Babies come in different shapes and sizes and grow at their own pace. At your visits to the pediatrician, the doctor will chart your child’s growth on a growth chart to make sure things are going right. The graph may seem daunting, but your doctor can help you understand this useful tool and what its results indicate. To make it easier, we’ll show you how to read a baby’s growth chart and interpret the results.
What are the baby growth charts?
Child growth charts are important tools doctors use to check your child’s overall health. The charts are used to assess your child’s development and growth compared to other children of the same age and sex and to see how your child is growing over time. Growth standards for children under 24 months of age are used to verify the following:
• Head circumference (the distance around the largest part of the head, as this indicates a child’s brain development)
• Weight
- versus height
• Weight versus age
• Height versus age.
Different schemas are used for boys and girls, and different schemas are used for children under 24 months of age and for children aged two and over
You should know that these charts provide a lot of information that your doctor can evaluate in the context of other developmental milestones, the size of the people in your family, and other factors. You can find and download the charts below.
When and how is my child measured?
You may choose your baby’s doctor during your pregnancy, and your first visit will be within a few days of your baby’s birth or shortly after you leave the hospital. From the first appointment, checking your child’s development will become a routine part of every visit. Your child’s checkups will be scheduled every few weeks and then every few months until your child is a year old. Your doctor will let you know if you need to see him more often and when to schedule appointments from then on. Consider and feel free to ask any question about your child’s development. Every office visit is an opportunity to check in and make sure you’re doing a great job.
When your baby will be measured:
• Head circumference: A soft tape measure is wrapped around the widest part of your child’s head, above the eyebrows and passing over the ears to the back of his head. • Height: Measuring the height of a very mobile child can be difficult, but doctors and nurses are experts at this. The doctor will place your child on a flat table and extend his legs to get an accurate measurement from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.
• Weight: You will be asked to undress your child, and the doctor will likely use a pediatric scale to get a more accurate reading. You may be wondering what else to expect with some health checks:
• Examination of your one-month-old baby
• Checking your two-month-old
Check your 9-month-old baby.
Examine your one-year-old child.
• Examination of your 18-month-old
• Checking your two-year-old
• Vaccination schedule
Examination of your 4-month-old
How to read a child’s growth chart
Head circumference: Find your baby’s age in months at the top of the graph. Only some months are numbered, but each vertical line indicates a month. Find your baby’s head circumference measurement on the left side (inches and centimeters available). Follow these horizontal and vertical lines until they intersect. In most cases, it will be a curved line. Follow the curved line to the right until it ends and you can see a number on a white background. This number indicates the percentage of your child.
Your doctor will be able to help you understand your child’s outcome at each health visit, but here’s a quick guide on how to read these charts. It is important to use boy schemas if you have a boy and girl schemas if you have a girl.
In the example above, the baby is a 3-month-old girl with a head circumference of 39.37 cm. This baby is in the 50th percentile, which means that half of all 3-month-old girls have larger heads and the other half have smaller heads.
Weight for Height: Find your child’s height in centimeters below the chart. Then find your baby’s weight (in kilograms) on the left side of the chart. Follow the horizontal and vertical lines of these measurements until they intersect the growth curve. Follow the curved line to the end to find out your child’s percentage.
In the example above, the child is a boy who weighs 4.53 kg and is 53.34 cm tall. This baby is in the 90th percentile, which means that 90 percent of young boys this height weigh less and 10 percent of baby boys weigh more.
Height vs. Age:Find your child’s height (in centimeters) on the left side of the graph, and find your child’s age in months at the bottom of the graph. Trace these horizontal and vertical lines until they intersect the growth curve. Follow this curve to the end where percentages are written on a white background.
In the example above, the baby is an 18-month-old girl who is 77.47 cm tall. The girl child is in the 10th percentile, which means that 10 percent of children her age are shorter and 90 percent taller.
Weight for age: Find your baby’s weight on the right side of the graph, then find your baby’s age in months at the top of the graph. Follow these horizontal and vertical lines until they intersect on the curved line. Follow this curved line to the end where percentages are written on a white background.
How do you interpret the results
Your child’s doctor is the best person to explain your child’s development. Remember that the graphs show the typical growth patterns of boys and girls, and there are a wide range of health outcomes. There is no one perfect result, but it is best for your child to follow the same growth pattern (curve line) over time and gain weight to match his height.
What are the percentages?
Child growth chart shows the percentage of your child compared to others of the same age and sex. Percentages are shown as curved lines. For example, if your child is in the 70th percentile of height for age, that means that 30 percent of children of the same age and sex are taller and 70 percent shorter.
However, this point does not fully compose the image. Your doctor will evaluate several factors over time to see how your child is growing and developing compared to the average growth curve shown on the chart
.Your child, including genetics, environmental factors, nutrition, activity levels and health problems. Children’s growth periods also vary. For example, breast-fed babies grow slightly differently from those who are formula-fed. Breast-fed babies usually gain weight more slowly than formula-fed babies, and formula-fed babies typically go through a growth spurt and gain weight more quickly after the third month. In terms of weight, the normal growth rate for a child is to double his weight by 5 or 6 months and triple by the time he is one year old. The best person who can confirm if your child is walking properly is his pediatrician.
What happens if my child is above or below the rate?
The percentages for most children are between three and ninety-seven. However, if this is not the case, there may be many factors in play, and your doctor will consider whether your child is showing other signs of development. For example, the structure he inherited from the family. Some families may have children who grow quickly, while others have children who are slow and steady growth. Try not to worry and remember these differences as you follow your child’s development. If your pediatrician determines that your child is overweight or underweight or is growing too quickly or too slowly, trust that your child is in good care and follow the doctor’s recommendations for what to do.
Growth charts can seem confusing, and the results can be bewildering. Try not to compare your baby to others, instead focus on everything your little one does. And if the doctor says your baby is doing well, don’t worry. You’ll probably be happy (and maybe a little surprised) seeing how big your baby is now compared to the day he was born.