Do growth charts matter?

Yes. How well your baby's growing gives a good indication of his overall health and well-being.

When your baby's growing well, it's usually a sign that he's generally healthy. But if he's growing very fast or slowly, or is outside the normal range for his age and sex, there may be an issue affecting his growth. Therefore, growth charts can be an important tool for spotting any potential issues, so your baby can get help if he needs it.

To measure your baby's growth, your doctor will weigh him at regular intervals, and may also measure his length and the size of his head. She'll plot these measurements on a growth chart so she can see how he's growing over time.

Growth charts also show how your baby's measurements compare with other babies of the same age and sex. This shows whether your baby's growth is within the normal range. Of course, all babies are different, so this range is very wide. Measurements that sit anywhere within the reference lines are considered normal.

Your baby’s measurements don't need to fall exactly on the line. It's normal for your baby’s measurements to move up and down, getting closer to one percentile or another. However, if the measurements change by two percentile, your doctor may monitor your baby's growth more closely.

The World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts used by Canadian doctors are based on the measurements collected from healthy, breastfed babies of non-smoking mothers. These measurements were used to create the percentile curves that you see on the charts.

The lines show the pattern of expected growth for healthy babies from all ethnic origins, whether breastfed or formula-fed. By plotting your baby’s measurements on the chart, health professionals can check that he's following the expected pattern of healthy growth. If there are any potential issues, this will help to catch them early, so your baby can get the help he needs.

Of course, growth charts can't tell you everything about how your baby's developing. You know your baby best, so if you have any concerns about his growth or development, speak to your doctor.

Reviewed for Canada by Kellie Scott, MD