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| Birth-24 months Percentile Chart |
Percentile charts show trends in the growth of an infant.
This leads to a presented standard for healthy child development.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), "This standard describes the growth of healthy children living in well supported environments in six countries, including the United States. The standard shows how infants and children should grow..."
This chart you see in blue, Birth to 24 months: Boys Length-for-age and Weight percentiles may be applied to any boy who breastfeeds, formula feeds or on a combination of both.
This chart you see in blue, Birth to 24 months: Boys Length-for-age and Weight percentiles may be applied to any boy who breastfeeds, formula feeds or on a combination of both.
There is a separate chart that looks very similar to the above, for girls, and interpreting the chart is the same. It also applies to girls who breastfeed, formula feed or that feed on a combination of both.
My Experience with charts
When my son was admitted to the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), his doctors referenced a Jaundice Percentile Chart. That was my first exposure to a doctors use of charts in order to gauge a child's "normal" or "standard" level of weight.
At our first visit with our son's official pediatrician, he also referenced my son's growth on a chart. He informed us that he was keeping track of my son's growth and a chart that would become a part of his medical record. I did some research online and found the CDC/WHO percentile chart for Birth to 24 Months.
My Experience with charts
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| Example of Jaundice Chart |
At our first visit with our son's official pediatrician, he also referenced my son's growth on a chart. He informed us that he was keeping track of my son's growth and a chart that would become a part of his medical record. I did some research online and found the CDC/WHO percentile chart for Birth to 24 Months.
There are also CDC growth charts for older children (scroll down until you see the 2-20 age heading)
How to use/read a growth chart....
Meet Tim L. This is his percentile chart.
~In purple I have filled in the missing months.
In the next post we'll get into reading the 3 points I plugged or plotted into each percentile area :)
How to use/read a growth chart....
Meet Tim L. This is his percentile chart.
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| Tim's Percentile Chart |
~In Tim's chart you see an area for Length and Weight, each with their own percentile area.
~For each area you will see their corresponding measurements:
pounds or kilograms for weight and
inches and centimeters for length.
~For each area you will see their corresponding measurements:
pounds or kilograms for weight and
inches and centimeters for length.
~This particular chart begins at birth and stops at age 24 months (two years old).
~In purple I have filled in the missing months.
Interpreting the chart:
This chart is interpreted or read by using percent and it is where the word percentile comes from.
In the Percentile area for both length and weight you will see the following percentages:
2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 90, 95 and 98 %.
Where Tim lands on the chart, dependent on his age, and what category you are measuring, will show you his percent (either weight or length).
In the Percentile area for both length and weight you will see the following percentages:
2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 90, 95 and 98 %.
Where Tim lands on the chart, dependent on his age, and what category you are measuring, will show you his percent (either weight or length).
In the next post we'll get into reading the 3 points I plugged or plotted into each percentile area :)
-km