Growth charts

Victorious4 · Feb 1, 2007

So, I found the CDC growth charts & plotted Leila on them ... I don't remember the Weight-for-Stature chart

I'm confused how it works (see my signature)

Dillipop · Feb 1, 2007

I never look at those. I would guess it's a way to see if a child is overweight or not? The higher percentages would be short chunky kids and the lower percentages would be tall skinny kids.

I don't really know, though. Interested to find out what they really mean...

scatterbunny · Feb 1, 2007

Hayley is off the charts for height for a 5.5yo, and in about the 80th percentile for weight for a 5.5yo. So she's taller than she is heavy. So is Leila, just more so.

How exactly are you confused? It just means that Leila is taller than 95% of other just-turned-5yos, but she's only as heavy/heavier than 5% of just-turned-5yos.

LuvBug · Feb 1, 2007

the way a growth chart reads is that the average child is 50% so she is 45% taller than the 'average child' and is 45% lighter than the 'average child'.
I dont like growth charts though, they all give you a different answer and have hardly ever been right on DS when seeing where he will be. He jumps from one line to the other all the time lol!

scatterbunny · Feb 1, 2007

Hayley has been in the 90th+ percentile for height since 9 months old, consistently. She moves around on the weight, but it's always between the 75th percentile and 90th percentile.

I find the CDC growth charts useful in predicting growth, I guess that's because my child stays pretty consistent.

Victorious4 · Feb 1, 2007

Oops -- I'm confused because I typo'd in my sig

I had 5th % before, but she jumped up to 50th

'Bout time

Although, I last weighed her just before she got the tummy bug (my mother called to tell me it's so bad I have to do all her laundry when I get home tonight

) so maybe she's losing weight again ... but last week I realized she suddenly felt much heavier when she asked me to pick her up (it'd been a while since I've carried her, I guess). I'm guessing that she's gaining muscle mass now that she's back in Gymnastics & Ice Skating

So, anyway: I'm confused how she fits the 3rd percentile Weight-for-Stature, but 50th in weight & 97th in height (height makes sense, but not the weight -- not anymore at least, LOL)

scatterbunny · Feb 1, 2007

I think she's 3rd for weight-for-stature because very few kids are THAT tall and THAT thin at the same time, KWIM?

Victorious4 · Feb 1, 2007

Yeah.... I think I get it, but if she were still barely 36+ pounds at 46" as she was before, she'd been off the chart -- it just surprises me that kids can literally be off the chart

I mean, people say their kid is off the chart, but it's usually an exaggeration

Leila actually was off the chart right before she started working out rather obsessively, LOL (we hang out at the gym or rink for 5 hours almost everyday because I hate to waste the gas driving 20+ minutes home, then back & then home again when I already drive soooooo much to get to college & back & then again & again)

jmm3 · Feb 1, 2007

My dd has lots of growth/health problems and has spent a good deal of her life not even on the charts for weight.

The weight for stature is just based on their weight for their height. Like if she's 3rd% weight for statue, 97% of kids her height would weigh more than she does.

I don't like the growth charts either. I guess they take a representative sample, but it doesn't make you feel good when you're not even on the chart!

scatterbunny · Feb 1, 2007

And vice versa, it doesn't make you feel good when your child is off the charts, as in, over the 100th percentile. I don't let it bother me, though. I mean, it's just a useful comparison tool. I don't so much care how she compares to everyone else, but I like to be able to compare her growth heightwise and weightwise over the years, and plot where she might be in the future. That's helpful for me in regard to carseat/booster seat fit.

Morganthe · Feb 1, 2007

Growth charts are more to track an individual's child progression by the doctor, than really to compare as a race against other kids. For instance, if your child had been in the 75th percentile for birth length and then within 3 months dropped drastically down the chart in proportion to the 30th, then the dr would be looking at health issues or possibly failure to thrive or abuse. (I'm oversymplifying things here of course

)

Rowen has a very interesting progression line with starting out at less than the Third percentile for height/weight and hitting the 95th pct in height by 24 months! It's a steep sharp diaganole (sp?) She never grew fast, but was constant, except when all other babies were slowing down. From about 11 - 18 months old, she packed on about 6 inches and 7lbs. No wonder she didn't walk or sleep through the night until almost 18 months! Too busy growing and talking

But from 24 - 36 mos, she only grew 3 inches and I"m pretty sure that's all she'll do this year too -- I hope.

