Calculate Growth Percentile

All it takes is a quick walk around a shopping mall or grocery store too see that there are hundreds of different body types. There's truth to the overused sentiment that we come in all shapes and sizes. The same goes for newborns and children in their first few years. While it's important to monitor the child's development, it's also important to understand what the baby's development actually means and if its something to worry about.

Calculating growth percentile is simple and there are dozens of websites that let you do it for free. The growth percentiles measure up the child's age, head circumference, length and weight with other children of his or her age and gender. The results will give a number between 1 and 99. If your child receives a 45 growth percentile in his or her weight, that means your child weighs more than 44 percent of other children his or her age and gender and less than 54 percent of other children his or her age and gender.

While these numbers can put your child's growth in some kind of perspective, the percentiles aren't as relative as charting the child's percentiles over a period of time. If he or she always stays around the 45 percentile, there's probably little to be worried about.

As long as you're taking your baby in for measurements by a health care provider, all the worrying and warning can be left up to his or her analysis of the baby's growth.