birth and baby

Everything about baby growth charts

A child growth chart is one of the indicators based on which the normal growth rate of infants, children, and adolescents is measured based on different body sizes such as height, weight, body mass index, which is further, growth chart and how to interpret it more.

What is a growth chart?

The growth chart shows the growth rate of the baby, child, or adolescent. Graphs of the baby’s height, weight, and head circumference are recorded. Children’s and adolescents’ growth charts include height, weight, and BMI (body mass index), and in fact, growth charts show a long-term, unique assessment of a person’s overall health. Growth chart abnormalities show that the child accelerates or slows down unpredictably over time.

Everything about baby growth charts

Interpret the child’s growth chart:

A growth chart is a tool to visualize a child’s growth rate over time (months and years) compared to the growth rate of children in the total population. Sloping lines from left to right are each number as a percentage. This number refers to the “proportion of children in the total population” that follow a certain growth pattern over time, which corresponds to the line on the chart.

The first column on the left contains the measurements of the beginning of the growth period, and the last row on the right corresponds to the end of the growth period, and the highest row indicates the progress of time during the growth period. To use charts, you must first find the child’s age from the bottom axis of the chart. Consider a hypothetical vertical line in the corresponding age diagram. Find the desired factor, for example, head circumference, height, or weight, in the corresponding diagram on the left, and this time draw a horizontal line on the diagram from the same point. The intersection of the two lines you have drawn is marked with a dot.

Continue measuring the baby at different distances so that several points are found on the chart. Draw your child’s growth curve by connecting these points, and using this curve, you can find out how your child grows compared to other children in the world. Percentile Fifty, a slope of 50, shows the average growth of children worldwide.

What does percentile mean?

Suppose your child’s weight curve matches the Percentile 70 curve. This means that 70% of your child’s same-sex children weigh the same or less. You should check your growth curve regularly and see your doctor if you notice any sudden changes. For example, if your child is usually in Percentile 50 but has a growth curve toward low Percentiles, you should tell your doctor to determine the cause of these changes.

Of course, as long as the height and weight are appropriate, being overweight at a reasonable and low level is not a sign of concern. Consider genetic factors as well. If the parents are shorter than average, you can not expect them to grow faster than their peers. This technique makes it possible to assess and compare the child’s growth rate with the peer group and the child’s previous growth rate, and measuring at similar distances increases the accuracy of such assessments.

Differences between infant growth charts and older children growth charts:

Infant growth charts traditionally control height for age, weight for age, and head circumference for age. Measuring the baby’s head circumference provides an indirect mechanism for assessing brain development, and as the brain enlarges, it causes the skull to enlarge due to external pressure.

This chart examines a child’s growth (usually starting at age 2), height for age, weight for age, weight relative to height (is the child’s weight proportional to their height?), And BMI or body mass index. Body mass index is determined using weight, height, and gender.

How do doctors use growth charts?

Pediatricians consider growth charts to be precious in assessing a child’s health. Healthy children have a stable (and therefore somewhat predictable) growth rate. Infertility of the baby (i.e., birth before 36 weeks), multiple deliveries in one pregnancy (e.g., twins), maternal health problems (high blood pressure, poor placental function, and infection), and other conditions may affect the baby’s growth statistics. As a result, organizational charts affect growth.

By recording different factors and sizes over time, the pediatrician ensures that normal people and people with risk factors have a steady growth rate. These graphs show that children at risk have their unique growth rates despite growing less than other children. There are specific growth charts for children with genetic problems (such as Down syndrome), premature infants, and other diseases that may be used to assess growth rate.

Everything about baby growth charts

Are our growth charts different for girls and boys?

Assuming pregnancy and natural childbirth, the measurements of male and female infants have a great deal of overlap. As the child gets older, general observations about boys being older than girls become apparent. As you grow older, your parents’ height is reflected in the gay child (for example, tall fathers usually have taller sons). The effect of mother height on son height is less, and mother height affects daughter height more than father height.

