Calculator: ideal weight and height in children Calculation based on age/growth

Calculator of ideal weight and height in children, calculation by age

What is the ideal or optimal weight and height for children according to age?

We first provide an explanation of percentile. Then follows some basic information at a glance.

Brief explanation of percentile

Percentiles reflect the child's growth/development status compared to his/her peers. It is a statistical figure, a comparison of the average height or weight of a child at a given age and for a given sex in the child population.

These are statistical numbers and not a competition. So parents, please don't compete over whose child is taller than 95% of their peers, or which child is the ideal weight. 

The measures you find in the graph/outcome at any given moment are not indicative of the final outcome in adulthood. Nor do extreme values indicate a health problem or dreaded disease.

Growth, for both variables (height and weight), must be assessed individually. The results indicate where the child is currently compared to his/her peers.

The doctor may suggest more frequent monitoring of the child's development in case of the appearance of marginal values.

That is, if the weight/height result for a 5 year old is at the 10th percentile, then 10% of the children have lower values and 90% have higher values. 

The 97th and 3rd percentiles serve as outliers.

What does it mean for you?

Children in this range are more frequently screened and monitored.

= a single measurement does not reflect the actual growth trajectory.

Several measurements are recorded and a growth curve is generated. It is observed whether the graph is consistent and whether there is any significant deviation in the growth graph.

Important fact:
Dr. Khan says there is no ideal percentile.

There are healthy children in every height and weight category, and a child in the 5th or 95th percentile can be just as healthy. 

For example:

• If a child's height is at the 75th percentile, he or she is above the 75th percentile and below the 25th percentile of other children his or her age. 
• If he is at the 25th percentile for body weight, he exceeds the 25th percentile for weight and is underweight compared to 75% of children his age.

Division percentile - zone:

• 97th percentile = the child is heavier/higher than 97% and lighter/lower than 3% of children his/her age.
• 95th percentile = 95% of children are shorter and 5% are taller at a given age (also applies to weight).
• 90th percentile = 90 per cent of children are shorter/lighter and 10 per cent taller or heavier.
• 75th percentile = 75% of children are shorter in height and weight and 25% are taller.
• 50th percentile = 50% of the children are taller and 50% are shorter, i.e. lighter/heavier.
• 25th percentile = child is higher than 25% and lower than 75% of children of the same age, the same for weight.
• 10th percentile = the child is higher than 10% and lower than 90% of children his/her age/ the same for weight.
• 5th percentile = 5% weigh less and 95% have a higher weight, the same is true for height.
• 3 percentile = 3% of children are shorter and 97% of children of a given age are taller, equally valid for body weight.
• Mean height/weight zone = 25th - 75th percentile = average growth trend.
• Marginal values = 97th and 3rd percentile - the doctor will suggest more frequent check-ups and monitor the growth curve more often.

What is the optimum/ideal for weight and height?

What is the ideal or optimal weight and height for children according to age? Questions of this type are mainly asked by parents of smaller children. 

We offer you tables of optimal weights and heights for children and adolescents from birth to age 20.

Is the child developing properly, does his height and weight correspond to the appropriate age? 

We don't need to describe the maternal relationship. It is natural for the mother/parent to be interested in a range of information regarding the child's development from the direction of growth and gains in height and weight. 

Growth and growth during infancy to early adulthood

The growth of the child is a natural part of this period.

However, it may happen that the child grows more slowly. It does not mean its final height in adulthood. Growth takes place throughout childhood until "early adolescence-adulthood".

Children's growth is highly individual and influenced by a variety of factors.

Of course, height is influenced by several factors, such as heredity, i.e. the height of the parents. If they are both tall, we assume the children are taller, or vice versa.

Examples of factors affecting children's growth:

• genetics, heredity
• function of body organs
• the influence of hormones
• proper nutrition
• oxygenation of the body (especially during fetal development - intrauterine, negatively affects the growth of smoking and drugs in the mother/pregnant), anemia, lung disease, and others
• psychological well-being and stress

During life, children have several periods of increased growth rate. These are 4 main phases.

4 growth stages in child development.

1st growth period: fetal growth

This is the period of development, the growth of the fetus in the womb of a pregnant woman, the mother. The length and weight at birth is influenced by the nutrition of the mother, and negatively by her addictions to nicotine, alcohol, drugs. 

It is public knowledge that babies of mothers who smoke and are drug addicts have lower birth weights and smaller stature, in addition to postpartum addiction. 

Furthermore, the mother's illnesses during pregnancy also have an impact.

The fetus grows fastest in the 2nd trimester.

2. period of increased growth rate - Infantile period

A newborn is a child from birth to the 28th day of life, and the infant period is from the 29th day to the first year. 

A child in this section can grow up to 25 cm.

During the second year of life, it can grow another 10-12 cm.

The main influences include nutrition, oxygenation of the body and hormonal activity (growth hormone and thyroid hormones).

The rate of gain during this period is approximately 15% of the child/young adult's final height.

The 3rd period is preschool and younger school age (child growth curve)

Preschool period to puberty.

