Our growth percentile calculator shows how your baby's size compares with other boys or girls the same age. Just enter your child's weight, height (aka length), and head circumference, and we'll calculate a percentile for each.
Using our baby growth chart
When your baby is first born, you'll have several visits at your pediatrician's office to make sure your little one’s growth is on track. Your pediatrician will plot your baby's weight, height, and head circumference on a growth chart.
A baby growth chart helps you and your pediatrician keep track of how your baby's growing. Consistent growth is a sign that your baby is healthy.
Don't be concerned if your child doesn't fall right in the middle of the growth chart, though. There's a wide range of normal, and your baby's measurements now don't necessarily reflect what size they'll be as an adult.
Percentiles show how your child's weight, height, and head circumference compare to other children who are the same age and sex. For example, if your child's weight is in the 20th percentile, they weigh more than 20 percent of children their age and sex.
It's normal for some children to be in the 10th percentile for weight, while others are in the 90th percentile. The most important thing is that your baby is growing at a healthy and consistent rate, no matter what percentile they're in.
Our growth percentile calculator is an educational tool only. It's not the last word on how your child is growing, and it's not a substitute for having a healthcare provider monitor your child's growth at regularly scheduled exams. At these visits, your pediatrician will determine whether your child is following a healthy growth pattern over time.
This tool is for children under age 2 and is based on World Health Organization dataOpens a new window for kids in that age group. You can also find out how tall your older child is likely to be with our Child Height Predictor.
Read on to learn more about the measurements healthcare professionals take, and how to measure your baby at home.
Baby weight
If you want to see how your baby is growing between doctor’s visits, here's how to get a fairly accurate weight at home:
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Undress your baby completely (remove the diaper too) and step on a scale while you're holding your child. Record that weight.
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Set your baby down and weigh yourself. Subtract your own weight from your combined weight with your baby and record that number.
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This isn't as accurate as weighing your baby at the doctor's office, but it's a good estimate of how much your little one weighs.
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If you're worried about your baby's weight gain, call your baby's pediatrician. They may have you come in for a visit, since it's important to have your baby weighed on a consistent scale that can accurately measure weight in pounds and ounces.
Baby height
Before your baby can stand and walk on their own, height is often recorded as "length" – that is, how long your baby is from the crown of the head to the bottom of the heel while lying down.
If you want to measure your baby's length at home between doctor visits, here's how:
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Lay your baby down on a flat surface and stretch a measuring tape from the top of the head to the bottom of the heel. Since babies' knees naturally bend a bit, you may need a second person to stretch out their legs while you take the measurement.
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Record your child's length to the nearest tenth of a centimeter or inch. (In the hospital, birth length is often recorded in centimeters, but your pediatrician's office will likely record baby length in inches. What you do is up to you!) Your record might be a little different than the doctor's, but that's okay.
Baby head circumference
Your baby's healthcare provider will measure head circumference for the first two years of your child’s life to make sure your baby's brain is growing at a healthy rate.
You can measure your baby's head circumference at home too, but it can be hard to do accurately. Here's how to get a good estimate:
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Wrap a flexible measuring tape around the widest part of your baby's head, just above the eyebrows and ears and around the back, where the head slopes out from the neck.
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Take the measurement three times (your baby may be wiggly, which could make getting an accurate measurement tough) and use the largest measurement to the nearest tenth of a centimeter.
