How to Measure a Child at Home

Getting accurate measurements about your child's height and weight is VERY important.

Healthy children grow AT LEAST 2-2.5 inches each year (after age 2 and before puberty). So if your measurements are even slightly off...it could indicate a problem when there is not one. Therefore, it is VERY important that you follow this guide carefully!

To measure your child at home:

  1. Get a hard book and a pencil
  2. Go to a room with a hard floor (no carpet) and a flat wall.
  3. Arms should be by their side.
    1. Head face straight ahead, not tilted up nor down.
    2. Heels should be touching the wall.
    3. Feet flat, not standing on their toes!
  4. Place the book on their head
    1. Make sure that the side of the book touching the wall is completely flat against the wall-not tilted at all.
  5. Check one more time-feet flat on the floor?
  6. Mark the wall where your child’s head meets the book.
  7. Ask your child to step away. This is important because you really need to measure the exact distance from the floor to that mark.
  8. Ask your child to step away from the wall and repeat this entire process to make sure you get an accurate measurement. Write down that number EXACTLY.

After you get the height measurement, click the Proceed to Growth Chart  which will plot the height and weight of your child (after the age of 2) on a form for you. 

IMPORTANT: AFTER you have completed the growth chart,  GO HERE to learn what the information on your child's growth chart means.  For additional information on measuring children go here.
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