Growth chart

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Head circumference

Height/weight chart

Overview

Prevention

Definition

Alternative Names

Height and weight chart

Information

Growth charts are used to compare your child's height, weight, and head size against children of the same age.

Growth charts can help both you and your health care provider follow your child as he or she grows. These charts may provide an early warning that your child has a medical problem.

Growth charts were developed from information gained by measuring and weighing thousands of children. From these numbers, the national average weight and height for each age and gender were established.

The lines or curves on growth charts tell how many other children in the United States weigh a certain amount at a certain age. For example, the weight on the 50th percentile line means that half of the children in the U.S. weigh more than that number and half of the children weigh less.

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WHAT GROWTH CHARTS MEASURE

Your child's health care provider will measure the following during each well-child visit:

Weight (measured in ounces and pounds, or grams and kilograms)
Height (measured while lying down in children under age 3, and while standing up in children over age 3)
Head circumference -- a measurement of the head size taken by wrapping a measuring tape around the back of the head above the eyebrows

Beginning at age 2, a child's body mass index (BMI) can be calculated. Height and weight are used to figure out the BMI. A BMI measurement can estimate a child's body fat.

Each of your child's measurements is placed on the growth chart. These measurements are then compared with the standard (normal) range for children of the same gender and age. The same chart will be used as your child grows older.

HOW TO UNDERSTAND A GROWTH CHART

Many parents worry if they learn that their child's height, weight, or head size is smaller than those of most other children the same age. They worry about whether their child will do well in school, or be able to keep up in sports.

Learning a few important facts can make it easier for parents to understand what different measurements mean: