What Growth Charts Tell Us
Growth percentiles by themselves don't say much. What really
matters is the rate of growth:
-
A normal rate of growth means the child's growth points
closely follow a percentile line on the chart.
-
We usually don't worry about insufficient (or excessive)
growth until a child's growth rate has crossed at least
two percentile lines (e.g., from above the 90th percentile
to below the 50th).
-
If a child's weight, height, or head size is below the 5th
percentile, it's important to see if the growth points
have always paralleled the 5th percentile line - which
would mean the growth rate is normal - or if the child is
suddenly falling further behind, which is more concerning.