How to Predict the Height of Your Child

Kids Grow Taller Overnight

When the doctor says your child's height (or weight, or body mass index) is average, or 95% percentile, or 'off the charts', just what does that mean? And what does it tell you about your son's or daughter's growth in the future? Is there a way to know how tall your infant will be as a toddler? A toddler as an older child? A child as a teen or grownup? You can make a prediction about your child's height in the future as they grow into an adult. Here's how.

Things You'll Need

• Growth Charts

Instructions

1. **Head to CDC.gov/growthcharts**

   CDC -- the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- publishes the growth charts used by pediatricians and doctors around the country. You can access the same charts, along with information about their use and interpretation.

   By the way, the site is intended for doctors and other medical and health care professionals, but don't let the technical language put you off. The charts are available for anyone to use.

2. **Click on Individual Growth Charts**

   On the CDC Growth Charts page, you'll find links to a variety of different growth charts.

   Find the right age and gender for your child -- there are separate charts for boys and girls, and for infants (36 months or less) and older children (2 -20 years old).

   Once you have the right age category and sec for your child, open the growth chart labelled length-for-age percentiles (for infants) or stature-for-age-percentiles (for older children).

   These are the growth charts that can be used to plot your child's current growth, and anticipate future growth.

3. **Find Your Child's Position on the Growth Chart**

   These are complex-looking graphs, but again, don't let them throw you. Basically, you want to find your child's age on the bottom of the graph, and their stature or height (length, for infants) on the side of the graph. Then see where the age and height intersect.

   Once you've found where your child is on the graph, you can follow the curves forward as a prediction of height in the future.

   This is not a guarantee of course. There are all sorts of factors that affect your child's growth, and adult height. No prediction system is fool-proof.

   But use of the CDC growth curves will give you a reasonable basis for a prediction, one you can adjust by continuing to plot your child's growth over time.

   They grow up fast, so enjoy 'em while they're young.