Normally at this time the child grows 5 - 7 centimeters per year. 

The increment represents about 40% of the final amount.

4th period is pubertal growth to "early youth"

Has the time of puberty and sexual maturation begun?

The influence of sex hormones, i.e. testosterone and estradiol on the growth hormone begins the growth spurt phase.

In girls, after about age 10, height can increase by an average of 9 cm each year (7-11 cm per year). The slowdown in growth usually occurs together with menarche - the first menstrual period.

Boys, with a delay of puberty of about one year, grow on average about 10.5 cm per year (7 - 15 cm per year).

At puberty, the proportion of increase in final height is about 15%.

In our conditions, the average height for men is 179 cm and for women 167 cm.

Growth retardation can induce later sexual development. But that does not affect the final height.

In the case of the onset of precocious puberty, the final amount may also be lower, the reason for which is the possible premature closure of the growth slit.

Growth assessment

Right at the outset, it should be noted that the assessment belongs to the hands of the children's doctor - pediatrician.

It assesses growth according to growth charts, which show the results in a percentile grid.

Deviations from growth can be caused by a disease or medication (e.g. corticosteroids).

From the percentile chart it can be read that whether the child's body height is within the range of his peers. 

• Body height 75th percentile = 75% of children in the shorter age range and 25% of the taller age range.
• 25th - 75th percentile zone = middle height band - approximately 50% of children.
• Above 75th percentile zone = high children.
• Above the 90th percentile zone = very high children.
• Below the 25th percentile zone = low.
• and the zone below the 10th percentile = very low children.
• The outliers are the 97th and 3rd percentiles.
• children in this range are more often checked and monitored.

What is: Genetic Growth Potential?

This is a genetic factor that the child inherited from the parents. 

The calculation is as follows: 

1. Boy's height = (father's height + mother's height + 13) : 2
2. Girl's height = (father's height + mother's height - 13) : 2

Examples:

1. Boy - if father is 180 cm and mother is 170 cm - predicted height at adulthood = 181.5 cm / (180 + 170 + 13) : 2 and 363 : 2 = 181.5.
2. girl - if father is 180 cm and mother is 170 cm - predicted height at adulthood = 168.5 cm / (180 + 170 - 13) : 2 and 337 : 2 = 168.5.

(samozrejme, treba rátať s odchýlkou)

What about the baby's weight?

Just as a child grows in height, he or she gains weight, which is natural. 

Of course, the rate of energy intake is one of the factors that affect the value on the scale. But in children it is not as simple as in adults. 

After birth, the baby weighs about 3200 grams, loses 100 - 300 grams, which is a physiological decrease after birth. Weight equilibration occurs at approximately day 10 - 12.

And then there is already talk of regular weight gain. He is in numbers: 

1. first quarter - 200 grams per week, and about 25 - 30 grams per day.
2. the second quarter it is 150 grams per week.
3. third quarter 100 grams per week.
4. fourth quarter 75 grams per week.

Consequently, the child gains about 2 kilograms per year. And in 5 - 6 years it is only 1 kilogram.

Charts are used to assess body weight.

However, the doctor assesses growth and weight gain in relation to each other, and therefore pounds in relation to height. Yes, this is an assessment of BMI.

Note, however, that in the period up to 18 years, the assessment is carried out with the help of special diagrams.

Of course, the doctor evaluates the overall appearance of the child, and if he sees deviations, he more often observes the child and looks for their causes. 

Naturally, as we mentioned at the beginning, in addition to the role of the doctor, the mother also looks at her child with concern for his healthy development. Therefore, in this day and age of freely available information, she searches the internet for the right numbers. 

It is precisely for this reason that we present a small auxiliary tool that can provide an indicative view of the height-weight relationship with respect to age.

Why just indicative?

Because there is no way an objective judgement can come from two numbers. 

We see that our child eats a meal for two and it goes up in height rather than width - or vice versa... Or he tastes less at a certain time. For children, there is also a rule - how much energy the body needs and what is the energy supply (especially in the long run, this can then be seen in the proportions of the body).

Tabulation of weights and heights for a specific age/age period

The following tables show the average values for body weight and height.

Once again a small warning:
These are only average values,
each child develops differently.

Table: Average body weight and height in children by age up to 11 months.

Table: Average body weight and height in children by age from 12 to 23 months.

Table: Average body weight and height in children by age from 2 to 12 years

Table: Average body weight and height in children and adolescents by age from 13 to 20 years.

The data in the tables are taken from disabled-world.com, WHO and CDC.

More of our useful calculators:

• Calculator: children's BMI - Is the child overweight, ideal or underweight?
• Water intake - Calculator - How much water should I drink per day?
• Calculator: daily calorie intake TDEE - energy requirement + calculation
• Calculator: ideal weight by height - Calculation for adults

Read also the articles: 

• Overweight and obesity in children, adolescents and young adults. What to do against it?
• Why is dehydration in children dangerous? What are the symptoms?
• How to lead children to a healthy lifestyle? Health education