Where it came from
Doctors use the word for fast growth at any age, from babies to teenagers. Cleveland Clinic lists typical baby growth spurts at 2 to 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 9 months.
A 1992 study that measured babies as often as daily found that length grows in sudden bursts, with 2 to 63 days of no measurable growth between them.
Cutiko keeps weights and lengths in the same story as the feeds and naps. See the baby tracker