Activity on How to Use a Height Chart

When we were children, many of us had a height chart on the door of our bedrooms. These charts, which usually had some cartoon character printed on them, marked our progress as we grew. However, to your doctor, the friendly height chart is now used as a tool to measure a child's progress on a growth chart showing how a child compares with others his age and indicating any health problems that might be developing.

What is a Height Chart?

• Although most kids grow at their own pace, the Centers for Disease Control has set out guidelines in the form of height and weight charts for healthy sizes and body weights for children of all ages. Keep in mind that general lifestyle factors such as physical activity and nutrition can play a role in a child's height and body weight at any given age. Changes in growth patterns may be indicative of poor nutrition or a change of environment. You should take your child to see a physician if your child experiences any rapid changes in his or her height or weight.

Do All Children Use the Same Chart?

• A different height chart may be used for different ages, as well as different genders. Boys and girls grow at different rates, as do infants under 36 months. Special growth charts may be used for children who have conditions such as Down syndrome. Babies are generally measured by length and head circumference, while children between 2 years and 20 years old are measured for height and weight as well as body mass index (BMI). Parents should wait to purchase a home height chart for the wall until their child is approximately 2 years old. If you don't want to wait to go to the doctor to get your child measured, you can measure your child's height and weigh him or her and consult a growth chart to get a rough estimate of how your child compares to others. You can find a growth chart online or in some parenting and children's health books. On the chart, find the line for your child's age and and the line for your child's height, and the grid will show you the percentile.

Percentiles

• A child's measurements of height, weight and body mass are ranked within a certain percentile. This is a comparison between the child and other children of his or her age. The higher a child's percentile, the bigger he is compared with other children of his age, and the lower the percentile, the smaller he is in comparison. For example, a child who is in the 40th percentile is one for whom 40 percent of children his or her age are smaller, and 60 percent are larger. The CDC determines the percentiles based on an average of children in the United States. Being in a high or low percentile does not indicate a health problem, particularly if other siblings also rank in a higher or lower percentile. It is simply one marker in a pattern that a doctor may look at in establishing a history of the child. Consult your doctor to find out where your child ranks in the percentile rankings, and if a high or low ranking is a cause for alarm.