These include weight-for-age, height-for-age and head circumference centile charts for children aged from birth to 36 months and two to 20 years of age. There are a number of different charts available. In 2005, Victoria adopted a recommendation of the National Health and Medical Research Council to use the United States Centre for Disease Control growth charts to assess and monitor the growth of children. Although babies may be very different in size, the majority are somewhere between the third and 97th centile for weight, length and head circumference. For example, a baby who is on the 85th centile for weight is heavier than 85 per cent of other babies (of the same age and gender) but weighs less than 15 per cent of other babies. Growth charts are taken from studies of the population as a whole and reflect the normal range of measurements for a particular group (The charts are divided into sections, called ‘centiles’, which show the proportion of the group that is above or below a particular measurement. This makes it easier to identify a developmental problem when it occurs and take early action. Your doctor or nurse can track your child’s growth from one measure to the next and also compared to the reference. Growth charts are used to plot children’s growth. Calculation of BMI (body mass index) and child-specific BMI charts for children over 2 years.Standards called growth references or growth charts are used to help interpret these measurements.Basic body measurements including weight, height (length) and head circumference for male and female children from birth to three years of age.How growth is measuredĭoctors, nurses and other health professionals use a variety of ways to assess growth in children. Growth slows down in the second year with, on average, two to three kilos added each year until the next major growth ‘spurt’ at puberty. On average, a newborn baby will more than triple its birth weight by their first birthday. A change in height and weight can occur in a short amount of time.įor babies, the first year of life is a time when they grow very rapidly. Babies and young children do not usually grow in a perfectly smooth way. Many things influence growth including genes, nutrition, good health and sickness. Babies and young children who receive good nutrition and are not sick for long periods will have healthy growth and development patterns. The easiest way to measure a young child’s growth is by plotting their weight and height over a period of time on growth reference charts.

Children's bmi chart calculator