Baby Growth Chart: How to Track Your Baby’s Growth From Birth to 24 Months
Tracking your child’s development with a baby growth chart is an effective way to monitor their health and milestones during the first years of life. A baby growth chart compares your baby's weight, length/height, and head circumference to standardized percentiles based on age and sex. These charts help parents and healthcare providers identify normal growth patterns, spot potential health concerns early, and ensure that nutritional and developmental needs are being met.
Key insights:
Growth charts are based on data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Percentiles (e.g., 50th percentile) indicate how your baby compares to others of the same age and sex.
Sudden changes in growth patterns, not specific percentile numbers, are often more important.
Separate charts exist for boys and girls due to natural growth differences.
Understanding how to read and interpret a baby growth chart can help you support your child’s well-being confidently. In this article, we’ll break down how growth charts work, what the numbers mean, and when to seek advice from your healthcare provider.
What Are Baby Growth Charts and Percentiles?
Baby growth charts are essential tools that healthcare providers use to monitor your child’s overall health and development. A newborn growth chart compares your baby’s measurements to a reference group of children, helping to track progress over time and spot patterns in growth.
For babies under 24 months, growth charts typically include these key measurements:
Specialized growth charts are also available for premature babies and children with certain conditions like Down Syndrome. After 2 years of age, a different set of growth charts is used.
Why Baby Growth Percentiles Matter
Your baby’s growth chart percentile helps show how they are developing compared to the average. But it’s important to know that:
A single percentile doesn’t tell the whole story—your healthcare provider looks at growth trends over time.
Healthy babies can fall anywhere on the chart. Genetics, nutrition, activity levels, and health conditions all play a role.
Growth spurts vary. Breastfed babies often gain weight more slowly at first, while formula-fed infants may grow more quickly after about 3 months.
In short, growth charts and percentiles for infants provide a snapshot of where your baby is in terms of weight percentile and height percentile, but what really matters is the overall growth pattern. Your baby’s healthcare provider will use these charts alongside developmental milestones to ensure your child is thriving.
How to Read a Baby Growth Chart for Boys and Girls
Once you have your baby’s measurements, looking at a baby growth chart can feel a bit confusing. Thankfully, your healthcare provider will walk you through how to interpret your child’s progress during each checkup. In the meantime, here's a simple guide to help you understand these growth charts for weight, length, and head circumference. Keep in mind, there are different charts for boys and girls.
Weight-for-Age Percentile
While the weight-for-age percentile chart may seem complicated at first glance, it’s quite straightforward once you know the steps. This chart helps you track your baby’s weight compared to other children of the same age. Here’s how to use it:
This percentile tells you how your baby’s weight compares to others their age. For instance, if your baby is in the 60th percentile, it means they weigh more than 60 percent of babies the same age, but less than 40 percent.
Length-for-Age Percentile
To determine your baby’s length-for-age percentile on the baby length chart, follow these steps:
Head Circumference Percentile
To read a growth chart for head circumference and find out the percentile, follow these steps:
Weight-for-Length Percentile
To determine your baby’s weight-for-length percentile on the baby growth chart, follow these steps:
This percentile helps assess how your baby’s weight compares to other children of the same length.
How to Interpret Baby Growth Chart Percentiles
Your child’s healthcare provider is the best guide when it comes to understanding growth chart results. Baby growth charts show how your little one compares to other children of the same age and sex. What matters most isn’t a single number but how your child’s growth pattern tracks over time.
Here’s what some common growth chart percentiles mean:
Use our Baby Growth Chart Calculator below to help you track your little one’s growth:
Baby Growth Chart Calculator
Keep an eye on your baby’s average growth by tracking height, weight, and head circumference with our simple tool.
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*Input details of your baby’s last measurements. **Source: World Health Organization
Average Infant Length and Weight by Age
Curious about the average baby weight by month? It’s common for parents to wonder how much a 2-month, 4-month, or even a 20-month-old “should” weigh. Here’s a friendly, evidence-based guide to help you understand typical growth patterns, remembering that every baby is beautifully unique and grows at their own rate.
Average Weight by Age (50th Percentile, Boys and Girls)
* Median (50th percentile) approximations based on WHO infant growth insights and summarized reference data.
Average Length by Age (50th Percentile, Boys and Girls)
* Median (50th percentile) approximations based on WHO growth summaries and referenced averages.
Remember, these are averages based on the 50th percentile and don’t reflect your baby’s measurements at each stage. Every baby is different, and your healthcare provider will ensure your little one is making steady progress throughout their first year.
Baby Growth Charts: Birth to 24 Months
Below you can check out and download baby growth charts from the CDC for both boys and girls aged 0 to 24 months.
Baby Boys From 0 to 24 Months
Baby Girls From 0 to 24 Months
When to Contact Your Healthcare Provider
Every baby grows on their own timeline, but sometimes you may wonder if your baby’s growth is on track. Reach out to your baby’s healthcare provider if:
Your baby’s weight or length seems to suddenly drop off their usual growth curve.
You notice your baby isn’t gaining weight or growing in length for more than a couple of months.
You’re worried about your baby’s feeding, appetite, or overall development.
Your provider can review your baby’s growth chart, check for any underlying issues, and reassure you that your little one is healthy and thriving.
FAQS AT A GLANCE
A baby growth chart tracks four standard measurements as your child grows and develops. They include weight-for-age, length-for-age, head circumference, and weight-for-length. You can plot your baby’s measurements on a growth chart to determine the percentile.
The Bottom Line
Baby growth charts, whether for boys or girls, can be confusing at first glance. In the end, it’s always best to look at your baby’s growth chart percentiles together with their healthcare provider over time and to avoid comparing your child to others.
Instead, focus on all the growing your little one is doing! And, if your baby’s healthcare provider says they’re on the right track, you can take pride in your child’s progress regardless of the value on the chart. You’ll probably be delighted (and maybe even a little surprised) when you see how big your baby is now compared to the day they were born.
Your little one is a moving, grooving, and growing machine, and there’s so much to look forward to, such as watching them start to crawl and walk, hearing those first laughs, and helping them develop those fine motor skills.
As your baby hits milestone after milestone, reward yourself for all your hard work with our Pampers Rewards App.
How we wrote this article The information in this article is based on the expert advice found in trusted medical and government sources, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. You can find a full list of sources used for this article below. The content on this page should not replace professional medical advice. Always consult medical professionals for full diagnosis and treatment.
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