About Growth Charts

Look at any class picture, and you'll see kids of the same age in all shapes and sizes. Some kids look tiny next to their peers, while others literally stand head and shoulders above their classmates.

As easy as it is to make these comparisons and to draw conclusions about what you see, the reality is that kids grow at their own pace. Big, small, tall, short — there is a wide range of healthy shapes and sizes among children.

Genes and lifestyle factors like nutrition and physical activity play big roles in kids' growth and development. And those issues can vary widely from family to family.

So how does a doctor figure out whether a child's height and weight measurements are "normal"? Whether he or she is developing on track? Or whether there are any health problems that are affecting growth?

A doctor uses growth charts to help answer those questions. Here are some facts about growth charts and what they say about your child's health.

Why Do Doctors Use Growth Charts?

Growth charts are a standard part of any checkup, and they show health care providers how kids are growing compared with other kids of the same age and gender. They also allow doctors and nurses to see the pattern of kids' height and weight gain over time, and whether they're developing proportionately.

Let's say a child was growing along the same pattern until he was 2 years old, then suddenly started growing at a much slower rate than other kids. That might indicate a health problem. Doctors could see that by looking at a growth chart.