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How to read a Growth Chart
Getting accurate figures about your child's height and weight is important. Children should grow AT LEAST 2 1/2 inches each year if they are healthy. So if your measurements are even slightly off...it could hide something going on inside his/her body. Your child's physician's office is a good place to get accurate measurements. However, if the children are measured with their shoes on, or less than optimal equipment (a floppy scale with a bar often allows for a great variation and less accurate data)...you may want to try and keep track of how they are growing (as best you can) at home.
What does a Growth Chart say about my child?
Growth charts are essential tools needed to accurately monitor your child’s growth for both height and weight. They help you understand your child's height (or weight) over time as they age and show you a comparison to other (same sex and age) children. You must be careful not to focus too much importance on just one measurement. Instead, it is much more important to watch the pattern over time because it lets you know how your child is progressing. Your child's pattern is THE important indicator of whether he/she is growing normally rather than just one measurement.
What length of time is needed so see my child's growth pattern?
The longer the time (years) the better you can see how your child has progressed. However, our families have found that most physicians want at least 12 months (measuring at the beginning and end of that year) to establish a growth pattern. The more records you have available, the better.
Children’s heights and weights should be routinely measured during visits to the pediatrician or other healthcare professional’s office. Therefore, if you want historical numbers, you might want to get copies of their records. You can add that information to your child’s growth chart you are developing now. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you get measurement records from other sources- you MUST be careful! If they measured your child incorrectly it could make a huge difference in your child's growth pattern. For example, if your child was measured with his/her shoes on, or with "items" in their hair, or without making them stretch fully and pressed against the measuring device- any of these factors could make a large difference in an accurate measurement. So be careful not to become alarmed if you see something "odd". Rather begin to evaluate it yourself to make sure- and check with your child's medical professionals.
MEASURING YOUR CHILD AT HOME
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· Find a location with no carpet (smooth flooring) and a smooth flat wall. |
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· Remove shoes, and bulky clothing such as coats |
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 · Place your child's back to the wall and make sure the back of their feet (heels) touch the wall.
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 · Place a (hardback) book on their head ( standing î up) like you are putting it on a shelf at the library.
· Make sure that the side of the book that is touching the wall (the side with the pages exposed), is completely flat against the wall-not tilted at all.
· Make sure your child’s arms are by their side and their head is facing straight ahead, not tilted up nor down.
· Check one more time to make sure their feet are flat on the floor
· Mark the wall where your child’s head is |
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· Ask your child to step away. This is important because you really need to measure the distance from the floor to that mark - 2 times to make sure you get an accurate measurement. |
PLOTTING (or marking) the GROWTH CHART-(Our interactive growth chart does this step for you. We offer this information as a method by which you can add future measurements to that same chart you create and print today.) If this is your first time creating a chart using the Interactive Growth Chart, skip to the next section.
On the bottom of the chart, you will see numbers which represent the age in years and months of your child. On the left side you will see cm (for centimeters) and in (for inches).
It is easiest if you start with the years. So go to the bottom of the page and put a small mark on the exact age of your child. If they are 2 months past 5 (for example) put the mark slightly past the five year mark. If they are only 2 months from turning 6 years old – then you want to place that mark really close to the 6 year mark.
Now go to the inches or centimeter area (left side) and place a small mark on the exact height of your child.
Draw a line or follow the line with a book or ruler straight up from where you marked the age. After you do this, turn the book or ruler and mark a line from the height over to the age.
INTERPRETING/ Understanding THE GROWTH CHART (using height as the example)
A growth chart shows how a child's height compares to other children the exact same age and sex. After the age of 2, most children maintain fairly steady growth throughout their childhood, following close to the same percentile they had at the age of 2. Children over 2 years of age who move away from their established growth curve should be thoroughly evaluated by a doctor, no matter how tall they are.
How do I figure out what percentile my child is in?
On each growth chart there is a series of lines swirving throughout the chart. These help people follow along (so to speak) so that you can see where your child falls on a growth curve. Those swirling areas are the "averages" for childrens growth throughout years. Following those lines to the right- will lead you to numbers which tell you the percentile of your child's growth. Click here to see an example.
What do percentiles mean?
Percentiles are the most commonly used markers to determine the size and growth patterns for children. Percentiles rank a child by showing what percent of kids would be smaller or taller than your child. If your child is in the 5th percentile, 95 out of 100 children the same sex and age, would be taller than your child. If you child is in the 70th percentile, he or she is taller than 70 out of 100 children the same age and sex.
Please keep in mind that your child's percentile doesn't necessarily indicate how well they are growing. A child at the 5th percentile can be growing just as well as a child at the 95th percentile. It is more important to look at your child's growth over time. If he/she has always been at the 5th percentile, then he/she is likely growing normally. It would be concerning if your child had previously been at the 50th or 75th percentile and had now fallen down to the 25th or lower percentile.
It is not uncommon for children under the age of 2 to change percentiles. However, after this age, children should follow their growth curves fairly closely. Again, discuss any concerns with your Pediatrician.
Keep in mind that many factors influence how children grow, including their genetic potential (how tall their parents and other family members are), underlying medical problems (such as congenital heart disease, kidney disease, syndromes, etc.), and their overall nutrition plays a big role in every child's growth and development.
If you are concerned about your child's height or weight, talk with their Pediatrician. Continue to watch their growth annually or more frequently if you see your child falling below a normal pattern. It is important to make sure your child is not crossing percentiles in an upward swing. This can also represent a problem.
If you have trouble understanding this information, please call our office. We will be glad to help.
The phone number is (708) 383-0808 . Available Central Time from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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