Henderson Daily Dispatch

"Average
Child"
Scientific
Myth
By LOGAN CLENDENING, M. D.
Please give average weight,
height, time of tooth eruption, etc.,
of the average child.
In this connection it is well to recall
the phrase of Dr. I. Newton
Kugelmass: "The myth of the average
child."
The tables of height and weight,
etc, are purely averages and the
individual children vary from these
averages considerably. Parents
should not feel disturbed if this
occurs. For instance, Baby A has
Dr. Clendening will answer
questions of general interest
only, and then only through
his column.
his first tooth at three months,
sits up at six months, stands at eight
months, walks at a year and talks at
18 months. Baby B has his first
tooth at eight months, sits up at
nine months, stands at a year, walks
at 18 months and talks at 13 months.
Both of these babies are perfectly
normal and healthy.
At 18 months Baby A weighs 32
pounds and does not appear overweight
because his big skeletal
framework carries his weight. Baby
B at 18 months weighs 30 pounds,
is short, fat and dimpled. For a
baby of Italian parentage, this is
natural. At 18 months of age a baby
of English parentage weighs 28
pounds and is rather long and thin.
At the same age a baby of German
parentage is wide and stocky and
weighs 27 pounds. A Negro baby
with a small trunk and long extremities
weighs 26 pounds, and a
Puerto Rican baby the same age
weighs 24 pounds. The statistical
average for 18 months is supposed
to be 26 pounds, yet all the babies
mentioned are normal and healthy.