Splash · Feb 1, 2007

Just remember that growth charts are based on breast fed middle class white children. In other words, the biggest kids.

Charlie was consistently off the charts (yes, literally) for weight until about 10ish months, and he was always in the 90s for height. Now he's evened out some. However he was also on a lot of medications during his infancy, plus he did not get solids and got 100% of his nutrition from breastmilk and/or prescription formula. You'd think a kid as sick as he had been would be wasting away. Not Charlie!

I was once told by a doctor that he was in the 120th percentile. She was serious! I told her that was not possible. She proceeded to say that yes, he was at about 120% for his weight. It was then that I point out that it is not possible to be bigger than 120% of the kids out there (20 percent of which don't exist).

Now he's about 97ish for height and maybe 95 for weight. I haven't checked lately.

scatterbunny · Feb 1, 2007

Morganthe, Hayley was the same way. She was 4 pounds, 7 ounces at birth, and I don't even remember what that translated to on the growth charts, maybe the 5th percentile? I'm not sure. But she was 19.25 inches long.

By 6 months old she was in the 50th percentile, by 9 months old she was in the 90th percentile for both height and weight and has pretty much stayed on that track. Her weight has dropped to the 75th-80th lately instead of the 90th, but her height is above the 97th percentile line.

Victorious4 · Feb 1, 2007

I'm honestly SHOCKED that Leila is 50th percentile for weight -- she's always always been 5th to 10th percentile weight & 90th to 95th height ... but lately she was been growing in height quite fast & I'm glad to see the weight more than caught up!

menfusse · Feb 1, 2007

My 5 year old was alot like Leila. She was always about 10-25th% weight and 95 or 97th for height until about 3. She started evening out slowly. Her height dropped very slowly to the 75th and her weight came up very slowly to the 75th. So she is perfectly even! My 14 month old has some health issues and barely eats. She started out okay. 25th for weight, but dropped, then up again. Now she is totally off the chart for both height and weight. BUT her weight for stature is 5-10%...so at least something is still on the chart.

I think the only real use for growth charts is like the pp said. A dr can look at the curves and see if there is consistancy. If there is a big drop, say weight was 25th and then they fell off the chart, like my dd, it might signal a health issue.

Victorious4 · Feb 1, 2007

Right right about the charts being an indication for doctor's to notice significant change -- my SO was concerned about Leila's weight for a while until I showed him a copy from the Ped to proove that she'd always been on that same curve

But, I also agree with Jenny that they can be useful for determining which carseat might be "best" for a given child: if kiddo is consistently 50th/50th then almost any seat will "do" (asuming proper use + install), but a consistently short/heavy kid might do better with a different seat than would a consistently tall/skinny kid (etc.)

Simplysomething · Feb 1, 2007

Splash said:
It was then that I point out that it is not possible to be bigger than 120% of the kids out there (20 percent of which don't exist).

Heh, do you also get annoyed when people say they are going to give 110%?
I do. lol

southpawboston · Feb 1, 2007

Splash said:
Just remember that growth charts are based on breast fed middle class white children. In other words, the biggest kids.

i thought it was the opposite-- strictly formula-fed, middle class white children from a small region of ohio.

and those were the old charts, discontinued in the 90s. i think the revised charts incorporate national data from both breatfed and formula-fed children.

LuvBug · Feb 1, 2007

southpawboston said:
i thought it was the opposite-- strictly formula-fed, middle class white children from a small region of ohio.

and those were the old charts, discontinued in the 90s. i think the revised charts incorporate national data from both breatfed and formula-fed children.

thats what I heard too, back when DS was a baby and I was doing all my breastfeeding research.

Jeanum · Feb 2, 2007

papooses said:
Right right about the charts being an indication for doctor's to notice significant change -- my SO was concerned about Leila's weight for a while until I showed him a copy from the Ped to proove that she'd always been on that same curve But, I also agree with Jenny that they can be useful for determining which carseat might be "best" for a given child: if kiddo is consistently 50th/50th then almost any seat will "do" (asuming proper use + install), but a consistently short/heavy kid might do better with a different seat than would a consistently tall/skinny kid (etc.)

This is true up to a point. Torso height can be so variable among kids of the same overall height and can make a significant difference in carseat selection and usability. Too bad there isn't a better means of charting/comparing torso heights and factoring that in for seat selection, other than continuing to trumpet it as an important factor to consider here on the boards.

Growth charts

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