Understanding growth, without the worry spiral

Understanding a child’s growth

Children of the same age are different heights. A percentile describes where one recorded height sits in the WHO 2007 reference. It does not rank a child, and it does not say what their adult height will be. What a percentile means is a calm place to start.

Measuring consistently

Use the same method each time: shoes off, heels back, head level, and a flat surface. Measure at a similar time of day when you can. Write down the date with the height. Those details are recorded data, and they make later comparisons fairer. How often to measure height is about leaving enough time between readings for a trend to show.

Tracking over time

One measurement is a starting point. A later measurement shows recorded change. Growth Predictor’s basic height tracking keeps that history. Measured growth pace describes the change between recordings. Growth velocity is that change over the time between two heights. It is not a promise about the next year. How it works follows that sequence.

Family height context

If you know family heights, you can add them for context. That context does not calculate how tall a child will be. It simply sits beside the recorded measurement. Family height and growth explains why that context is not a guaranteed adult height.

Growth check-ins and monthly reports

Premium includes Growth Check-ins, which remind you to measure again, and Monthly Growth Reports, which review recorded growth month by month. They organize what was measured. They do not replace a clinician.

Privacy

The calculator on this website runs in the browser and does not create a growth profile. The mobile app is separate and can store the measurements you enter there. The privacy draft describes that difference and still needs legal review.

When to talk with a healthcare professional

Talk with a qualified clinician if you are worried about growth, if a child is unwell, or if you want a medical opinion. Bring the dates and heights you recorded. Growth Predictor does not diagnose and does not recommend treatment. A chart alone cannot decide that something is wrong. How to read a growth chart is about what those curves can and cannot show.