Understanding Weight & Height Growth in Children

Growth charts are tools used by healthcare professionals to monitor your child’s development over time. They compare your child’s height, weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) with what’s typical for other children of the same age and gender.

Percentiles work like this:

• In the 50th percentile, your child is right in the middle - 50% of children of the same age and gender are taller or weigh more and 50% are shorter or weigh less.
• A child in the 70th percentile is taller or heavier than 70% of peers.

Being in a lower or higher percentile isn’t necessarily a problem; familial height and natural growth patterns matter too. What’s important is consistency. If your child suddenly shifts a couple of percentile lines up or down, that’s when it’s worth raising with your GP.

There's no strict rule, but a few red flags include:

• A consistent drop in percentile ranking for height or weight,
• Growth that’s stuck below the 3rd or 5th percentile for height or weight,
  
• Sudden changes without a clear reason (e.g., illness or changes in diet).
  

If you have any questions or would like reassurance, you can check your child’s progress on the PediaSure growth calculator (https://www.family.abbott/au-en/pediasure/tools-and-resources/tools/growth-calculator.html) or book an appointment with your GP or paediatrician so they can review the growth trajectory.

1. Bring up any changes in percentile during your child’s next GP or child health clinic visit
2. Share any observations about eating, activity or illness that might explain changes.
3. Your GP or healthcare professional might:

• Monitor growth closely over a few months.
• Check your child’s daily food intake to see if they are meeting their nutritional needs.
• Recommend specialist support (like a paediatric dietitian or endocrinologist) for persistent or unexplained shifts.

• Offer balanced meals in line with the Australian Dietary Guidelines - including a variety of foods across the five core food groups.
• Regular health visits to assess and plot growth.

If your child isn't getting all the nutrients, they need from food alone, speak to your healthcare professional about whether a child-specific oral nutritional supplement like PediaSure could help.