Girls reach puberty about 6 to 12 months earlier than boys, and growth spurts occur in adolescent girls in the first third of puberty, while adolescent boys’ growth spurts occur in the last third of puberty, which causes a growth chart. Girls in puberty are initially faster than male peers in puberty.

Is there a concern about the incompatibility of child development data with growth charts?

There are several growth trends for pediatricians and parents. If the child’s growth rate is abnormal, a serious assessment of the body’s general health and possible diseases should be performed. Out-of-chart growth occurs when a child’s growth rate is below the third percentile or higher than the 97th percentile. Statistics below the third percentile show that only 1 or 2 out of every 100 children have such conditions. Similarly, statistics larger than Percentile 97 show that only 1 or 2 out of every 100 children have a growth rate.

Another worrying factor in children’s height and weight charts is the deviation from the child’s previous steady growth chart. This means that even if the growth statistic, i.e., the child’s growth curve, is on the chart, but there is a sudden and unusual change, the doctor should check it. For example, if the child’s weight gain has been consistent in Percentile 50 but has suddenly reached Percentile 85 or has suddenly reached Percentile 10, the cause should be investigated. The deviation from the child’s unique natural growth rate will be the concern, not the absolute value of the numbers. Of course, a growth spurt that changes the curve is somewhat normal, but it should not be too much.

Growth chart from birth to 20 years

From birth to 36 months

A- Boy growth chart

Height and weight chart based on age

In this diagram, the horizontal axis of the child’s age is mentioned in terms of months. Bottom charts 7 Weight charts are based on age on the vertical axis with two kilograms and pounds. The top 7 charts are height charts for age, shown in centimeters and inches.

Everything about baby growth charts

Diagram of baby head circumference based on age and weight based on height

Everything about baby growth charts

The charts above are age-based—Head circumference in centimeters and inches and ages in moons. The chart below is the weight chart. Height is set in centimeters and inches, and weight is in kilograms and pounds.

B- Baby girl growth chart

Height and weight chart based on age

Everything about baby growth charts

In this diagram, the horizontal axis of the child’s age is mentioned in terms of months. The bottom seven curves of the weight chart are based on age, shown with a vertical axis in two kilograms and pounds. The top 7 curves of the height-to-age chart are shown in centimeters and inches.

Diagram of baby head circumference based on age and weight based on height

Everything about baby growth charts

The charts above are age-based—Head circumference in centimeters and inches and ages in moons. The chart below is the weight chart. Height is set in centimeters and inches, and weight is in kilograms and pounds.

2 to 20 years

A for boys

Height and weight chart based on age

Everything about baby growth charts

In this diagram, the horizontal axis of age is mentioned in terms of years. The bottom seven curves of the weight chart are based on age, shown with a vertical axis in two kilograms and pounds. The top 7 curves are height charts for age, shown in centimeters and inches.

Chart of body mass index by age

Everything about baby growth charts

How to calculate body mass index: weight (in kilograms) ÷ height (in centimeters) ÷ height (in centimeters) × 10.000

Weight chart for height

Everything about baby growth charts

In this diagram, the horizontal axis represents the height shown in centimeters. The vertical axes represent the weight and are expressed in kilograms and pounds.

For girls

Height and weight chart based on age

Everything about baby growth charts

In this diagram, the horizontal axis of age is mentioned in terms of years. The bottom seven curves of the weight chart are based on age, shown with a vertical axis in two kilograms and pounds. The top 7 curves of the height-to-age chart are shown in centimeters and inches (inches).

Chart of body mass index by age

Everything about baby growth charts

How to calculate body mass index: weight (in kilograms) ÷ height (in centimeters) ÷ height (in centimeters) 0,000,000

Weight chart based on height

Everything about baby growth charts

The horizontal axis represents the height in this diagram, denoted in centimeters (cm) and inches (in). The vertical axes represent the weight and are denoted in kilograms (kg) and pounds (lb).

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