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Growth Charts

Growth Charts are one of the most powerful tools you can use to determine if your child is growing properly. There are many different types of growth charts.

Please read this page carefully so that you are using the proper chart for your child.

Measuring Your Child at Home

If you are not familiar with getting accurate measurements or growth charts, we STRONGLY suggest you read the at-home instructions.

General Growth Charts 

These are the most common Growth Charts used in medical offices. These charts start at -2 Standard Deviations (smaller kids).

Girl's Age 2-20 Growth Chart

Use this chart to track your girls's growth between the age of two years old and adulthood.

Boy’s Age 2-20 Growth Chart

Use this chart to track your boy's growth between the age of two years old and adulthoo

Understanding Growth Charts

Growth Charts show you how your child compares to other children his/her age. The more recorded measurements you have the better! Seeing a "pattern" of growth over several years helps you understand how your child has progressed. Most Pediatric Endocrinologists (growth specialists) want at least 12 months (measuring at least twice in regular intervals) to establish a growth pattern.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you get measurement records from other sources you MUST be careful! If they measured your child incorrectly (with his/her shoes on, or with "items" in their hair, feet not totally flat or without making them stretch fully etc.) it will make a big difference on their growth chart as it is plotted out. So don't panic if some measurements don't seem to line up correctly.

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 until they hit puberty. They generally follow close to the same percentile they had at the age of 2. Children over 2 years of age who move away (loosing or gaining more than 15 percentile points) from their established growth curve should be thoroughly evaluated and followed 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 swerving from the lower left and climbing up to the right side of the chart. These lines help people follow along so that you can see where your child falls on a growth curve.

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 the age of 2.5 to 3 years, 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 your Pediatrician. Continue to watch the growth annually (or more frequently if you see your child falling below a normal pattern).  It is also important to make sure your child is not crossing percentiles in an upward swing because this too can represent a problem (see Precocious Puberty).

Growth Chart Example

Our imaginary child, Sally Sue, is 6 years old and stands 45.5 inches (115 cm) tall for this example.

If you look at the very bottom of the chart you will see numbers starting with the number 2. Those numbers are the age of the child. In this example we listed our sample girls as being 6 years old. Therefore, her growth is on that line on the bottom.

Next we found the mark on the left side of the page that matched her height 45.5 inches (115cm).

After we had her height and her age, we matched the two points and placed the blue dot where that information met.

Now, see the curved lines going from the lower left side upwards towards the right side? Those lines have numbers too. If you enlarge the picture, you will see that the lowest line is the 3rd percentile, and the top curved line is the 97th percentile. This chart shows that Sally Sue is on the 50th percentile. That means that out of 100 girls her same age half are taller and half are smaller than she is. If she were on the 10th percentile, it would mean that she was taller than 10 girls and shorter than 90 girls her same age. At the 50th percentile (following the line to age 16 or so) you might GUESStimate that her final adult height would be somewhere between 63.5 and 64.5 inches tall. But that is true guess work! Genetics and many factors play a huge role in this process.

Other Specialty Growth Charts

Many of the charts linked below are VERY rare charts and are not generally used. If you find a resource not listed, please let us know. Email ContactUs@magicfoundation.org. Thank you! These are provided as a informational sources only. Always consult medical professionals.

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