How To Find an Infant Growth Chart

A common concern of parents is whether their child is growing adequately. A means of determining this is by using infant and child growth charts utilized by pediatricians and derived by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The growth of your child is monitored in the form of percentile curves which compare it with the growth of other U.S. children at the same age. The charts and percentile curves are created from information collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Growth charts are used to measure a child from birth until adolescence. There are different types of charts available which measure different forms of growth. Hence it is important to find the correct chart for your child. Factors that influence the selection of the right chart for your child are given below:

1. Gender of Child: As males and females grow at different rates, there are different charts measuring a variety of aspects based on the child's gender. Thus, the first step is to find charts that cater to your child's particular gender (that is, boy or girl). 

2. Age of Child: Children grow the fastest during the first 36 months. This is why there is a different growth chart for a baby from birth to 36 months and then another chart for children 2 to 20 years of age. In some cases, there may be a special growth chart for preschoolers aged 2 to 5 years. Be sure to choose the most age-appropriate chart for your child.
3. Percentile: Percentiles are used to measure the growth of a child by giving her a rank which shows her position as a percentage that is more than or equal to the studied population in the United States. In other words it shows your child's position in the form of a percentage compared with other children in the United States.

   Example: If a boy is 2 years old and is in the 75th percentile on the length-for-age growth chart, it means that your child's height is more than or equal to 75 percent of the studied population of 2-year-old boys. There are a variety of growth charts which measure certain percentiles. When choosing a growth chart for your child, be sure to pick one that is closest in showing your child's percentile.

4. Length-for-Age: To determine your child's growth in height based on her age, use a length-for-age growth chart.
5. Weight-for-Age: To calculate your child's growth in terms of her weight at a certain age, use a weight-for-age growth chart.
6. Weight-for-Stature: Another form of measuring the growth of your child at a certain age is by comparing the weight of your child based on her height. For this a weight-for-length growth chart is ideal. If your child is a preschooler between the age of 2 to 5 years, you can use a special weight-for-stature growth chart that caters to this specific age group.
7. Head Circumference-for-Age: The growth of a child's brain is determined by the size of her skull. Hence, use a head circumference-for-age growth chart to determine if your child's brain is growing adequately at her age.
8. Body Mass Index-for-Age: Use a Body Mass Index (BMI) growth chart to determine how much body fat your child has, thereby establishing if she is overweight. Body Mass Index (BMI) is derived from the weight and height measurements of the reference population at a certain age. Note that this measurement for stature is used for children 2 years and over.
9. Specialized Population: Some infants have very low birth weights (VLBH), while there are others whose growth are affected due to certain health conditions. For such children, there are specialized growth charts used to measure their growth accordingly.
10. Breast-Fed versus Formula-Fed: The growth charts from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) are derived from a population that includes both breast- and formula-fed babies, yet keep in mind that exclusively breast-fed babies tend to gain weight quickly in the first 2 to 3 months and then weigh less from 6 to 12 months of age as compared to formula fed babies. Currently the World Health Organization is working on creating growth charts for only breast-fed babies, although there are preliminary growth charts available from data collected by the World Health Organization's Working Group published in "An evaluation of infant growth: a summary of analyses performed in preparation for the WHO Expert Committee on 'Physical Status: the use and interpretation of anthropometry'" (Doc WHO/NUT/94.8. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1994). These charts are based on 226 infants breast-fed for at least 12 months of age and with introduction to solid foods at the age of 4 months. Note that such growth charts are only research findings and are not to be considered in making medical decisions.

Therefore with the appropriate growth chart available at your child's Pediatrician's office or from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you can accurately monitor your child's growth from birth until the age of 20 years.